Imagine standing atop the Swiss Alps, gazing down at the valley below. where our daily struggles once loomed large. From that breathtaking height, the problems that consumed our thoughts appear as mere specks. insignificant against the grandeur of God's eternal perspective. Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindahl invites us to ascend to the spiritual summit of Romans chapter 8.
where altitude transforms our anxious moments into assurance. Facing opposition? Need some courage? Elevating our vantage point changes everything. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us?
Have your Bible with you and opened to Romans 8. Verses 31 to 39. It's an epical section of Scripture. When we get to verse 38, I want you to begin reading with me, but. I'll begin at verse 31.
What then shall we say to these things, if God is for us? Who is against us? He who did not spare his own son. but delivered him over for us all, how will he not also with him? freely Give us all things.
Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died. Rather, who was raised Who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
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. Read with me. 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.
award. You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the book of Romans on your own, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook. by going to insight.org slash offer. Chuck called today's message, We Overwhelmingly Conquer.
I once asked an airline pilot what it was like up in the cockpit. He smiled and said, Contrary to the popular opinion of most people, it is hours and hours and hours of boredom. mixed with a few seconds of sheer panic. Life is in many ways a lot like that. We sort of move along, move along, move along, but every once in a while.
There is a peak. of delight and joy and excitement. And we never forget. Several years ago, Cynthia and I led a uh Reformation tour. Sponsored by Insight for Living, we had a wonderful group of people who traveled with us.
The journey began where the roots of the Reformation Row deep. And that was in Prague, Czech Republic. It was there. Jon Hus. known to us as John Huss.
Did his great work and ultimately died a martyr's death. It's a magnificent statue. in Prague of Jonhus. As he stands among a group of people liberated by the truth of the good news. for which he gave his life.
Our journey then took us into Germany. Eisenbach and Leipzig, and certainly Wittenberg. Where the Martin Luther country, of course, he and Philip Melanchthon together served to free the people of Germany with the great news of the gospel. and to let them know that the church that had kept them ignorant continuing to teach Do you Bible in Latin in a pulpit chain, a Bible chained to the pulpit, now was freed in the language of the Germans. And it was great to be right there at the door of the college church.
Where Luther had once preached. His body, and along with Melanchthon, are buried right there at that church. And then we went down into Switzerland. Everyone needs to go to Switzerland at least once in your life. You have never seen a place quite like Switzerland.
I said to Cynthia as we were going along in the bus, even the fields. or manicured. It's unbelievable. Must be little guys with scissors along cutting off the tops of the grain every. I mean, the grass has never been greener and the sky is never bluer.
Well, anyway, it is there. Ulrich Zwengli, along with, of course, John Calvin's work. Was accomplished and their teaching made known, and there are great statues of Zwingli and Calvin and others there. in the great land of Switzerland. As you can imagine, after two weeks of traveling like that, we're exhausted.
And I was so glad that she and I had thought ahead enough to set aside one extra week to just rest, just the two of us. rented a car and and we drove up to the north northeast to a little hamlet named Interlocken. If you ever get to Switzerland, don't miss interlocking. It is one of those idyllic spots. uh green meadows with wildflowers and uh people who uh Of all things, jump out of airplanes and parachute down onto the meadow, and some jump off of mountains and sail down.
And what a sight it is. And I found myself as I looked out our hotel window and the window framed Jungfrau. Which is a great peak in the Alps. As you look up, snow-capped all year long. And I wanted to run out of the streets and tell the people of.
Of interlocking. Look, look, there's a mountain. There's a mountain up there. Have you seen the mountain? People are busy doing their work, merchants are at their place, waitresses and waiters are serving table.
I say, look, look at the Jungfrau. Look at the mountain. You see, when you're from Frisco, an anthill is a mountain.
So when you see one like the Jungfrau, It is like something. You don't normally see. We took a little lift up there, and you change at one point, and your ears are popping, and you go even farther up. You don't get quite to the peak, but you get up a long ways. Little coffee shops up there, and places to hang out.
We sat at a table and looked down into the valley. Below. It's easy to miss all of that if you're busy about your work. People who love the Bible and appreciate the truth of the scriptures. If we are not careful, we will walk along and pass right on by Romans 8.
31 to 39. And fail to realize it is not just the young Frau of the Alps. It is Everest. of the biblical Himalayas. It is the sinequinon of Paul's writings.
It is the magnum opus. This work. It is Pauline theology at its best, setting free forever. those who have been captured by and caught under the grip of guilt. As the grace that flows through it is like the lakes that flow along interlocking.
This is a magnificent passage of scripture. That causes us to pause and just stare and soak it in and. and let the sights land on us. We let the wonder in.
So today we want to take the cable car up. Take the lift up. Not to the peak all the way. That will come someday when we see our Savior face to face. But literarily in the scriptures, we go to the heights today.
We go toward the top. Need to clarify because Paul is summarizing at the beginning of verse 31: what shall we say to these things? Any intelligent reader asks, what things?
Well, the things he's been writing about, salvation. Chapters one to five. Sanctification, chapters six, seven, and the early part of chapter eight. Salvation, we need to clarify who helps whom. Humanists say God helps those who help themselves.
Work hard at pulling up your own bootstraps. Stand tall. Be strong. You're the captain of your fate. You're the master of your soul.
Humanistic message says, you're the one. You can do it. God in chapters one through five leads Paul to clarify it's not about that. It's not Paul's way of saying, how do we help ourselves? Do we join a church?
Do we pray all night? Do we stay faithful? Do we give up something we love to do? Do we feed a missionary? Do we go to the Holy Land?
Do we fast for weeks on end? Do we work hard and sacrifice so that God will somehow say, good job. Good for you. I like that. And compared to him, Or when I look at her, you come out on Ty, you're doing well.
Keep it up. Nonsense. There's no grace in that. That's a salvation by works. The good news is that it's not about us, it is about God.
It is not about what we have done for Him, it's about what Christ has accomplished on our behalf. Think of it this way. Yeah. God did not send His Son Jesus to make bad people good. He said his son Jesus to bring dead people back to life.
We're dead. Not just bad. We're dead in trespasses and sins. I love the prodigal son's father's announcement. This, my son, was bad, but now he's good.
No, that's not what he said. This my son was lost, but now he's found. It was as if he had died and he's come back to life. The message of salvation is that God gives life to people who were otherwise spiritually dead. That's chapters 1 to 5, and you can't in any way take the edge off of it.
And we haven't done so. We've let it say what it says. When you get to chapter six, Down through the early part of chapter 8, you've come to the subject of sanctification. Humanism says about sanctification: God has. Done so much for me.
Now I must work hard to do much for him. As if to say, I've now got to earn this favor that he's given me in Jesus. Another heresy. Again, it's not about us. Who's helping whom?
God has devised a way for us to overwhelmingly conquer. His indwelling Spirit does the great work of righteousness, prompting us to obey. And as we obey under the power of the Holy Spirit, God is glorified. He has a way to bring us to the place of obedience, and He has never lost hold of us in the process. What shall we say to these things?
asks This apostle at verse 31.
So he begins to investigate. at this point. He comes to the end of chapter 8 and he looks back over his shoulder saying, Now, all of these great things about salvation, sanctification, what do we say about these things? Then there's another phrase in there that says, if God is for us, Who shall be against us? In the Greek language, the word if is rendered In various ways, depending on the construction of the sentence.
In this particular case, it's assumed as true, so it could be rendered. Sense And since the punctuation marks are not inspired, Allow me to change the punctuation, okay? I don't want to change words or I'll get hit by lightning, but I'm free to change punctuation. Look at how it could read. What then shall we say to these things since God is for us?
How's that for another way of seeing it? What shall we say to these things since God is for us? That's the declaration. God is for us. Isn't that great news?
People who live their lives under guilt rarely thinks such a thing. We hope God will someday like us. Right now, He's dragging this club around heaven looking for somebody to whoop.
Well, who stepped out of line? That's sort of a peeved deity idea of God. No, that's heresy. God took all of his wrath out on his son, Jesus Christ. All of his wrath was poured out on the Son of God.
That's why Jesus declaring, Why have you forsaken me? In that moment of time, the Father turned his back on the Son as the Son bore the sins of the whole world. At that point, the Father's wrath was poured out. When the Father raised the Son from the dead, it was as if He were saying, I am satisfied with the death of my Son. It is the complete payment for sin.
From now on, I am for you. God is for us. Put that down as a declaration. God is for. Us.
Remind yourself of it when you have disobeyed. and you feel like you need to somehow pay penance. Or you need to somehow, you deserve just a lot of days behind the woodshed. You just deserve nothing but a lot of punishment. God took the punishment out on his son.
Oh, he'll discipline his own, just as you, a parent who loves your children, will discipline your children. But you'll never disown them. You'll never condemn them. It doesn't work like that. They're your children.
But God's even better than that. Since God is for us, who Who does it matter who is against us? I think to put it in today's terms, who can trump that hand? If you have God on your side, since He's for us, who's going to pull out any card that's going to be played against that? One man put it this way: the apostle's answer to his own question is to ask more questions.
He hurls them into space, as it were, in a spirit of bold defiance. He challenges anybody and everybody in heaven, earth, or hell to answer them and to deny the truth which they contain. It's as if he's on the mountaintop. Shouting these questions to people in the valleys and across the peaks, asking one question after another. And there are four of them here, none of which is answered any other way.
but impossible. Look at the questions. Look closely. You can mark them in your Bible or you can put them in your outline. Number one, verses 31 and 32: who shall oppose us?
Since God is for us, Who is against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all? How will he not also freely give us all things? Who will oppose us? The point is, who on earth, who in heaven, who under earth even matters if you have God who is for you.
Second question: Who shall accuse us? That's verse 33. Who will bring a charge against God's elect? Who shall accuse us? Verse thirty-four is who shall condemn us?
Who is the one who condemns? And the fourth question is down at verse 35: who shall separate us?
So you got them? Who shall oppose us? Who shall accuse us? Who shall condemn us? Who shall separate us?
A Christian friend, my Beloved men and women of Stonebrow Community Church, fellow believers, I want you to hear this message today. as you rarely listen to messages. This message today will save you hours, if not days, of anxiety. Worry over things you have nothing to worry about. Just believe what God has written.
as we come to this mountain peak of truth. First question. Verse 31. Who shall oppose us.
Now, are there things that stand against us? Oh, you know there are. I've made a list of a few. Hardships are against us. And they work hard to bring us down.
Unbelievers who persecute are against us. Indwelling sin within works against us. It's against us. Death, our constant enemy, is against us. All sorts of fears and foes can be against us.
And I haven't even mentioned the invisible. sinister forces of Satan and the demons. Peace. Who stand against us and accuse us? The point is, what are they in light of the one who is for us?
Don't you love the words of verse 32? He who did not spare his own son. But delivered him up for over for us all, how will he not also with him? Freely give us all things. He gave you Christ.
Doesn't it make all the sense in the world that he'll be happy to give you, delighted to give you, whatever else you may need? I thought of this.
sort of silly example. Let's say you put your name in at Neiman Markup for a free, Neiman Marcus, I should have said, for a free full-length mink coat. Just really expensive coat, okay? Uh Unless you're a wacko, this story will be very interesting to you. You're a.
You're going to get a free full-length mink code if your name is drawn. And then you wait, and one day, lady, you get the call, and the phone rings, and you hear the manager of the Neiman Marcus store saying, You won, you got the gift. Could you come down and pick it up? You say, sure, sure. I didn't come down and get it.
How about tomorrow afternoon? That's great. And it's the middle of the summer. You're not going to wear it.
So you go down and they show it, and there's media there and they're flashing cameras, and D Magazine is going to do a little clip on you, and Dallas Morning News is going to let everybody know you won this wonderful mink coat. And finally, the crowd dissipates, and people are gone, and you're getting ready to walk out. You just got a coat and you're over your Army. Do you think Neiman Marcus would mind if you said, could I have a hanger? Uh could you put it in a bag?
Can you imagine the manager going, Not on your life. We gave you the coat. You're not going to put a hanger. Do you want to throw a bag in? Are you kidding?
Of course, they say they run, get the hanger, they run, get the plastic bag, they zip it up. Why? Because they'll freely give you whatever goes with the gift. That is that significant. And we feel like we have to come to where God is beggars.
Having already been given the great gift. How marvelous is the gift. And it says he will don't miss the word freely. With a God who is continually supporting us and defending us and protecting us and standing with us, having given us his one and only Son, surely he would without hesitation give whatever else we may need. Don't beg God.
Just call on him. As James Wright, you don't have Because you haven't asked. Yeah. And God in His mercy and God in His wisdom will grant you what He pleases is best for you and will bring Him glory. And he'll do it freely.
The next question. Who shall accuse us? It's a little bit darker here. See the words bring a charge against The Greek terms are to call in. two monosyllable words to call in.
The point is, it is a It is a forensic term. It's a legal word for summons. Who will summon you? Who will impeach you? Our own president can be impeached, but the believer never.
Never impeach. I remember asking one of our presidents when I was with him, how do you. How do you stand this job? It's gotta be a Crummy job. Said, you got all these people against you.
He said, Your prayers, your prayers and the prayers of your people are the only way we make it. And uh I think If that's true of a president in a country, think of the number the enemy can do on us in the spiritual realm. The no summons. You ever been summoned? Don't answer out loud.
I was singing on the platform of a church at a church service. Church I pastored before we came to Dallas. And I remember singing my heart out as I always am. And I saw a guy come in the back door. It looked real.
Serious. And he had a little envelope. And he was walking right down toward me and I thought, man, he's going to sit right down front.
So he started up the steps. I thought, he's going to sit by me. He's coming all the way up. Any Slapped me on the shoulder and handed me this. It was a summons.
Now, that's a great beginning before you preach. You've got to. What is what is what is this about? It was some nut. Who was suing me and the church for some nutty issue?
And he said to the guy that brought the summit: be sure and do it during the church service. Oh, that's cute. Really nice.
So I went out and cut his lips off. No, no, I no, it's a joke. I didn't. I turn the other cheek. Who will bring a charge against God's elect?
Don't you love this? Nobody. I mean, why? Because we are the elect. We have the Supreme Court on our side.
We have the attorney. who defends us before the Father. God is for you. Christ died on your behalf. He took out all of his wrath on Christ.
Jesus bore our sins. Christ is the one who paid the complete penalty. That's why coming to the Lord Jesus is coming to a free gift. There's no accusation. The magnificent truth of Romans chapter 8 is this.
Since God is for us, no force in heaven, earth, or hell can ultimately stand against us. Through the death of Christ, His resurrection, and ongoing intercession, we have an unshakable security that silences every accuser. You're listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindahl, and this is Insight for Living. Chuck titled this study in Romans chapter 8, We Overwhelmingly Conquer. In addition to his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote nearly half the books in the New Testament.
And many believe that Romans was Paul's finest work because it describes God's character and the gospel of Jesus Christ with depth and clarity. This is an essential book for believers to understand. both seasoned students of the Bible and brand new Christians. To guide you in your personal study of Romans, Insight for Living offers an interactive spiral-bound Bible study workbook. It's part of our popular Searching the Scriptures Bible studies.
And because of the scope of Paul's letter, our Bible study comes in two workbooks. You'll find the details for ordering Volume 1 at insight.org/slash offer. or call us at 800-772-8888. And that I'd like to draw your attention to a new book from Chuck called Looking in All the Right Directions. Drawing from Paul's wise counsel to his protégé Timothy, This book features the final five sermons Chuck delivered to the congregation that he shepherded for more than 25 years.
From his heart, Chuck spoke about mentoring, enduring hardship, and using your God-given gifts. you'll want to absorb the biblical wisdom that's captured in this book. It would also make a thoughtful gift for your pastor. Again, it's called looking in all the right directions. To purchase a copy, call 800-772-8888.
or go to insight.org/slash offer. Insight for Living is made possible not through the sale of books and resources, but by the generous gifts of grateful friends just like you. To give a donation today, go to insight.org slash donate. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us when Chuck Smindahl continues his empowering study in Romans chapter 8.
Friday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, We Overwhelmingly Conquer, was copyrighted in 2007, 2010, and 2025. And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R. Swindahl, Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide.
duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
