Nothing

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 NIV)

“Nothing” is an awful word. When you drive your kids home from school, you ask, “What did you learn today?” What do they say? “Nothing.” That’s an instant conversation killer. You go back to work after a trip and ask, “What did I miss?” The answer? “Nothing.” That makes life feel pointless. You say, “I love you,” to someone, and they say nothing. Has that happened to you? How do you feel? Heartbroken. Nothing is awful! You check your messages, but there’s nothing. You long for a friend to reach out to you, but there’s nothing. Nothing is awful, isn’t it?

Especially when it’s you. Do you ever feel like nothing? I bet at some point in your life, someone has said that to you. Maybe it was a bully on the playground. Maybe it was a cruel boss. “You’re nothing. You don’t matter.” Ugh! There is nothing worse than being nothing. I know there’s at least one voice telling you that you’re nothing. The devil. He’s always accusing you: “You’re nothing. Look at your sin. Look at your worthlessness. You’re nothing!” Do you hear his voice?

The worst part is that he’s right. This last week was Ash Wednesday. What’s the message of Ash Wednesday? You and I are nothing. Nothing but ashes and dust. Sinners. Oh, we don’t like to admit that. Every one of us wrestles with pride. Life is a constant battle to prove that we are not nothing. We’re something. We’re somebody. Right? But then you get older. You get sicker. You face death, and you realize it’s true. How many of us will die? All of us. What can you take with you when you die? Nothing. What will people remember of you 100 years from now? Nothing. As important as we like to think we are, in the grand scheme of things, what are we? Nothing.

Unless you know Jesus. Jesus is so good and so powerful and so gracious that he can even turn nothing into something awesome. That’s what he did at creation, right? What was here before God created the world? Nothing. Yet, what was God able to make with nothing? Everything! Jesus can even turn nothing into something awesome. Today we get to hear one of the most wonderful sections of God’s Word. I once heard a Christian say that if he were abandoned on a desert island and could only have one page of the Bible with him, this is the page he would want. The end of Romans 8 is the best part of God’s Word for anybody who feels like nothing. Ready?

Paul writes, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” You know that verse. At least, I hope you do! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Too often we spend our time thinking about the second part: “Who can be against us?” We say, “A whole bunch of things! Lots of things are against us!” Sickness. Work. Government. Car repairs. Weather. Maybe even your spouse or kids are against you. That’s hard! We spend lots of time thinking about all the things that are against us, don’t we? What do we feel like? Nothing.

Hold on. What does the first half of that verse say? “If God is for us…” That’s meant to stop our worrying in its tracks. “God is for us.” Do you understand what that means? This is the whole message of the Bible. The God who created the heavens and the earth… The God who controls every event that ever happens in the world… The God who is bigger and better and stronger and smarter than everything and everyone… That God is for us. If that’s true, who can be against us? Nothing. Nothing compared with God. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Nothing!

So is he? Is God for us? We have our doubts. We see all the things against us, and it sure seems like God must be against us too. Except, that couldn’t be further from the truth. “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.” Is God really for us? Yes! How can we know? How can we be sure? Because God gave his own Son Jesus for us. God loves us that much! Jesus was willing to die on the cross for us. Jesus loves us that much! Is God for you? Of course! He did not spare his own Son.

Listen again to what that means: “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.” Do you understand the logic? God has done the biggest thing possible to show his love for us: “He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.” God has done the biggest thing possible. So do you think God will do all the smaller things we need too? Of course! Did God send his Son for us so that he could turn around and abandon us? No way! With our gracious God, what will we lack? Nothing. How can we know? I just want to keep saying this verse: “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.”

But what about all the sinful things we’ve done? Paul asks, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?” Who is bringing charges against you? Whose accusations are ringing in your ears today? Your boss? Is he not happy with your work? Your kids? Are they ungrateful for all you’ve done? Your spouse? Does he or she always point out your faults? Who is bringing charges against you? The devil? That’s his name. Satan means “accuser.” What accusations is the devil whispering in your head and heart? “You’re sinful! You’re nothing!”

But wait… “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?” Here’s the answer: “It is God who justifies.” Remember what the word “justify” means? “Declare not guilty.” What has God done for you? Justified you through faith in Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for your sins, what did God declare about you? You’re not guilty! What does that do to all the accusations? It silences them! The verdict has already been given from God himself: You are justified. Forgiven! What can the devil accuse you of? Nothing. Isn’t “nothing” a great word?

So, “who then is the one who condemns?” Know the answer? No one. No one condemns you. Why? Because “if God is for us, who can be against us?” “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.” Jesus died on the cross for all your sins. Jesus rose from the dead to defeat the devil. Jesus is at the right hand of God ruling over the universe. Jesus is interceding for you every day. So, “who then is the one who condemns?” No one! No one condemns you. Not with Jesus on your side.

Jesus is interceding for you. In other words, Jesus is your lawyer. Jesus speaks to God the Father on your behalf. Imagine what that’s like. The devil says to God, “Look at all the sins he’s done. I’ve got them all recorded right here. Everybody knows it. He’s guilty!” But Jesus says, “No, Father, he doesn’t have those sins anymore. Look at my cross. I paid the full penalty for every one of them. They are forgiven!” That adversary in your life remembers everything you’ve done wrong. She say, “See, you’re nothing!” But Jesus says, “No, see what I’ve done for you. I gave my life for you. How could you be nothing if you’re worth so much that I died for you?” So what do we need to fear? Nothing. Not with Jesus interceding for us. Isn’t that a great word? Nothing.

In fact, “who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” You know the answer: Nothing! Paul makes a big list for us: “Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Here’s what makes this list so powerful: Paul isn’t just listing random hardships. Paul is listing what he himself had personally faced for the gospel. Trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword… This was personal! Just one of those things would make you question your faith. Can you imagine facing all seven of them? Paul did.

And he’s not the only one. He quotes the words of a psalm in the Old Testament: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Paul was not the only believer in God who had a hard life. That psalm shares what so many believers have felt. What have they felt like? “Sheep to be slaughtered.” Helpless. Persecuted. Weak. Sound familiar? That’s often the Christian’s experience on earth. Don’t be surprised. You’re not alone. Believers in God throughout all history have faced death. They’ve felt like sheep to be slaughtered.

And in those dark moments, the devil whispers in our ears, “See? You’re all alone. God has left you. God has abandoned you. You have nothing. You are nothing!” Is that true? “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.” Do you know those words? Have you memorized those words? Preach them to yourself often. There are no more beautiful words in the Bible.

Paul had asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” What’s the answer? Nothing. Death? No. Life, with all of its heartaches? No. Angels? No. Demons? No. The past? No. The present? No. The future? No. What if I fly way up in a spaceship? No. What if I go way down to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine? No. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Nothing. Isn’t that a beautiful word? Nothing. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.

I think Paul would invite you to make your own list. I told you that this list is filled with his own personal experiences. What would you put on your list? What trials and troubles does Satan use to try to get you to doubt God’s love for you? Know this: Nothing can separate you from God’s love for you in Jesus. Not cancer. Not loneliness. Not depression. Not stress. Not failure. Not divorce. Not a broken family. Not heartbreak. Not failed plans. Nothing. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Nothing. Why? You know: “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.”

I know that the hardships of life and the devil’s accusations shout out that God has abandoned you. But that’s not true. The gospel message is that your gracious God gave up his own Son for you, and absolutely nothing can separate you from his love. If God is for you, what can be against you? Nothing. If Jesus died for you, what will God possibly not give you? Nothing. Since your sins are forgiven, what can people accuse you of? Nothing. We have a Savior so powerful and so gracious that he can even take that awful word “nothing” and turn it into the most beautiful word in the world. Who can separate you from the love of Christ? Nothing. Even if you feel like nothing, even if you have nothing, nothing can separate you from the love of Christ.

(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)