The Good Life: Finding comfort in your Savior rather than your circumstances. Romans 8:26-39

Romans 8:26-39 (ESV)

[26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. [28] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. [31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He 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? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor 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.

Title/Main Idea: The Good Life is all about finding your comfort in the arms of your dear Savior rather than the circumstances surrounding you.

As I prayed and prepared for this message I kept going back to an old hymn from the 1700’s by Anne Steel. I was introduced to this hymn in the early 2000’s by a group from Nashville called Indellible Grace.

Anne Steel published many of her hymns under the name Theodosia. She didn’t want the recognition and any proceeds from her writings went to charity.

Anne’s life was marked by suffering. Just three years after Anne was born, her mother passed away. She suffered physically, living with chronic recurring malaria, painful stomach issues, and severe teeth pain . . . as well as seriously injuring herself when thrown from a horse at nineteen. When she was twenty-one, her fiancé, Robert, drowned.

She wrote 144 hymns, another 48 psalms, and 50 or more poems. Her life marked with emotional and physical pain was also filled with wrestling over her doubts and fears related to her faith and salvation. Like many who have suffered, her suffering was more than physical, but she turned to the Lord through His Word and with her pen. And her writings put our fears, doubts, and pains to words in ways that lead us to the throne of God’s grace.

Her last 9 years on this earth were confined to the bed, and its said that at the moment of her passing her last words were “I know that my Redeemer liveth.”

One of my favorite hymns is the one she wrote entitled: Dear refuge for my weary soul, and it goes like this:

Dear refuge of my weary soul, On Thee, when sorrows rise, On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies. To Thee I tell each rising grief, For Thou alone canst heal; Thy Word can bring a sweet relief For every pain I feel.

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail, I fear to call Thee mine; The springs of comfort seem to fail, And all my hopes decline. Yet, gracious God, where shall I flee? Thou art my only trust; And still my soul would cleave to Thee Though prostrate in the dust.

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face, And shall I seek in vain? And can the ear of sov’reign grace Be deaf when I complain? No, still the ear of sov’reign grace Attends the mourner’s prayer; O may I ever find access To breathe my sorrows there.

Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat; With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet. Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat; With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet.

Anne Steel’s life was filled with suffering, and yet her heart was filled with the comfort of her Savior.

Anne Steel’s life would easily be considered good because of what she did with it. But, the truth is that it’s not just that she did good with her life, because she found her comfort in Christ and not her circumstances she lived the Good Life.

The world doesn’t view Anne’s life as the Good Life. In fact, I think its likely that many of us in the room today would struggle to embrace her circumstances as the good life. But, we must consider that a life without Christ, and a life without the Spirit, no matter how great our creature comforts are- is nothing at all to boast in. In fact, a life without Christ and a life without the spirit is no life at all.

Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

The secret to contentment, the secret to comfort in any situation, the secret to the Good life is Christ. Let’s walk together through our passage…

Romans 8:26-27

[26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [27] And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

“Likewise”

The same Spirit that leads us to hope for our future in Christ helps us to persevere in our faith through our present sufferings.

The Holy Spirit prays for you when you don’t know what to pray or what to do next in the middle of your suffering and tribulation.

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of your inheritance and He prays so that you continue in your faith and fulfill your purpose.

Romans 8:28-30

[28] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God’s plan and purpose for everyone who loves Him is the same- to glorify Him with your life until you are with Him in glory.

“All things” refers to the bad things.

“All things work together for good” doesn’t mean that the evil and suffering we experience is good. It means that

God is so good that even our suffering and tribulations redeemed and woven into the accomplishment of His plan.

How does God do this? How does God take what is bad and work it out for good?

In his goodness and grace God keeps His promise to you in Christ.

This is the point that Paul is bringing to light here in these verses. And I know that it uses words here that for much of Christian History people have divided over… but we cannot ignore the Word of God. in fact it’s the opposite, if there is anything that we should strive to know and understand it is the Bible. And in our pursuit of understanding the truth we will grow deeper in our love and faith.

I had the opportunity to answer a question this past week in our Wednesday morning Bible study. One of our members asked me to explain the difference between the view of predestination and the view of free will or choice. After our study I had a few people mention that I should share the gist of what we looked at with you this morning.

Within the Baptist world the issue of predestination and salvation are typically divided up into two camps.

Camp One: God Chooses Camp Two: Man Chooses

Romans 8:29-30 Romans 10:9-10

John 15:15-16 John 3:16

The dilemma that I see with dividing this whole idea of salvation into these two camps is that passages to support each side come from the same books of the Bible. It’s not that we have verses from different books of the Bible to support each camp, we actually have both camps using passages from the same letters and gospels.

So, here’s something to consider… These ideas are not against one another, they actually work together. And, it’s acceptable to not fully understand the deepest mystery of God’s saving work in the hearts and minds of men.

For instance, both camps believe:

you must hear the Gospel to be saved.

You must believe in Jesus with faith and repentance to be saved.

You should follow Jesus in baptism as a testimony of your faith in Christ.

The Holy Spirit dwells within us

You are called to obey the Word and honor God with your life.

Now, the part where these two camps actually divide is right after the hearing of the gospel.

Hear the Gospel

Holy Spirit Regenerates - Saved - Faith and Repentance

Faith and Repentance - Saved - Holy Spirit Regenerates

Fruit of the Spirit

Follow in believers baptism

Pursue God’s purpose and plan with your life

Personally I don’t know that this is a spot for Christians to divide over, because I don’t believe we should divide over part of a doctrine…

No one is saved against his or her will.

There is no record of any person in history who was angry that God saved them. No one is running around in the world wishing they could go live a pagan life of rebellion in sin and selfishness, but can’t because God chose them against their will.

No one who calls upon the name of the Lord for salvation will be denied.

There is no record of any person in history who has cried out to God for salvation by faith in Jesus Christ that has been denied.

Romans 10:9-10

[9] because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

John 15:15-16

[15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. [16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Paul doesn’t shy away from the words of God, and when we read the progression here in Romans 8:29-30 the emphasis is that those who are justified by faith in Christ will be glorified with Christ for eternity.

The promise that God has made to you cannot, and will not, be hindered by sin and the evil of others and the world.

3 ways God’s promise encourages and comforts us in verses 28-30:

In your suffering stay faithful.

In the midst of your tribulations your salvation is secure.

Your tribulations are bad, but the future that waits for you is better and more glorious than you can even imagine.

Your suffering and tribulations are not a sign that you have disobeyed God, but it will be an instrument that God will use to sanctify you.

Your suffering is not because God doesn’t love you, but His love will see you through the present darkness you are facing.

Romans 8:31-34

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He 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? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

What can anyone say regarding your salvation. Can they say that you aren’t saved because your life involves suffering?

What can you say about your salvation? Do you doubt your salvation is true or real because of the suffering and tribulations of your life? if so… remember Romans 8:1! There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!

So, what do we do with when we are weak and suffering? We trust and depend on the Holy Spirit.

Suffering in the life of a Christian is like the fire that purifies gold. But, suffering often causes people to question God’s goodness, His love, and even His presence with us.

Some people in your life will be like Job’s friends who look at your circumstances and assume you have sinned and therefore are under God’s judgment.

Some of you will look at your circumstances and wonder where God has gone and why He has done this to you.

But…

In the middle of our suffering the Holy Spirit leads us to find our comfort in our Savior rather than our circumstances.

The Holy Spirit directs us to Christ

We learn to depend on the Spirit rather than the flesh

Relying on the Spirit vs Relying on the Flesh

Spirit Flesh

Trusting in the promise of Christ Trusting in the promises of people

Obeying the Word Following your opinions or the opinions of others

Peace & Joy Anxiousness and Angst

Growing spiritually and thanking God through it all Stagnant in your faith and stuck comparing with others.

? Desire acceptance from others

Suffering doesn’t mean your salvation is under review

Salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus, and testified by the Spirit who lives in you.

In the middle of your suffering the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus is with us in the fire.

Romans 8:35-39 (ESV)

[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor 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.

Like the young men in the book of Daniel- Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. They refused to bow down to the idol built in honor of the King of Babylon… even though they knew that if they didn’t worship the idol they would be thrown into a fiery furnace for their death.

When confronted they said, “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” - Daniel 3:17-18

After they were thrown into the fire… “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” [25] He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” -Daniel 3:24-25

The same God who was with these young men in the fire is the God who Romans 8 says will work things out for good and who will not leave you in your suffering. In fact…

There is nothing, and no one, that can separate those who are in Christ from God’s love.

Not death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, heights, depths, or anything else in all creation.

but, look with me at the wording God gives us here:

“… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This means that apart from Christ you are separated from God’s love.

God’s love is not demonstrated through giving us a life of comfort and success, instead it is demonstrated through the suffering and sacrifice of our Savior.

Not even death can separate you… let that sink in. The same God who was with 3 men in the fires of death, is the same God who will be with you through everything, including death!

And this means…

Your circumstances will never be enough to give you peace, joy, contentment, and comfort in all things.

There is not enough comfort to be found in this world

There is not enough contentment to be gained in this world

There are no circumstances good enough

The Good Life is all about finding your comfort in the arms of your dear Savior rather than the circumstances surrounding you.

What about you…

Apart from Christ you are separated from God’s love.

God demonstrates his love for us in Christ.

Without Christ we don’t know what love is… we love because He loved us first.

It’s not that God doesn’t love the world, it’s that the world is separated from God’s love apart from faith in Christ and the grace of God.

Those who love God are the ones who are in Christ.

No one loves God that isn’t also a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

There no such thing as a person who rejects Christ and yet loves God. This is part of what God is telling us in Romans 1… that all men have rejected the truth of God and exchanged it for a lie. And one of the lies in the church of our time is that you can reject part of God, or part of Jesus, or part of the Spirit, or part of the Word even and still love the Lord. But, there is a difference in rejecting and repenting. Repenting is what we do when we sin, rejecting is the sin of pride that says I don’t need the whole thing and i don’t have to strive for all of it to be a part of God’s kingdom.

God’s kingdom is made up of those who love Him and those who love obey His commands. They don’t explain His word away, that’s rejecting it. But, when they do break it, they repent, and they are marked by grace and forgiveness because they are people who live under grace and forgiveness.

The promise of all things working out for good is for those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Everything isn’t going to work out for good for those who do not love God through Christ.

The Good Life is all about finding your comfort in the arms of your dear Savior rather than the circumstances surrounding you.