Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 202
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
8:25–9:4
we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t
yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t
know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with
groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows
all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes
everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are
called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be
the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them,
he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them
right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave
them his glory.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us,
who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but
gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares
accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself
has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No
one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is
sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no
longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry,
or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures
say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like
sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through
Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.
Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for
today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can
separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth
below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us
from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience
and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and
unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be
willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save
them. They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.
God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave
them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving
