Romans Week 27, March 5, 2023

Introduction

Ok, let’s review what we covered last week.

The beginning of Romans 8 was all about the freedom that the cross won for us.

First of all

We are

Free from Sin’s Condemnation

Romans 8:1 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Free from Sin’s Control

Romans 8:5 ESV

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:12–14 ESV

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Today we will continue to talk about the Freedom the Gospel buys for us.

The Gospel Makes us

Free the Fear of Being Abandoned.

What Paul teaches in this next section is that by the power of the Holy Spirit we will eternally be children of God. Nothing can separate us from that love! How stinking cool is that?

Romans 8:15–17 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

What we need to realize as believers is that we have a heritage that has been passed on to us. Many of you have at one time or another visited our house and seen the dining room table. That table is something that Ashley's mother grew up using. Then Ashley's mother inherited it and raised her children using this dining room table and now we have continued in I believe the third generation of using this table we have a privilege and a responsibility to take care of it whether that's easy or hard.

In the same way we have not received a spirit or an inheritance that points back to the slavery we had to send but it points forward to the new life we have in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:12 ESV

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Think about the spirit of this world. This world is full of fears. This world is full of people covering up a gap in their life through substance abuse depression materialism sex and other diversions. They fear the unknown. They fear the divine. But as Christians we do not have a spirit of slavery and fear but of adoption. We have an intimate relationship with our heavenly father who loves us.

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

God has not put a Holy Spirit in oz that leads us to be people full of fear but instead to be people of power and of love and of self-control!

Matthew 7:9–11 ESV

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

I love how Jesus put it God is not gonna booby trap the presents he gives to his children. Now as a father I might enjoy playing a few jokes on my kids that's just a fatherly prerogative :) but if despite my own sinful nature I know how to provide for and good good gifts to my children how much more will the perfect heavenly father give good gifts to and love each and every one of us!?

Paul contrasts fear with sunship. We are sons of God. Daughters of God.

You know in an adoption court a child who is adopted gets a form stating their new status. They get documentation verifying that they are now part of a new family. You know what's really cool as believers we get a verification in our own life identifying us as Trojan of God and that verification is his Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:22 ESV

22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

I love how Paul writes we now call him ABBA father. That's a term of endearment that translates into every language it just feels warm and feels like you're saying daddy because that's exactly what's being said. We have that kind of closeness with God.

We can call God, Father, Dad, Daddy, Abba

Romans 8:15 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

And more than just closeness right now. More than just a sense of personal and relational intimacy we are heirs of Gods family.

Romans 8:17 ESV

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans C. The New Way: Freedom from Fear of Abandonment (8:15–17)

Being a child means that I have a family now; being an heir means I am included in the family forever.

Remember back in John chapter 17 when Jesus prayed to God for his followers? Remember how Jesus described us?

John 17:22 ESV

22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

First of all Jesus praised that we would share the same unity that he shares with God and the Holy Spirit.

John 17:23 ESV

23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Then Jesus says to God that the world would know he asks that the world would know that God has loved them or rather us insomuch as God has loved Jesus.

John 17:24 ESV

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus prays that we would be with him that we would share in what he has. That we would see God's glory. One thing we have to remember is that in sharing with the inheritance we had with Jesus we are also sharing in some of his suffering as well. Christians throughout history have seen suffering as an acceptable part of following Jesus.

Think about it…

If Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered....so will adopted sons of God

Hebrews 5:8 ESV

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

If Jesus endured the persecution of world....so will adopted sons and daughters

2 Corinthians 4:10 ESV

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

The more we conform our lives to the likeness of Jesus the more we share in the glory of being part of the family of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

In short we are recipients of a wonderful inheritance. We are Co inheritors with Jesus. But we must remember this means we imitate and follow along with the life that Jesus lives. We must have the same priorities that Jesus did.

OK now we're going to move from talking about how we are free from the the fear of abandonment. We are free from sends condemnation and sends control. And now we're going to talk about how we are invited to a new life based on the promises of our heavenly father.

We have a new life based on God’s Promises

Romans 8:18–25 ESV

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

OK we've been given a whole new life but each life each family lives by rules. They're founded by relationships. In the same way that a family is based on the commitment of a husband and wife to each other their marriage. Our new family our new relationship with God is founded on the promises of God. I don't know about you but if you have been married for a number of years like I have and you've seen a lot of marriages fail sometimes you can be cynical when you see a young lovey dovey married couple or a young couple dating and all in love with each other sometimes you're cynical about the capacity of that person to do what it takes to fulfill the promises and calling of marriage. Marriage is hard raising kids is no cakewalk.

But God invites us to a life and a new family based on his capacity to keep his promises. And that capacity to keep promises is something he's very good at. Something he's been doing for thousands of years.

Romans 7:6 ESV

6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

We are invited to a new way

We are promised future glory

This world is not our home.

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 1:1 ESV

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

We are exiles and yet as Paul puts it creation eagerly awaits the sons of God

We will fully realize what God has started in us now.

Romans 8:22–23 ESV

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

There is got to be this sense of hope in believers the sense of hoping for a better world. As a believer we must remember we live in a cursed world. And part of following Christ is hoping and looking forward to a world free from the curse of sin. God promises us this. God promised us this hope.

when we look around and when we experience lies and deception and people hurting each other and we see violence in the news we hurt. But we have hope. We have hope because of what God is doing.

2 Corinthians 4:16–17 ESV

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

We should be burdened to pray for the world around us and to live differently in the world we are in.

One day God will complete the work He began in us and with Jesus.

Romans 8:24–25 ESV

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans D. A New Life: Based on the Promises of God (8:18–25)

The one thing that living in this world requires is patient hope

As Christians Paul calls us to live with Paitent hope

Hope that God is working in us to change us to make us more like HIm.

Hope that one day Jesus will return.

Hope that God is in control.

Hope that God saves us by grace

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Hope that we can trust in what we do not see

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hope that God has been doing great things throughout History through those who are willing to live hoping in His Promises

Hebrews 6:12 ESV

12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 11:12–15 ESV

12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.

Conclusion

Let’s live free from sins control and condemnation.

Let’s live free from any fear of abandonment. God loves us and will never leave us.

Let’s live understanding that imitating Christ and being an heir with Christ will sometimes mean following in His suffering.

Let’s live with hope in the promises of our savior.