If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?

(This past Saturday, I had the blessing of preaching for a wedding at our church. As you can imagine during this pandemic, things definitely hadn’t gone according to plan for the couple getting married. Here’s the sermon I shared with them on their wedding day.)

When the two of you first started coming to our church, I went and visited with both of you. Remember that? I remember what we talked about. You each told me about your lives. But there was something more: Your wedding! You told me you were going to get married on September 12, 2020. I looked back: It was April 17, 2019 when we met together. September 12, 2020 was a really long ways away. You’ve been planning today for a long time. At least 513 days!

So how’d it go? All your very carefully thought out plans. All the special moments you’ve been eagerly anticipating. How did it go? Well, nobody planned for a pandemic. How did we not see this coming? One by one your plans had to change. I bet there was more than one occasion when you felt like the whole world was against you. Am I right? No big service with lots of people. No big reception. Now no big wedding party. What else could go wrong? You had great plans, and it seemed like the whole world was against you.

I’d like to promise you that now that you’re finally getting married, the chaos is going to stop. That from today forward you’re not going to have to change anything else. That you can now live happily ever after like the movies say. That’s what I’d like to promise. But I have bad news. I don’t know what the next years or decades are going to bring, but I feel confident to guarantee something: They won’t go according to your plans. The Bible explains that we live in a sinful, broken world filled with sinful broken people like us. Things don’t go the way they’re supposed to. You’re not the only ones who feel like the whole world is against you. This also isn’t the last time you’re going to feel like the whole world is against you. That’s life in a messed up world.

In fact—this doesn’t sound like the right thing to say on your wedding day—but there are even going to be days when it will seem like you are against each other. You don’t want to think about that today. But the devil is already planning how he’s going to pit the two of you against each other. And some days, he’s going to succeed. Because being married to someone shows you what sin looks like in a deeper way than you’ve ever seen before. The sin in you. The sin in him or her. That’s not your plan. But it’s going to happen. It’s going to be even worse that having the whole world against you. There will be days when it even seems like your spouse is against you.

That’s why—in these crazy times—I thought it would be good for you to hear these words from the book of Romans: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. 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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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” (Romans 8:31-39).

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” At a time when it seems like the whole world is against us, isn’t that an incredible promise? “If God is for us, who can be against us?” You know how great and awesome our God is. He made the whole universe in six days. He controls the whole world and even the smallest details of our lives. That amazing God cares about you and loves you and controls your life. How good does that sound? If God is on our side, it doesn’t matter who or what is on the other side. You and God are always bigger than whatever you face. Even if the whole world is against you, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

That sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? How can we be sure? How can you head into marriage knowing that God is for you no matter what? God proved it: “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?” God proved his love not just with words, but with the biggest possible action. He was willing to give up his own Son Jesus to be our Savior. Jesus was willing to die on the cross for all our sins.  Do you think Jesus would die for us and then turn around and abandon us? Do you think God the Father would give up his Son for us, but not give us the other things we need for life? No way! When you see a cross, you can know, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

That gave Paul confidence to ask: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” What’s the answer? No! Nothing! Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. We heard earlier what Jesus’ love is like. Listen again to that first lesson you chose: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” That’s Jesus! “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” That’s Jesus! “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always, trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). That’s Jesus! Nothing can separate you from Jesus’ love.

You’re not always going to feel that way. Today you feel loved. You feel beautiful. You feel special. You should. It’s your wedding day. But you’re not always going to feel that way. Even with his confidence in God’s love, Paul lamented, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” That’s pretty descriptive. Paul often felt like a sheep about to be slaughtered. Sound like a good feeling? No way. He felt like he was worthless. Like he was helpless. Like the whole world was against him. Like nothing was going to go right. Like he was about to be slaughtered. Ever feel like that? Don’t be surprised, you will.

But that feeling isn’t the truth. Here’s the truth: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, 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.” No matter what you face in your marriage, no matter what struggles or troubles come your way, nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing. You are more than conquerors because of Jesus who loves you.

I bet you’ve wondered over the past months why you’ve had to go through all this. Why your plans haven’t worked out the way you wanted. I can’t explain what God does. But I know he’s been reminding you over and over of this: Nothing can separate you from God’s love. There is one constant in life. One foundation to build a life and a marriage on: Jesus Christ. He’s the only one who doesn’t change. The only one who’s always faithful. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future… We could add: Neither pandemics or cancelled receptions, neither disappointment or sick pastors, can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. “If God is for us, who can stand against us?”

As you remember that, don’t miss the last word: “Us.” “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” Us. That certainly applies to all of us Christians. God is for us! But that also certainly applies to the two of you. You’re a new us. It’s not me. It’s not you. It’s us. The other lesson you choose said that “a cord of three strands is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Three stands: You, you, and God. “If God is for us, who can stand against us.” There’s no better theme for your marriage. No matter what the world throws at you, you’re ready. Because nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. “If God is for us, who can stand against us.”