The North American Mission Board Replant team asked me to record a video clip for their upcoming Replant Summit in Alpharetta, Georgia. This year's theme is "Reframing Conflict," as seen in Romans 12:18. The clip will play to an audience of pastors and church leaders during one of their worship sessions.
Interestingly, I'm preaching on this same section of Scripture this Sunday. Here is the clip that I sent to NAMB for their conference.
"For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin." Psalm 1:6
Construction workers closed my street to traffic. It is inconvenient for those who need to drive down the street. But if one were to break the barrier of the street closure and plow ahead, they wouldn't get far. There is an enormous hole in the middle of the street. The street closure is for the public good. It prevents cars from falling into the large hole.
Similarly, God has set up barriers in life for our good. God wants us to be aware and obedient to the warnings along the path. Those barriers are for our protection and spiritual health. He has lit up the path and given us clear instructions through his word. He is watchful and present, constantly aware of our direction.
The Bible describes the path of people in two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The way of the wicked is like those plowing straight through the street closure, heading toward the ditch. There is no awareness of God's presence or his barriers. The world is spiritually blind toward its poisoned path and destruction that lies ahead.
The cross is the most outstanding example of God's awareness of our condition. God has made the way of the righteous available to humanity through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is the starting point of a course correction to heaven.
But God has not called Christians to wander along the pathway as if they are still blind. He calls Christians to live empowered by the Holy Spirit, dependent on him for strength and instruction. Christians should live with intentionality and clear vision. The Bible describes one who focuses his mind and heart on God's instruction as "like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in season" (Psalm 1:3). When you meditate on God's word and instruction for your life, there will be fruit in due time.
God's awareness of our present condition is comforting for Christians. Meditate on God's watchfulness, being aware that he is always present. Our sins and our struggles are laid bare before him. Live a surrendered life today, dependent on his grace, mercy, and protection.
In Romans 8, Paul describes the power and impact of the Holy Spirit on the Christian life. He reminds us there is no condemnation if you are in Christ and tells Christians to set their minds on the Spirit. He tells us that as we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, and God is working all things together for the good, that we should be men and women conformed to the image of his Son. God is ultimately bringing us to a place where we will behold the glory of Christ, our Savior.
Romans 8:31–39 summarizes all of this together in one package, saying to the Christian, "Christian, if God is working all these things together for us, why do you worry?" His point is that Christians don't need to be people who worry because God is for us.
Today, there's an endless list of things to worry about. You're worried because your dollar doesn't stretch as much as it used to. You're worried you won't make it this month financially. You may worry about your marriage or kids. Maybe you're worried about the world your kids will grow up in. You're concerned about their education and their future.
And if big things aren't enough for you, we're good at creating worry about many little things. We're worried about what people think of us. I heard someone say you wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you knew how little they do. You may worry you've got something stuck in your teeth. Maybe you're worried that when you go to the supermarket, you'll get that shopping cart that gets stuck or starts veering off to one side. You may worry your phone won't have enough battery today. You want to say hello to that new person at church but fear you won't remember their name. You would hang out for fellowship after church, but you're worried about making small talk. We are good at inventing things to worry about.
What happens when you worry? It starts with an external or internal stimulus triggering a thought. The problem today is the amount of information constantly coming at us, creating an environment where the potential for worry increases exponentially. We need to be careful with what we give our attention to.
When a worrisome thought occurs, scientists say there is a part of the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala acts like an alert system for the body. The thought triggers the amygdala to alarm, and the body reacts physically. This is where you get overwhelmed with anxiety and fear because of the worrisome thought. It's incredible how our minds and our bodies are so intertwined together.
I like what one person said about worry. He says, "When we worry, we believe more in our problems than in God's promises." But it's so easy for us to get caught up in worry and fear. How can we move from believing in our problems to believing that God's promises are greater than our problems? Let's open our Bibles to Romans 8, starting in verse 31.
Remember that Paul has just told us that God is working all things together for our good, that he's conforming us to the image of his Son, and that he is bringing us to a day where we will behold his glory. Then, we get to verse 31.
Romans 8:31–39 is such a beautiful passage. Paul takes us through a whole list of rhetorical questions. Rhetorical questions are self-explanatory questions. It's a method that the author uses to bring us to a point. He asks us, "What are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? How will he not grant us everything? Who will bring an accusation against God's elect? Who is the one who condemns? Who can separate us from the love of Christ?" The answer to this is that nothing can separate us from Christ. Christian, God is for us."What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, 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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31–39 CSB
The audience for Romans 8:31–39 is Christians. In verse 33, he describes us as God's elect. We're not going to get into a whole conversation on election. For our purposes in this text, if you are someone in Christ, meaning if at the end of the day when you stand before the Lord, God identifies you as someone in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus knows you, then brother or sister, you are God's elect.
Sometimes, we can get into our denominational beliefs when discussing Christianity and the church. But really, what matters at the end of the day is that when you stand before the Lord, does he know you? That's the church that matters. Are you one of God's elect?
The point of all that he is saying in verses 31 to 39 is that today if you are in Christ, you have everything you need. Why do you worry?
We start in Romans 8:31, where he says, "What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?" Think of all the people who have had to trust God in difficult circumstances.
Abram, who later became Abraham, had to trust God even though he couldn't see how God could fulfill his promises. In Genesis 15:1, "After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great." The Lord had promised Abram a child, but Abram was childless, and he and his wife were both getting old. It seemed like an impossible situation.
But God answered Abram regarding his promises. How could he prove to Abram that his promises were accurate and truthful? His promises are based on who he is: "I am your shield." The God who brought the world into existence is your shield, and God is on your side. No one can take anything away from you because God is on your side.
Look at David, a man who, time and time again, was up against forces that seemed too powerful for him. He was a young man with rocks and a sling, standing before a giant in full armor. In his life, he had to deal with the king of Israel chasing after him to take away his life. I love what David says in Psalm 27:1–3,
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread? When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident." Psalm 27:1–3 CSB
What is his confidence based on? He sets his confidence on the fact that he's seen God move impossible things before, and he knows that no matter what comes against him, there is a stronghold, a defense, a shelter, a shield in his life that is stronger than anything coming against him.
He has the best defense in the universe. Why should he be afraid? Why should he worry? He knows in his mind and heart that no one so powerful on the outside can cause anything within him to go on red alert. He is confident because there is a stronghold, a shelter, a shield in his life that is more powerful than anything he faces. God is on his side.
He's not worried about enemies. He serves the God who conquers his enemies. He's not concerned about armies coming against him. He serves the Lord of Armies.
Remember, the God who was the shield in Abraham's life and the stronghold in David's life is the same God you serve. There's a defense, a shield that is covering you. And if you are in Christ today, God is for you. No one in the world can come against you. God is on your side.
When I was in the police department, we would show up for roll call right before patrol. Police officers would stand in line, and the sergeant would give us our daily assignments. One of the things they would tell you is that, no matter what happened on patrol, make sure you go home at night to your family. You were going out into a world where people hated you because of your uniform.
However, as I became a Christian, I had a different perspective on the dangers of my job. I realized something. I would say this to myself: "I am invincible until God decides to take me home." Because we serve a God who is more powerful than our enemies, we are invincible until God decides to take us home.
In Romans 8:32, Paul gets into his next rhetorical question by telling us to look at what God has done for us already. He says, "He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?" I became interested in the word "everything," where he says, "Grant us everything." My skeptical brain said, "Okay, what is Paul really saying here? What's the fine print? What does he mean by everything?" So I looked it up. The Greek word translated as "everything" means "each, every, any; any and every, every; all; every kind of, all sorts of." It means everything.
In Romans 8:33, "Who can bring an accusation against God's elect? God is the one who justifies." God has justified you in Jesus Christ. He has given his Son for you. God has not spared his Son but gave him up for us. He will grant us everything, so you have all you need in Christ.
Since all of that is true, who will bring anything against you? Who's going to accuse you of anything? Because there's no condemnation for those in Christ. Often, we're the ones who want to blame ourselves and condemn ourselves for things. But God doesn't look at you as someone he accuses. God looks at us as someone that he has already justified in Christ. Our sins are on the cross, past, present, and future. Nothing is coming against you. So, why are you worried?
In Romans 8:34, "Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us." Earlier in Romans 8:26–27, we've already seen that the Holy Spirit intercedes for God's people through our prayers. Here, he describes Christ interceding for us on our behalf. The point is that God is on our side. God looks after his children. He didn't justify you to walk away from you. He justified you in Jesus Christ, and he is with you at all times. He intercedes on your behalf. He is bringing us to a place where our temporary issues are behind us.
I love how the Lord describes worry for us in Matthew 6. Take a look at Matthew 6:31–34,
"So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:31–34 CSB
A Christian counselor described worry as a good emotion (concern) focused on the wrong day (tomorrow). That is what Jesus says here. He says, don't worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. And for Christians, there is a cure for worry. The cure for worry is prayer because prayer-thought cures fear-thought.
When worried, we can pray to God and say, "Lord, these things are hard. Lord, I put all these things in your hand because you are my life's stronghold. I know that you are stronger than the things I face, and your word says you will grant us everything in Christ. Lord, I trust you. God, I trust in your promises more than I trust in my worries."
His word says the Lord sits at the right hand of God, interceding for you right now. As we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. And we say as a church, "Forgive us, Lord, as we get caught up in our worries."
I used to teach a course on anger management in a homeless shelter. I would ask the students about what they are concerned about today. Remember, these are men and women experiencing homelessness. Some of them had real concerns about falling back into addiction, concerns about how they're going to get a job and how they're going to support themselves in San Diego. Many of them were starting what was a year-long program at the shelter.
I would ask them about the things they are concerned about today. Will these things matter in six months? Maybe. Will they matter in a year? Are they going to matter in five years? Then I would ask them, do you remember what you were worried about six months ago? Do you remember what you were worried about a year ago?
Often, the things that seem so big at the moment aren't that bad when we look back at them a year later. Somehow, the fear we had about tomorrow, the fear about the future, when the future happened, everything worked out. We look back and say, "God, look at what you got us through." God provides for our needs.
The Christian perspective on the future is not worry, but confidence. We base the future on what God has already done for us in the past. God has saved us in Christ, so we know he holds our future. He is working all things together so that we are men and women conformed to the image of his Son, heading to a place where we will behold his glory. We are justified in Christ, and we are his children.
The totality of everything he says is that we don't have to worry because God is for us. But if our best defense, our best stronghold, is that God is for us, we have a question. We ask ourselves, "Is there something so wrong, so terrible, that if I am in Christ today, somehow a terrible action could drive a wedge between me and God? Is there something that I could do, or something that could happen to me, that would separate my bond with Jesus Christ?"
Because if that were true, that would be something to worry about. If there was a possibility that there could be something so terrible that it could drive a wedge and separate me from the love of Christ, then my salvation is not sure. It's not on a solid rock. There's something extra that I have to do beyond the cross. For my salvation, I would need the cross, plus I would need my good works.
Is there something that could separate me from Jesus? The Holy Spirit inspires Paul as he's writing this. The Spirit speaks through his word and says, "No." He says in Romans 8:35, "Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" In that verse, he brings us a list of possible ways to die.
In the next verse, he then quotes Psalm 44:22. He says in Romans 8:36-37, "As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." The question that he's asking is, "Is there any possible thing in my death that could separate me from Christ?" That's a scary thing because if you're separated from Christ by your death, there's no coming back from that.
He says, "No, we're more than conquerors." We have conquered so much that we have even conquered death because Jesus Christ has conquered death for us on the cross. So even though I die, I will live. I am more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ, even if you take me to my grave. When you go to my funeral, my body may be there, but my life is with Jesus Christ.
In Romans 8:38–39, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, 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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Send the best you've got. Bring anything against me in my life, and I am with Christ. Take me to my grave, and I am with Christ. Let Satan work against me. I am in Christ. Bring all of your armies. Bring all the enemies you want. I am in Christ. There's nothing in creation, no power strong enough, nothing on Earth or the entire universe that can come against the stronghold in my life, the defense over me. I am in Christ.
I love what the Lord says in John 10. If you've heard the voice of Jesus Christ in your life, if the Lord Jesus has called you to him, and you've recognized that call on your life, then you are a follower of Jesus Christ. You are his sheep. You are his. Listen to what the Lord says in John 10:27–30,
"My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27–30 CSB
If Jesus is who he says he is, the Son of God who takes away the sin in your life, then there is power in Jesus, and no one will take you from him.
There was a kid in a schoolyard, and he was worried about a bully. He'd been hearing threats from this bully all day. The bully had taunted him, saying, "Wait until I see you in the schoolyard." It got to recess time, and the kids were in the schoolyard. The little boy was in the schoolyard, and he was worried. He was looking around. And out came the bully. The bully was walking toward him.
The little boy's eyes widened as he saw the bully approaching him. A crowd started to form around. And he said to himself, "That's it. This bully is going to beat me up. He's going to knock me out. What am I going to do?" The little boy was afraid.
Suddenly, the little boy saw the bully's eyes get wide. Behind that little boy came this enormous guy with huge muscles. The bully recognized him because he was a famous wrestler. The little boy was confused and then felt a presence behind him. He turned around, looked up at the man, and said, "Oh, hi, Dad." The boy's father looked at the bully and said, "Is there a problem here?" The bully said, "No sir, no problem."
So often, we hear the voice of our worries in our lives—the voice of those finances that aren't enough, the voice of that relationship we're worried about—all the voices of distress around us. We're worried about our kids, worried about everything that we see, and worried about a scary future.
As we look at the bully in the schoolyard, we forget whose child we are. We have a hard time wrapping our minds around and comprehending what it means to be a child of God. It's easier to look at the bullies in front of us, and it's hard to get our minds around the immensity of what it means to be in Jesus Christ and to be a child of God today.
In Ephesians 3:17–21, Paul starts praying for the church, and it's a prayer that I have for all of us. He says,
"I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:17–21 CSB
Christian, accept the fact that you have an inseparable bond with Christ. Consider the incomprehensible love and power in your life, a more incredible defense than you could ever dream. You can leave here today walking tall, saying, "I am in Christ." Tell the world, "Throw the best you've got against me because there is nothing I will face that compares with who I am in Christ."
Christians should not worry because God is on our side. We shouldn't worry because God provides all we need. Christians shouldn't worry because our bond with Christ is inseparable. God is for us.
Hi family,
Communication is vital to running any organization well, but especially a church. The church is in the communication business. We are God's people on a mission to proclaim his message clearly and without hesitation or fear. The world desperately needs hope in Jesus. His message is always relevant and necessary.
As a pastor, I feel a particular responsibility to communicate well, but the overall fragmentation of communication today is challenging. How do you communicate with everyone? Some are on social media, and some aren't. Some want a phone call, while others want a text. You may have someone's phone number but not their email address, or vice versa.
At Catalyst, we've been diligently working to communicate in multiple ways to reach as many people as possible. Our tools are varied to meet our congregational needs. Our service is live-streamed weekly on YouTube, and our sermons are uploaded to our podcast. We have a WhatsApp group where we share prayer requests and encouragements. We have a texting service where we send a weekly reminder of our Sunday service or other upcoming events. We communicate in person through our bulletins and announcements. We post on social media and send church updates via email. We are committed to keeping our church members informed and engaged.
Our church continues to experiment with the best ways to communicate well. From a pastoral perspective, I've been looking for a way to communicate in one place that is flexible enough to spread amidst different channels. This week, I started a blog for that purpose. Some may get this through an email, while others may see this on social media or our WhatsApp group. I've added our Catalyst members to our email subscriber list, but anyone is welcome to subscribe to receive updates via email through the blog website.
The Christian church has a long history and tradition of pastors writing to their congregations, including the letters from Paul and others that we read in the New Testament. I hope to carry on that tradition of writing to encourage the church through this blog. You'll receive sermon manuscripts, scriptural devotionals, and other pastoral reflections like this one. My prayer is that this content will be encouraging and helpful for you.
If you have thoughts, please participate and engage by commenting on the content. If you find something helpful, please share it with family and friends. As always, I want you to know you are valued and loved. Thank you for reading this, and keep looking to Christ in all things.
Much love,
Pastor Jason
Some interesting one-liners on worry for your day:
"Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6
(1) Pentz, Croft M. The Complete Book of Zingers: Over 5,000 Perfect One-Liners. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1990.