Lesson 40b
Romans 8:35-39 · Courtney Hemenway · Sep 22, 2019
Romans (2018-21), No. 82
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261916201615

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We are in Lesson 40. Great passages. Been excited to get on to this. Do you guys need 40? Katie, you guys need 40? I got it. I'm going to read through the verses again. The passages for this are Romans 8, 35-39. I'll read through it again. Again, these are incredibly good, incredible verses for believers. And again, as we'll get the last question, how it fits into Romans 8. Beginning in 35.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, for your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Incredibly powerful verses.

And we did question one, just kind of quickly review that. Verse 35, who is the who in there? What did we... Newell says it's Satan. Again, kind of going over it, I think it's more of anybody. It's a challenge. Can anybody separate us from the love of God? So, kind of disagreed a little bit with Newell on that.

And there are several verses, Romans 8.31, 8.33, 8.34. So they're all who's... Well, no, I would need to... So, it's all who's. So, I think these are the challenges. So, the challenge of anybody, who, anybody, who can separate us from the love of God? So, I also want to think of the who when we consider the rest of this verse. So, question two.

What do you consider as tribulation, distress, or persecution? And the question is, are they the same thing? So, in verse 35, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. So are they all the same? The tribulation, distress, and persecution? Are they all the same? No. They kind of go together. Okay. Different? Same? Just kind of one shade of yellow and two shades of yellow? Varying amounts of stress. Varying amounts of stress.

Some things like famine could be irreversible. We're going with tribulation, distress, and persecution. Those three things. We'll deal with famine later. So I guess the question is are these all based On punishment of the believer? We're going to punish you? It sounds like he's bringing tribulation, distress, persecution. It's a result of Adam's sin.

The Bible says varying degrees of what they really refer to. They're similar, but different in some respects. He says, for tribulation is more the sacrifice they had to make and the perils they had to meet because of the proclamation of the preparation of Christ, that particular one. Yeah, we'll get into the various ones, and Noel goes through in great detail the differences.

The other that's brought to mind is, is God just waiting with a big stick to bring us these things if we get a step? That, you know, if I'm not toeing the line, if I don't show up on Sunday, if I'm not reading my Bible, He's going to bring distress to me?

Only if you're John McCarthy. No. No. So, is it any result of my action? God does punish us and draw us to Him by making us aware that we need to not give in to sin, not yield our members to sin. I agree, except the first word you used there. It's not punishment. He said He punishes us because. That means if I'm out of line, He's going to punish me. Yeah, it's not out of punishment. And remember what this verse is saying. What's this verse saying? Who can separate us from His love? So, is this the big stick? He's going to punish us? No. It's not punishment.

It's a teacher word, yeah. That's the whole word trying to get around. When you look at persecution, distress, all these things, I think a lot of people think it's And for long, I thought God was out there with a big stick. Or, if everything is going well, He's just waiting for me to make one mistake, and then, man, here comes the persecution. Or, He's going to punish me because I did X, Y, or Z. And that is not what's going on here.

My Bible does use the word punishment and discipline in the same verse. Throw that one away. It's Hebrews 12. 12, 5, and 6, it says, my son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline and do not lose heart when he rebukes you because the Lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes everyone he accepts as his son. I'd say the translation of that, like those are the child training, the chastening, and the rebuking. Again, the punishment is the part that, how do you punish somebody or a result of your action if you love them. Are you punishing them? Are you evoking judgment on them? How can you punish someone who's already been punished?

I would say God's wrath is a different category. That's not for believers. God's wrath is for unbelievers, but I'm just saying with the perspective. Yeah, well I'd like the translation. We're going to throw that one out. I have to see that one, because usually And it doesn't make sense in this verse, if he can separate us from his love, and yet he's going to, out of malice, punish us. It's not out of malice. And that's what I want to try and really get out of this. All these things aren't because we do something wrong. It's all based on love to what? Conform us to the image. What have we just learned in the past part of Romans 8? The NASB says he scourges every son he receives. Scourging is, you know, that's pretty severe. But it's not intent on punishing. It's an intent to get you back in the right path. That's what all of these are for. And that's the whole point of this, is that it's not out of punish.

We look at this and we go, man. And I said, myself, for years, I always thought, man, if I was to get out of line, the first thing that's going to happen is God's just going to whack me, get me back in the line. Well, he may whack you, but it's not to punish you. It's to discipline you, actually, to get you back in line. That's the whole point of this. That's what we have to change the mindset. It's not God punishing me. He's drawing me back. And he's using, what did we find out, again, how this all fits together, what did we find out earlier in Romans? He uses what?

All things. For good. Does all things mean distress, persecution, all these things? Yeah. But it's linked to love. Also, you know, when Israel, when Judah was taken into captivity to Babylon, the good along with the evil people were whipped and beaten and raped and stuff like that. It happens to the good along with the bad, but the people who are good, who are believers, They probably didn't get a severe punishment, but they were all taken in the same place. They all went through the same distresses and persecution and stuff like that.

I guess the point of all this, which we'll get down further, is when you go through persecution, it's not fun. When you go through distress, it's not great. But I think what's underlying all of this is that inner peace that you have knowing that God's in control of this and He's using it, what? To conform me to the image. That's in the midst of this persecution, this distress, all of this. There's a peace that you know that it's not just God punishing you. He loves you and what's He trying to do? Bring you back to the fellowship, if that's it. and ultimately conform you to the image of his son. Actually, he's trying to get our eyes off of this world. Tornadoes destroy Christians' houses.

Exactly. Just as easily as non-Christians. Exactly. Same thing. The Christians take it differently. The taking part is what I'm getting at. You have that peace that you understand that God's in control. Even when the tornado comes, the flood comes, the persecution, the distress, God's in control of it, and He's not punishing. He's wanting you to come back to fellowship, or He's conforming you to that image. But there's an inner peace that you know that.

And that's how we're different than the world. I've always been under the impression that all of punishment and all of wrath was taken out on Christ. And because it was taken out on Him, He's not going to do it to me too. Yeah. And so if you start with that premise, then you realize if I commit a sin, I'm never going to be punished for it because from his perspective it's already been dealt with.

The second thing that you learn about God is that he is always trying to bless us and every, not only the members of the body of Christ, but from Adam forward. And usually what his especially in the Old Testament, if they come under the wrath of God, it's not because he did something proactive, it's because he withdrew the blessing that he had given them. And I think that happens with us a lot. If we insist on living in the flesh, then we lose the blessing of what it means to walk in the Spirit, and there is nothing but anxiety there. I get nervous about removing the blessing. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. And it's not being removed. The other part of this verse is you can't be separated from His love. So no matter what, He still loves you. But that would be positionally, right? Well, it's positionally and conditionally He loves you.

He's going through all these things, why? True, but if you are not under the grace umbrella, if you go back under the law umbrella, then you don't experience any rest or peace there. Right, but what is he doing? He's allowing you to do that. Romans 1, I'm going to let you do, you know, so I'm going to let you out. How are you doing? But God is always pursuing you. He allows you to do that, but what is he doing? He's training you. Do you want to do that again? Do you want to keep doing that? Do you want to keep being at a fellowship? I think that's what, you know, because the loss of fellowship is not a fun thing, but he allowed you to do it.

I was just going to say, you know, I've got this Zodiatis, and what Ingrid was talking about, both of those in here use the word chastening, and both of those derivatives go back to child. Right, yeah, so that's what I'm, I was sure, I haven't checked that, thank you, because I was sure It's a chastening, it's a child training. You know, supposing, I have one of them in here, when you're chastening your child, it's not out of anger, although it's sometimes hard to separate that.

We're having a lot of back row discussion here. The other one's out of the room, so he'd really be giving me grief. You try not to do that out of malice. You're trying to train them not to do whatever that thing is. Yeah, we're a bad example. We're a bad example of it.

But that's what I'm saying. God is not a bad example of it. God does it in love. He does it in love. We fail as humans, as fathers and all that. All right. Keep it down back there. So, yeah. The other side of the coin there is that others see Christ in you. Yeah, I mean, you know, I think when you see somebody who's suffered through a hurricane, a tornado, a flood, and who's a believer and understands this, they find something, what's different about you? Why aren't you, you know, or, you know, some of these tragedies that have happened, these shootings, and, you know, they want to forgive the person.

I mean, that's like, what? Give an account for the whole. Give an account. That's what you have to do. Okay, we'll kind of blow down these things a little bit on tribulation and kind of go through the Greek-y part of this, just kind of some of the differences.

For tribulation, this is philpsis, which means to crush, press, compress, or squeeze. Also, tribulation, trouble, or affliction. And Newell states that 37 times the word philpsis and its verb are used to denote the direct troubles that afflict the saints, because of the gospel. So, that's kind of an interesting part. It's suffering for, or the tribulation is based on the gospel, you proclaiming the gospel.

Next word is distress. The Greek word is stenochoria, and Zodias defines it as has in view the distress which arises from within, usually caused by philpsis or the distress, such as anguish or discomfort. And also distress, narrowness occurring only four times with the connotation of narrowness. So like the, we were talking about when you get into the tunnel or you get into the distress and things narrow down and you're kind of compressed in a narrow, it's that distress, the distress, yeah, I mean, you're getting kind of...

He's bringing the walls in on you, the narrowness. So, Newell says, the word means a narrow, cramped place where one is in straits. For the lost, this is unendurable. For the saved, it only affords room. for God's help when nothing else can avail. So again, the narrowness that's coming down the walls are coming in on you.

So the last word is persecution, or the Greek word diagonmos, which means to follow, persecute, pursue, press toward. Pursuit, particularly of enemies. Persecution, hostile persecution. Newell says, this is a word used 10 times in the New Testament. It's always in reference to the gospel. Therefore, the persecution is in response to saints being persecuted for the gospel.

And then if you look at John 15, 15, 20, and 21, remember the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, Christ, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know the one who sent me."

So again, it's the persecution, the distress, all the other uses of it, it's when you're bringing forth the gospel. So is that what he's talking about here? I think in part, yes. The persecution I'll get down to it a little bit more, but the persecution that's brought about by the gospel, you proclaiming the gospel, or even being a believer. Yeah, Mike.

My thought is that in our society today, we are inundated with real or imagined trauma all the time. And it's designed to put us under these things so that we will be distressed, so that we will feel like we're in tribulations, so that we will be hopeless. I bring to mind that middle school girl that testified to Congress about climate change, and she said she couldn't sleep at night because she was worried that she wasn't going to grow up because the planet was going to frighten her. And the other thing I find is that when you talk to people today in our society, this whole idea of personal distress is a really big deal. We were talking the other day about suicide. People commit suicide, I think, to get out of the stress.

And they don't realize, especially believers, should realize that, wait a minute, you know, there isn't anything that... And if you're not aware and or believe that nothing can separate you from the love of God, then you're in a position where this is going to take over and rule you. That's why these verses are so key.

I think in today's society, just as Mike said, for a believer, you know, there's a gentleman who was a big megachurch out in California, had a suicide ministry, and he just committed suicide. And, you know, that was his whole ministry. And we knew a friend just recently, strong Christian, had seven kids, and committed suicide. Now he's a very strong believer.

And, you know, They don't, I think, understand these verses. This is what they don't understand. That's why the importance of this for believers, even in distress, even in these trials, even in these pressures that come upon you, if you understand what we've learned before, God uses all things. That means he's sovereignly in control and that you cannot be separated from his love. In any of these stresses, you know that. and you have that inner peace and you don't need the way of escape of suicide or this constant depression because you know he's in control. He's got to work that out though. In all believers, but that's where the critical part of these verses and we'll go at the end and we'll see how this fits but Romans 8 is just amazing truths for us as believers.

And it all fits together with this being the culmination of it. This is the culmination of all the other things we've learned, which I just gave away question 12, but this is the end. In all these things, God loves you, and He's using it for His purposes. So, now for the trick question, in all these things, what's common in all these things?

What I just went through in the definitions? tribulation, distress, or persecution. The commonality is it's all about because we're Christians, because we're believers. In the way these verses are used, it's because of the gospel. All of them were related to believers and typically about the gospel.

You know, we saw in 830, we'll see in 836, just as written, for your sake we're being put to death all day long, we're considered as sheep to be slaughtered. So again, the persecution and all that as believers were to be put, we'll deal with this verse a little later, put to death all day long, we're considered sheep as slaughtered. So what did Paul say about suffering earlier in Romans 8? Do you remember what he said about his suffering?

Considered it nothing. Nothing. Romans 8.18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy, not even to be considered, to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

James says, Consider it all joy, my brethren. But that one, I use that, know that, consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. We'll go through all of it. It's the testing of your faith. That's what that verse is talking about.

So, Paul tells us the suffering isn't even compared to what's going to be revealed. He just laid out distress, persecution, all these things. He doesn't even think that's even comparable. It shouldn't even be thought of compared to what the glory is going to be revealed to us.

I asked, what is the bigger commonality in these issues? I said, it's all about believers. What's the other commonality? This is a bigger trick question. That it grows faith. Nope. God allowed them all. It was God who allowed them. Now think about that one.

And yet He is telling us that even in these things He loves us with an eternal love through His Son Jesus. He is sovereign. Remember verse 828, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. So, the all things, does that include tribulation, distress, and persecution? Absolutely.

God allowed it. He's the one, we're believers, but God allowed all this. He's the one, if He's a sovereign God, He's allowed this persecution, trials, all these different things. So, again, the peace knowing, if you're a believer, God allowed it, but He loves me. Tie it to this verse. You cannot be separated from His love. None of these things can separate you from His love. Nothing. Also, going back to question one, who is the ultimate who in this verse?

Kind of an interesting thing. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? We said it was anybody, right? Who? Anybody? The world, the flesh, the devil. Anybody, right? It's the universal who. Think about what we just said. or what I just said. Who ultimately allowed this? I thought this was kind of an interesting thing. God is. God is the ultimate who.

Can God separate us, or will He separate us from the love of Christ? No. Even though He uses all this, the who even includes God. God will not separate us from the love. So, this makes this verse even more powerful. Will God, through any method or way, separate us from the love of Christ? God gave up His Son for us. Would He ever now nullify or remove us from Christ and His love? See, that's a key point right there, that the Lord Jesus was separated from God's love. He was. And when He cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? So that I don't ever have to be.

But God is even included in that who. He will never separate us. He won't. Even He uses all these things, He won't even separate us from. Which I thought was kind of a, you know, as I thought about these verses, even in the who, God won't even do it. Because He gave up His Son. Now will He ever nullify that? Never.

So again, the who is even universal with God. God won't even separate us. Who will separate us, and then we go through these tribulations? Well, He's the one in control of all that. So He won't even separate us from the love of Christ. So, moving on. Question 3.

In 2019, would famine, nakedness, peril, or sword still be a way to separate us from the love of Christ? Again, the end of that verse. who will separate us from the love of Christ with tribulation, or distress, or persecution, famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Is there still famine in the world for Christians? Sure. Okay. What does Paul mean by nakedness? Zodiacally he says it this way, nakedness, destitute of convenient or decent clothing. Are there still Christians who are destitute of convenient or decent clothing? Yes. Is there still peril or fear of a tax sword in the world today for Christians?

Could any of these things occur to us believers in downtown Colorado? Well, we need some public whipping. I'm not an advocate of that, no. So, do any of these things occur to believers in downtown Colorado? What could any of these things? Absolutely. If that occurred, or as it occurs in the world today for believers, what is Paul telling us here? Same thing. Even in all these things, we cannot be separated from God's love through Christ. All of these.

If the tornado comes, whips your, blows your house apart, you have no clothes, no anything left, will God take care of you? Or does He still love you? Even though the tornado hit your house and not your wicked neighbor's house? Does He still love you?

Absolutely, He does. Again, the understanding of these verses is critical to a believer. If he does take your house away or leave you destitute, there's that inner peace. It's still not fun. It's still difficult. But there's an inner peace knowing that God still loves you. He still loves you, even in the midst of that. And he's using that. Why? To conform you to the image. He may use that just to show your neighbor how you exhibit a response. like Job. Well, also, as Christians, we know that we have an inheritance that is far greater. What do we need this house for?

What did Paul say? Even though I consider these nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. He's already told us. None of this stuff means anything. I don't mean to diminish the pain that you'll go through. Obviously, it interrupts your life and all that, but there's the understanding. If you understand these verses, there is a peace that surpasses all understanding, which he's told us, that he's in control. And he still loves us. And if you really go to the thing, he's using this to conform us to the image of his son. Pretty cool.

Tough, but pretty cool. So, again in Romans 18, again, "...for I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed." So, again, if these things, the distress, the peril, all these things, the famine, the nakedness, all these things happen, it's not even in the same zip code of what the glory is to be revealed to us. So, question four. This is a good one.

From verse 36, what does it mean to be put to death all day long? Hey, I'm going to work today. I'm going to be put to death all day long today. So, verse 36, just as it's written, for your sake we're being put to death all day long. We're considered as sheep to be slaughtered. This is from Psalm 44, 22. So, what does it mean to be put to death all day long?

That's what the flesh would see Adam, the first Adam. I was going to say maybe the old man. Okay. Others? But I can't swear to it. You're not going to swear to that answer. That was a trial balloon. But to us, we see Christ glorified. True. To the new man. So what does it mean? Well, I think in a way, even us today says that we are Christ. And thus, by definition, we really are sheep for the slaughter, in theory. It can be a reality. Who are His? Mm-hmm. OK. Others?

This is a tough one. He says, for your sake, we're being put to death all day long. Sounds like a bad Friday. Well, even these oddies are deteriorating. True. So, from Newell he states that these verses are describing the hunting down by the Antichrist of the godly remnant of Israel in the days of the Great Tribulation. But Paul brings this out for believers in this church age. So, what do you think it means that we're being put to death all day long? Let's put it this way. What did the world think of Christ? Hated Him. Hated Him. What did they do to Him? Put Him to death. Crucified Him. So they rejected Him and crucified Him.

Do we think the world will think any different of us? No. Have we been separated from the world? No. Will not the world persecute just as they persecuted Christ? No. We're not from around here anymore. and they persecute us. They persecute us just because we are in Christ. Just as the world persecuted Him, we are going to be persecuted. And again, the thought being that each and every day there is potential for persecution because of who you are in.

The world hates Christ. If you are in Christ, are you hated by the world? Jesus said they hated me, they'll hate you. Yes, we read that earlier. The thought being too is that who's the most persecuted bunch in the world today? Christians. Christians truly are the most persecuted. The Jews. Actually, Christians worldwide are the most persecuted.

So again, the thought being that you're being put to death all day long. So from question five, from verse 36, it gets better. Are you concerned that we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered? The day only gets better. You're supposed to be put to death all day, now we're considered to be sheep as slaughtered. So do you wake up every day thinking you're considered as sheep to be slaughtered?

No, I look in the mirror and say, boy, I'm getting better looking every day. Your haircut, I know. Do you think, as a Christian, you'll have a peaceful life here with no persecution of your faith? No. Do you think that it is getting better for Christians around the world? No. How about in the United States? No. The question is, where is our citizenship now?

Heaven, Philippians 3.20, in Heaven, that is where we are accepted and there is no persecution.

Here, not so. Sheep to be slaughtered. Again, it's not a surprise. Again, as we went into, if we're in Christ, they persecuted Him, they crucified Him. The world does not want any relationship to Christ. So we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. So again, it's kind of an interesting thing. It's preparing, I think, in these verses, Paul is basically saying, being a believer isn't your ticket to the rose garden, where happiness and all this will happen. They persecuted Christ, so they're going to persecute you.

Don't think that is something unnatural or something that is strange. it will happen. Now I a lot of times don't see it, you know, it's usually my fault or the guy next to me. It's Russ's fault. Russ, you're very, very bad. Okay, so again, I think this is in prep for what he's the stress and the distress and the famine and the peril. He's saying You're to be considered a sheep because of who you're in, who you're placed in, who you are. You are Christ. You are in Christ. And if that's the case, they're going to persecute you. You're going to have some of these things.

So that means that I, and I'm not saying that I buy this, but I'm asking the question anyway. It's a trial balloon. Does that mean that I need to fight for the Constitution of my country? Where is our citizenship? So am I fighting for that constitution? To be passive about that? I think we've had this discussion before. We have a new constitution. See, we differ on this one. This one could get for a long one. There's the idea that as Christians, we are our citizenships in heaven. So what do we have to worry about our constitution? What do we have to worry about politics here? Why do we have to worry about anything here?

That's one view. The other view is the fact that in Romans 13 we're subject to the laws and be in subjection to all that. There are other passages that pray for our leaders, pray for the king, pray for all this. We're to pray for them. Peace of the nation. Yeah. Well, it's more about leaders. And yes, I guess. No, you're right. It's for folks, not the nation. Yeah.

And so, again, mine is it were to be salt here, and it were to be God's emissary, God's ambassador. And we can do that in politics as well as anywhere. The milkman, the engineer, the whatever. All of us can be ambassadors for Christ, and I think it's important that we pray for our leaders.

It's just like the things we're going through right now. Do we want to have leaders that are just going to say you can have abortion until after they're born? As a believer, I think that's wrong. In politics, you can affect some changes there. That's not voiding our citizenship in heaven. It's just doing what's right. As far as abortion goes, there are a bunch of those things that go on. I mean, we could get into a whole bunch of very social topics that come up as a politician. I think that we were to be placed here as salt and light and to be used in politics as well as our neighborhoods.

But isn't that a matter of choice? Yeah, I mean, but it's not to the exclusion. You can go to the exclusion that we shouldn't be involved in politics. And so that is a whole different thing. I mean, yeah, it's a choice. I'm not going to go into politics.

But I'm talking about abortion or Well, this is about the law, yeah, this is about promoting laws, like in New York, where now you can, the legislature in New York now has allowed, I think, post-abortion death. So, if they're born alive, you can kill them. So, I mean, but these are the things, again, that in politics you can get involved with in making a change.

This is where he and I disagree a little bit. I think as believers we can be put in those positions and to pray for those believers. They're believers in politics, sometimes at wonder. We went to the National Prayer Breakfast years ago and met with many of the legislators who are strong believers and that was encouraging. I will say that you didn't state my position very well.

Okay, well go ahead. Feel free. You have 30 seconds. State your case. Anyway, we've had that discussion and I think we're to be salt and light in the world. That includes politics. We can be involved in politics. Not to the exclusion of being in politics or in our country or having anything about that. It's still the understanding that our citizenship is in heaven. No matter what happens here, it doesn't matter. Our citizenship position is unchangeable. It doesn't matter. That's the way I say it. I like politics.

But the beauty of when we get into Heaven, there is no campaigning, there is no politics, there is no voting, there is nothing. There is none of that, which is awesome. So that will be a great day, besides all the other benefits of obviously being in front of the Lord. Yeah, I mean, it's like the Founding Fathers were very much, and I think we have a great country and all that.

Still, the residing thing is our citizenship is in heaven. I understand Mike's point in that, in that ultimately it doesn't matter. Am I stating a little bit more of your position? That it doesn't matter as much because our citizenship is in heaven. We're just ambassadors here. So I understand that point. But I think as ambassadors, we are to promote the message of where we're from. And that's where you can do that. All right. Let's close. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for each and every day you give to us.

We just thank you for this portion of scripture again, just where we see the fact that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, anywhere, any place, even you will not separate us from the love of Christ and how powerful that is. What a comforting message that is in any trials, tribulations, distress, persecution, any of the things you bring out in this section of scripture. We cannot be separated from the love of Christ. And what a joy that is, what peace that gives us in any circumstance. Again, knowing, as we looked earlier, that you're in control of all things and you use all things. And what a comfort it is to know that, number one, and number two, that we can't be separated from your love.

And we just thank you again for, especially these chapters 6, 7, and 8 in Romans, which are so foundational to a believer. We thank you for that and how powerful they are. We just thank you again for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to allow, to convince us of these truths. And we just thank you again for this time. We pray for Roger in the next meeting. As he brings forth the word, just prepare our hearts to receive it. And we thank you for all these things. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.