Safe in the Arms of Jesus = =20 Romans 8:38-3= 9

Safe in the Arms of Jesus = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Romans 8:38-39

In March of 1966, something big happened in Gree= nville, SC. Many of you will remember this. Billy Graham came to town to lead = an evangelistic crusade. I was t= welve years old—and I suppose about as evangelized as any twelve year old c= ould be—but our family was there every night. Some of you were too.

Those were such g= ood times; but not without some controversy, you may recall. A school over in Greenville instructed their students no= t to attend, and many of the churches connected to that college also told their members = not to go. So, even at the tender= age of twelve, I began to realize that there was more than one kind of Baptist!=

But what I rememb= er most about those services is how inspiring it was to have so many people jammed = in to Textile Hall—singing, praying, and hearing Billy Graham preach the word. It was also during thos= e services that I was introduced to the song that serves as the title of my sermon tod= ay: Safe in the Arms of Jesus.

George Beverly Sh= ea used to sing it, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard it any place other= than in a Billy Graham crusade. It= just seems appropriate, though, to share it with you now as we observe All Saints Day. Please listen to its message:

Safe in the arms = of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast;
There by His love o’ershaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of angels
Borne in a song to me,
Over the fields of glory,
Over the jasper sea. = = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp;

Refrain: Sa= fe in the arms of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast;
There by His love o’ershaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Jesus, my heart&#= 8217;s dear Refuge, Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ages Ever= my trust shall be.
Here let me wait with patience,
Wait till the night is o’er;
Wait till I see the morning
Break on the golden shore.

That old Fanny Crosby= hymn speaks to what is surely a universal human need: the need to feel safe and secure and cared for. Or, per= haps I should say “loved.” We need to feel loved.

If we are convinced t= hat we are loved, and nothing can ever change this reality, then life feels very s= afe and secure. Hold that thought= while we consider our text for today:

Romans 8:38-39--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.

Paul was convinced that God’s love had “st= aying power” in his life, but are we? If so, what is it that convinces us?

1. We ar= e making our way through a beautiful fall season.&n= bsp; But does this elaborate display of color or anything else we observe= in nature, for that matter, assure u= s of God’s never-ending love?

They certainly help, I believe. Whether I’m being awed by the beautiful colors of autumn, or thousands of twinkling stars on a crystal cl= ear night, or the vastness of the oceans or mountains, my thoughts soon turn to= the God who created this spectacular world.

But the same God who provided all this beauty also gav= e me a brain to think with, and to remember that in this world there are also earthquakes and tornadoes, blizzards and floods, which can leave a terrible path of pain, death, and destruction. Nature is not all good; so, by itself, it doesn’t always convi= nce me.

2. The same is true when I consider history. There ar= e those persons whose heroic and selfless acts make me think there must be a God who inspired and enabled them to accomplish such great things. Who comes to mind for you?

Maybe St. Francis of Assisi or Mother Theresa? Or how abo= ut George Washington, Patrick Henry and Abraham Lincoln? They’re an impressive group!= Surely God was at work in them.

But what do we do then with Adolph Hitler, Genghis Kha= n, and so many others that might cause you to question whether there is a truly &#= 8220;loving God” at all. So much of= our history is soaked in the blood of those who made it. You understand what I’m sayi= ng--history offers a very “mixed message” about God’s love.

3. In my own life, my sense of God’s love for me= has been given birth and nurtured well by the lives of loving people who have surrounded me.

Godly parents and the warm, caring environment of a Christian home first communicated to me that I have a gracious, loving Fath= er God who cares for me and always will. I feel safe in His arms today in large measure because, beginning at= a very young age, I felt safe in their arms.=

Many of you could share a similar witness concerning t= hese saints we’re remembering today…along with others who’ve g= one before us. They have surround= ed you, and nurtured you, with something akin to the love of God. And as you remember their lives, y= ou feel so blessed and thankful.

And there has also been for us the love of other family members and friends, and our brothers and sisters in Christ—members of our church family and our Sunday School class. Many of us would also put a loving spouse and children high on our list of those who have conveyed to us the l= ove of God.

But as much as we would rather not talk about the othe= r side of this, we must. Some have n= ot shared this experience of positive, loving relationships. They came into the world unwanted.= They have known only stress and te= nsion in their families.

They have been through experiences which have twisted = and distorted any possible sense of self. And nothing in their lives feels safe or loved or settled. Sadly, some may never know these blessings. They are terribly = broken people.

So far, we’ve considered the wonders of nature, = great figures from the past, and the people in our own families and relationships that can provide for us good reflections of God’s love. They all help us in these ways to = feel safe and secure.

Still, by themselves, they are inadequate. They can’t make us sure. They’re all great blessings,= but they are not enough to convince us that “nothing can separate us from= the love of God.”

Here’s the thing: we can spend a lifetime search= ing through the stuff of this world and still not be convinced of God’s &= #8220;unquenchable love” for us. People DO search, you know—in so many different ways—in good and bad ways= --they search for this love, this sense of family, where they can know safety and = wholeness and peace.

The irony, however, is that in the end, we do not find= the love of God—none of us do. Instead, it is the love of God that finds us. I think this is what Paul meant when he said earlier in Romans 8 that “we are called according God’s purpose” (Romans 8:28).

This simply means that you and I can know of God’= ;s love only because God chose to make it known to us. He took the initiative. God’s love searched us out, = found us, and made its Presence known in the person of God’s Son, Jesus Chr= ist.

It’s a remarkable story, one we should never tir= e of hearing. When the time was ri= ght, God sent His “only begotten” into the world. This God-in-human-flesh breathed t= he same air we breathe, walked the same ground upon which we walk. He experienced the same joys and sorrows, hopes and hurts we do.

He came to teach us about the Father and His Kingdom; = and central to His message was God’s love. He told stories called parables to= help us understand:

1) He said God is like a shepherd who, out of concern = for his sheep, goes out into the night to find the one that’s lost.

2) He’s like the father who, even though his son= betrayed his love, never turns his back on the boy, but watches and waits and hopes…and goes running out to embrace his boy when he finally comes to his senses and returns home.

Others had also spoken of God’s love, of course.= The uniqueness of Jesus, it seems = to me, is the way He also personally embodied the love of which He spoke. Rarely do you and I do this well, = but Jesus did—and for 2,000 years, the world has taken notice!

When people came into contact with Jesus, they were to= uched deeply by the power of this love: broken hearts were mended, wasted lives f= ound new meaning, those who were weighed down by guilt found their burden lifted= .

This was something brand new—never before seen on planet Earth! Jesus didn̵= 7;t place restrictions on his love the way most people did—and still do.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> His love arrived “no strings attached!”

I don’t know if Jesus laughed or cried at those misguided folks who criticized Dr. Graham—and for what? For opening his services to all pe= ople of all races—remember—that’s why they refused to attend.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> But, friends, Jesus did it first.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He never let a person’s ethn= icity get in the way of His love.

He wouldn’t let socio-economic differences inter= fere either. Jesus even expressed = love toward those who obviously hated him and wanted to kill Him.

Some people thought this was the greatest thing they h= ad ever seen. They were moved by Jesus’ love. They exper= ienced what the hymn writer later expressed as “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Joy of Heaven, to earth come down.”

The incarnation of God’s love—it changed p= eople—at least, those who got it, it did. Others, though, didn’t know what to make of it. They were too full of pride to con= sider change as an option, too self-sufficient to think this Carpenter from Nazareth had anyt= hing to offer them.

They ignored Jesus, hoping He would go away; but His l= ove kept drawing bigger crowds. T= hey tried to embarrass Him in public—that always backfired on them. So…they crucified Him—= nailed Him to a cross and watched Him die.

But God’s love would not remain broken and lifel= ess on Calvary’s tree. Nor would Joseph’s new tomb = be able to hold Him. The Gospels= shout the good news that nothing could separate Jesus from His Father’s lov= e--a love that’s stronger than death--so God raised Him from the grave, defeating death forever!

You know, without this good news, we’d be wastin= g our time having an “All Saint’s Day.” Without this assurance that in Chr= ist Jesus, nothing can separate us from the love of God, nor is there anything = that can separate our loved ones from His love and the eternal life He offers= 212;without this great hope, why bother? = We would not choose to remember because the memories would be too painful—but for this:

Nothing can separate us from God’s love! Not even death! “I am the resurrection and t= he life,” Jesus said. “He who bel= ieves in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes i= n Me will never die” (John 11:25).

Later, just before taking up His cross, Jesus said, “I’m going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place fo= r you, I will come again and receive you unto myself” (John 14:2-3).

‘I’ll come again and take you home In the Father’s house = are many mansions. One of them ha= s your name on it. When the time com= es, I’ll take you there. I’ll come…and take you home.’

“Safe in the arms of= Jesus,

Safe on His gentle breast;

There by His love o’er shaded= ,

Sweetly my soul shall rest.”<= /p>

Thirty times in the past year, this church was called = upon to say goodbye to a fellow member of our congregation—but even as we = did so, the Lord of heaven had already said “Welcome home.”

This is our faith!&nb= sp; What a glorious homecoming awaits us if we have placed our lives in = the loving arms of the Savior...if we have trusted in Him and followed Him as L= ord of all.

Have you? If not, will you…right now? Let God love you today, and forgive you and assure you that nothing will ever separate you from His love. <= /p>

His love will be a reassuring Presence all through you= r life; and then, He’ll come and take you home where He will keep on loving y= ou for all eternity.

Please don’t let another opportunity go by to say “yes” to His love. Come now as we sing.