God Is On Our Side

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 26th of July, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

Did you ever get the feeling like the whole world was against you?  Every way you turned there was a roadblock.  You tried everything you could think of, but nothing worked.  Some folks tried, but no one could help.  Even close relatives and friends just didn’t seem to care.  If you’ve ever experienced that level of frustration, you are certainly not the only one.  Somewhere, right now, someone feels utterly alone, friendless, hopeless, helpless, completely defeated.

But there is One that we can always count on, call on for help, cling to when the cruel world batters us and the torrents of misfortune pull us off toward oblivion.  There is One who always has our best interests at heart and is working all things to our ultimate good.  I know it sounds like a platitude, but that One is our Father in heaven, and we can call on Him at any time, and He will hear and respond to our plea.

I’ve mentioned before that the Apostle Paul apparently did not start the church in Rome.  This is pretty clear when, in his opening of his letter to the church, he writes, “In all my prayers, I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you.”  But Paul praises the church for their faith and notes that he prays for the them constantly.  His letter is a way of introducing himself to the church and sharing his belief system with them.

I usually use a good bit of the passage I was led to for today for funerals, but it provides reassurance we all need to hear from time to time.  At this point, Paul has been telling the church that, now that they belong to Jesus, they should live by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Rather than being ruled by their human desires, they should let the Spirit guide them.

Please listen and follow along to the instructions the Apostle Paul gave to the church in Rome – and to us today - as he wrote in verses 26 through 39 of the 8th chapter of his Letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from the Contemporary English Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

26 In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27 All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. 28 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves Him. They are the ones God has chosen for His purpose, 29 and He has always known who His chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like His own Son, so His Son would be the first of many children. 30 God then accepted the people He had already decided to choose, and He has shared His glory with them.

31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back His own Son, but He gave Him for us. If God did this, won't He freely give us everything else? 33 If God says His chosen ones are acceptable to Him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now He is at God's right side, speaking to Him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36 It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

“For You we face death

all day long.

We are like sheep

on their way

to be butchered.”

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love — not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

--Romans 8:26-39 (CEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for always being there for us.  Your love and faithfulness is incredible.  We certainly don’t deserve it, though.  Too often we fail to live in a godly manner, the way You would have us live and act.  Yet You still bless us, You still love us, even when we knowingly disobey You.  Thank You, Father, for caring so much about our wellbeing.  Please help us be better servants.  Please help us be more like Jesus as we go through each day.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

I know I've used this little story a couple times before, but it is just so appropriate for this topic of how much God loves us, so you get to hear it again.  I wish I could properly attribute it, but the source of this tale is unknown.

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God". As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.

Sometimes words just aren't needed.  But we do sometimes need a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, the horrible punishment He endured for us, just to show us the fullness of God’s love.

God’s love is not like man’s love.  It is not fickle or choosy, but freely available to all who love Him and call on His name.  His love covers all who believe in and follow His Son.  He is always on our side.  And He proved it by sending His Son to redeem us, to atone for our sin with His blood.

As if we didn’t already know, Paul opens our reading passage by stating that we are weak.  We humans are weak – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Here, Paul is mostly referring to our intestinal fortitude, our spirit.  We start falling apart at the first sign of trouble.

But before He left earth to return to heaven, Jesus promised He would ask God to send His Spirit to live within those who believed in and followed Him.  God’s Spirit is our constant Companion, our Guide, our ever-present Helper.  He is the most powerful force in all of creation.  And He lives within us because God loves us, Jesus loves us.  But it’s up to us to follow the Spirit’s guidance so that we can stay on the straight and narrow path.  If we let Him, the Spirit will help us continue following Jesus and living as He would have us live.

Paul reveals a key to this, and also notes that Jesus loves us, too.  Please listen as Paul relates what it feels like to him to follow Jesus, as he wrote in the 2nd chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, verses 19 and 20…

19b I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.

--Galatians 2:19b-20 (CEV)

This is how much God loves us, that He sent His own Son to suffer and die for us, to bear the punishment we deserved that we might be redeemed.  Jesus said that following Him would not be easy.  Paul likens this to being nailed to the cross with Jesus.  Our baptism by water is our symbolic death to sin and the ways of the world, followed by new life in Jesus.  Now we live in Christ, and Christ in us.  We live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us enough to give His life for us.

Now, because God loves us, we can trust Him, trust His word, trust His promises, trust that He will take good care of us.  Please hear the words the wise King Solomon left for us in verses 5 and 6 of the 3rd chapter of his Book of Proverbs…

5 With all your heart

you must trust the Lord

and not your own judgment.

6 Always let Him lead you,

and He will clear the road

for you to follow.

--Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV)

God knows all and sees all.  Our knowledge and vision are very limited.  It is far better, far wiser to trust God's wisdom rather than our own.  For God is on our side.  He is working all things to our good, we who love Him and are the called to His purpose.  No matter how dark it gets, trust in God and He will light our way and see us through.

If you’ve been making notes, that rather ominous sounding scripture Paul quoted in verse 36 of our reading comes from Psalm 44, verse 22, composed by the Sons of Korah.  It speaks of the time when the children of Israel were being persecuted by their enemies because they had rebelled against God.  The psalm ends with a plea for help, mercy, and redemption.  But after reminding us of that dark time, Paul proclaims that, “In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.”

Those early Israelis suffered greatly at the hands of their enemies because of their disobedience to God.  Every day they faced death.  But God did not forsake them.  He led them to the land He had promised them, and made of them a great nation, a mighty nation that stands still today.

And family, this applies to us as well.  We may be facing dark times, hard times, individually and as a people.  Wars rage.  Hatred stalks our streets.  Evil surrounds us.  We feel out of control, like sheep being led to be butchered.  And we suffer greatly, if not physically then spiritually.  But we have something our enemy Satan will never have.  We have God on our side.  And we have won far more than a victory because of Christ Jesus who loves us.

So let us trust in the Lord.  And let us share the love of God everywhere we go, in everything we do.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us even when we are unlovable.  We know how we should behave, to be seen as right in Your eyes, we just don’t always behave that way.  Thank You, Father, for blessing us anyway.  Every day You bless us.  Sadly though, Father, too often we put our trust in our own knowledge, our own human wisdom, rather than trusting You and Your word.  Please remind us that You have never failed to keep a promise, never broken a trust.  Encourage and strengthen us to share Your love with others so that they might come to believe in Your Son Jesus and be spared everlasting torment.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us so much that You were willing to endure our punishment.  You died for our sin.  You washed us clean with Your blood.  For this we are so humbly moved and grateful.  But Lord, You know how much we struggle to show the same type of love to others that You showed to us.  Please help us do a better job as Your agents here on earth.

Please help us be a witness of You, of Your teachings, of Your mighty deeds, and of Your love.  Please help us love in the same way that You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing the wonderful Gospel message.  Help us carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them to You.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.