Romans 8:26-38
Notes
Transcript
This morning we continue through Romans 8, in case you have missed up to this point
Then please allow me to fill you in
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
We are not to live according to the flesh if you have a personal relationship with Christ
For those who have been saved now it is time to walk with Jesus
Church that is costly
You see to walk with Jesus it will require you to die to yourself
To put the things of the flesh to death
And all along we have continued to ask you 2 questions
What do you need to put to death?
And are you willing to do just that?
Then as believers we have something to look forward to
Not only Eternity in Heaven!!
But church as believers in Jesus we have a hope in this lost and frustrating world
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Because we can hope in the things unseen
It means we hope in the power of Jesus
Because of Christ we have confidence in our future
And church because of Christ that future is absolutely amazing
Believe you mean I get it
I understand it is hard to see and understand when you are in a desert
It is hard to see and understand and sometimes to know while you are in the valley
While you are in a season of frustration and struggle
Believe you me I get it!!!
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
In the same we have a hope that this world can’t understand
We have a ever present help in the lost and frustrating world
Church Paul says that it is during those desert moments
During those valley and very frustrating times in our life
And as a side note, maybe you are young enough and you can say well I haven't encountered anything frustrating and difficult
Stand by its coming
Paul says that during those difficult times and moments in this life
During those times when the world says well when life hands you lemons you just got to make lemonade
Paul says that we don’t have to settle for lemonade
Paul says during those times we have a helper
The Helper to goes on our behalf and prays when we don’t know what to pray for
Now you may begin to ask yourself
How in the world would I not know what to pray
I know how to pray
but it is during those difficult moments when you are simply and utterly at a lose in what to Pray
One commentary
Exalting Jesus in Romans Rest in the Spirit’s Intercession (8:26–27)
It is that “we do not know what to pray for” in the midst of this suffering world. It is not only that we do not have the right words; it is that we do not always know God’s will in particular situations (v. 27).
It is that we don’t know the perfect will of God during those times in the dessert
When you are left asking God what does waiting mean
When you are left asking God what do you want during this time
Its not that you must know the perfect will of God all the time and be perfect
But church these verse show us we can be comforted during those times in the dessert
We can know for certain that the Helper the Holy Spirit when we don’t know what to pray goes to God the Father on our behalf and speaks to Him for us
Church did you just feel the weight being lifted off
Did you just exhale
Praise the Lord for the encouragement of knowing that Holy Spirit goes before us to God the Father to speak when we can’t or don’t know what to say
Then Paul gives us one of the more famous verses from Romans
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
As you read this, this is not that when you feel bad God will come in a swop you up and everything will be great and easy
This verse is not for everyone
Paul gives a select people group who this verse is intended for
For those who are called according to His Purpose
For those who are walking with Jesus
For those who have repented of their sin and trusted in Jesus and who are obedient in their walking with Jesus
See the world will read this verse and go oh, well I know I got myself into this mess but God promises to work everything for Good
Nope Not true
Don’t get into that way or lie of thinking
You got yourself into that mess and there will probably be consequences
This is for the believer who is walking with Jesus
Who has put to death the things of the flesh and being obedient to the Spirit
They can have confidence that God will work things for good
It doesn’t mean that even when you are being obedient with God and walking with God that things will always be good or easy
But that God will work things out for good
One example that was brought up during my study was Joseph
Joseph did not like being sold into slavery, or being falsely accused of rape, or left to rot and die in prison
But God worked it out for His good, not so much Joseph's good but for Gods plan good
But Joseph when he was able to look at everything he was able to say that God had ordained it all
Wow
To walk with God so much that you are able to see the desert or valley and say yep God has a plan I may not know it but God is good and has a plan
What encouragement there is this morning for the believer in Jesus
Might I encourage you this morning to run after Jesus
Now Paul goes right into who those people are
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
If the previous verse was one of the more famous and well known verses
This maybe one of the more argued ones
Rather than argue the predestination lets us dig in
Paul starts of with the For, which means he is referring to the previous verses
Those who have the encouragement to now the Holy Spirit has gone before them and that since they are walking with Jesus that God works all things for the God
For those people God foreknew
God predestined
God Called
God Justified
God Glorified
Are you getting the picture once again that salvation has nothing to do with what you can do but everything with what God has done
From start to finish of Salvation it is all God’s doing
Now I do not believe that this passage says that God looked into the crystal ball and saw who would pick Jesus and then said I will save these
God foreknew, had knowledge of the individual person
The same way he said of Abraham, I called him
That He KNOWS you
Like Jeremiah I think where God says I knit you in your mothers womb
That God KNOWS you
Then God predestined to become image bearers
I don’t this means that God predestined only some to be saved and others to not
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
But that He knows who will be saved and who will be not
But those who will be saved God predestined them to be in the image of His only Son
To be adopted as sons and daughters of the most high King
To be an image bearer of God wow
to know that we are sons and daughters
That God looks on us as image bearers of His Only Son
Church to know that when God sees us He sees His Only Son
Church I believe Paul is explaining the process of salvation
You were called and justified
Just as if you’d never sinned
And because of Christ we will one day be glorified with Him in heaven
To know and understand that from start to finish of Salvation it is all God’s work
Praise the Lord for the saving work of Jesus Christ
That makes it possible for you and I to spend eternity in heaven with God
That makes it possible for you and I to walk with Jesus this side of heaven and in this frustrating and fallen world to have a Helper Sent to help us in the Holy Spirit
Paul continues on
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
TO know in this frustrating and fallen world
To know in the difficult moments and seasons of life
We can know that God is for us and with us as Children of the Most High King
Remember church salvation is free
To walk with Jesus is costly
It will cost your life to walk with Jesus but when you do you get so much more in return
What can this world to do us if we are walking with Jesus
If God is for us
What can the world say about us
Nothing since the Creator of the World is the only one who justifies and condemns
And as sons and daughters of the most high King we call Him Father
What a great reminder that God is for us
Those who have been called and justified
That God is with us and for us
Praise the Lord for that encouragement
maybe you need to know that the God of the universe is for you as you walk with Him
Maybe you have been obedient and it doesn’t seem like things are working out or will work out
Might I encourage you this morning stay the course
Continue to run with God
Continue to be obedient to what God has called you even when it is difficult
And maybe this morning you need to hear and know that God is with you
To think about Joseph being in that prison all alone
That God hd a plan that was far better than what Joseph could have ever come up with
To know that God has a plan and it is good while you are in the desert continuing to walk with Him
Be encouraged this morning to walk with Jesus
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
See how Paul uses these questions to get the correct information to the Jewish Believers in Rome
See how those same questions are posed to us and Pauls answers are still the same
Do you understand this morning that the struggle, the desert, the frustrating,
Cannot separate you from Christ and His love once you have repented of your sin and trusted in Jesus
I want you to know and understand that if you have not done that then sin is separating you from Christ
But for those who have repented of your sin and trusted in Jesus then please hear me this morning Nothing can separate you from the Love of Christ and Christ Himself
Probably need to underline vs 37
That nothing this world can throw at us can or will overtake us
That because of Christ and through Christ we can and will overwhelmingly conquer it
So church maybe this morning you are in a desert or a valley
You are walking with Jesus you are being obedient to what He has called you to do
Believe you me I get it
Randi and I have been called to homeschool
And because of that Randi works weird hours for our family
And let me tell you it is frustrating and difficult and we have prayed and prayed and prayed for Randi to get a different job with insurance so she wouldn’t have to work nights
So she could be a family in the evenings
And church when I say we have prayed and prayed
For a while, I would get up at 1am or 1230am when Randi would get up to go to work and we would pray together for a new job
Nothing
She has had interviews and had second interviews I think and nothing
We have continued to pray
God has said wait
Now we pray what does that mean
And so we continue to be obedient when it is difficult and straining because we know following God is better than not
Because we have experienced the not following God and it is always better to follow God
So church maybe this morning you are in a struggle right now
You are walking with Jesus and you are being obedient but it is a struggle
Know some truths from Scripture this morning
KEEP Walking with Jesus
Don’t quit
God is with you
God has good in store
As you pray whenever and whereever it is even when you don’t know what to pray
The Holy Spirit goes before you to God the Father to speak on your behalf
Church praise the Lord for the truths that we can rest in
This morning as we close we want to invite you come to know Jesus personal
If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and want to begin one we would invite you to the front to speak with someone
Maybe you have a personal relationship with Jesus and you want to spend sometime in prayer at the altar
This is going to be your opportunity to respond to what God has done this morning
Our musicians are going to come and play a song
The Words won’t be up there and we are not going to ask you to stand
We are going to ask you to respond obediently
Where that is coming to the front to pray or to talk with someone or stay where your at and just worship this morning
