If God is for Us, Who Can be Against Us

Article for New Year's Eve, December 31, 2025

Isaiah 30:15–16 15For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”  But you were unwilling, 16and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. 

This is talking about faith or lack of.  Strength comes from faith and with true faith comes trust.  It is all from God, a power of faith and trust.  God gives us faith not to just hang onto, but to put into good use.  The good use is founded in God’s own will.  But you say you are too old, or you do not know God’s will.

This was a problem of Israel, and it is a problem with most Christians.  We say we have faith, but we are afraid to trust God.  We see a boy who takes his faith and slays a giant because his faith trusted that God would not let him down.  Do we have that kind of faith and trust in our God who is also David’s God?  Do we trust God in that He will never let us down?

We do not have to slay giants, but we do have to keep a church moving for the generations to come.  I know there are many churches in Rochester, and they all preach Jesus saves.  Well, that might be true and again how do you know?  Do we put our faith in the other churches and die or do we put our faith in God and live.

If you know the story of David a true person and a true king of Israel, then you know that David had works with his faith.  David manned the sling and threw the rock that hit the Palestinian giant.  So, if David as a boy could do the work by trusting God’s will, what do you think we can accomplish by trusting God’s will?

Romans 8:31b–32 If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Have you ever trusted these words Paul gives us in the book of Romans?  Do you think God wants us to fail being a church so therefore we should just give-up and die.  Or do you have enough faith and trust in God that He will help us survive as well as grow as it will also grow His kingdom.

Maybe God wants us to fail some might think; there are plenty of other churches around.  Maybe these other churches are better than ours even if they make receiving the gospel works to earn God’s grace.  Or maybe we have already given up because we feel we are too old and we deserve to retire from God.

Even if this church dies, I will not retire from God or think I do not need church anymore.  We are God’s children because of Jesus Christ who suffered and died for all.  And did Jesus’ give-up?  No!  Jesus rose from the dead having faith and trust of His Father in heaven who did not spare His Son but resurrected Him from the gruesome death He suffered. 

Jesus still works in faith for our salvation.  Should we just give-up our church and let it be counted in the of churches that have died before us.  And don’t say all good things must come to an end.  God is good and He will not come to an end so why should we.

Romans 8:37–39 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are conquerors with God our Father and because of the death and resurrection of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ.  If nothing can separate us from God, then we become conquerors with God.  So why do we want to sit idly by and watch ourselves die as a church and be forced to graft ourselves into another church of unfamiliarity.  We have a mission, but this mission will take everyone’s faith to be put into the good task at hand of saving our church.

What else can I say to spark life into you?  I know of one person who said I would not last a year or two here as your pastor.  I have been here for ten years and four months and though I could retire I choose to keep working for God.  Trust me, I can do many other things to get a paycheck and even a better paycheck.  But I choose to live with you for as long as you want to live.

Luke 12:35–36 35[Jesus said:] “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.

Stay dressed for action.  This is not a call for special clothing unless you mean the righteousness of Christ and the knowledge of God’s word.  Keep your lamps burning is keeping with faith and trust that God will see us through all obstacles that may try to hinder our success with God.

The Master is coming; Jesus Christ Himself will be here sooner than you think or know.  We need to stay dressed for action for God wants us to be active people in our faith towards Him and our love towards one another.  Let us be ready to welcome Jesus again to our world and show Him our undaunted love for Him.

Luke 12:37 & 40 37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Blessed are we who stay ready knowing that our Lord Jesus who suffered and died for our sins is returning.  Let us set the table for Jesus with our faith and our trust displayed by our actions of love for Him and our love for one another.  This is our Master, our God, our Savior, this is Jesus Christ our Lord who has already saved us.  Amen.

Written by Pastor Curtis A. May