Saved For What? | Romans 8:1-30 (3)
Saved For What? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
Saved For What? | Romans 8:1-30
Find the “BIG IDEA” >> a. What is the author talking about? b. What is he saying about what he is talking about?
a.
b.
Find the FCF >>
1. What does the text say?
2. What spiritual concern(s) did the text address (in its context)?
3. What spiritual concerns do listeners share in common with those to (or about) whom the text was written?
[Kids Time!]
We stand tall in the dark:
- Shining the light of God in dark places
-Standing and shining not alone, but by the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives
-Stand firm, immovable, for God is the one who makes us, keeps us, and nothing can snuff out the light of God
———————————————————————————————
[Introduction]
One of the most relatable sections of scripture is found at the end of Romans chapter 7:
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
It’s relatable for the Christian, because we know that, even though God has saved us from the Power of sin, that we are adopted children of the Father now, no longer slaves to sin… ALL these good and true things…
Yet, we know that there is still corruption warring in us. We still need to do confession every week, don’t we.
———
[Illustration]
I had this friend who was a new Christian, and he asked me,
“Even after becoming a Christian… why do I still struggle with sin?”
His question is one I think Paul was addressing in Romans 7 and one we all face, even weekly on a Sunday during confession.
———
Lets quickly recap:
We’ve been in Romans 8, one of the most popular and theologically rich chapters of the Bible, going into our third week…
>> We could spend years digging into this mountain of a text… but instead, we’ll pick our flower and keep walking as we consider again:
Saved for what?
>> Sanctification: Saved from the POWER of sin, TODAY
>> Remember the flower that we’ll be looking for, as we climb the mountain that is Romans 8:
We are saved for an enriched and sanctified life through the Spirit, TODAY, until Christ returns
>> We learned, up to this point from Romans 8, that we are:
Saved for TODAY:
(1) The Spirit applies the freedom, life, peace, and righteousness accomplished by the Son
(2) The Spirit applies the power over our sinful flesh, accomplished by the Son
(3) The Spirit applies the adoption and inheritance accomplished by the Son
>> Lots to cover, lets pray, and we’ll read our text along the way...
[PRAY]
———————————————————————————————
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.
Saved for TODAY:
(1) The Spirit applies the freedom, life, peace, and righteousness accomplished by the Son
(2) The Spirit applies the power over our sinful flesh, accomplished by the Son
(3) The Spirit applies the adoption and inheritance accomplished by the Son
(4) The Spirit applies the fruit of the Spirit in a fallen world, accomplished by the Son
>> 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God… 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
>> It’s groaning… it’s broken and waiting for God to reveal His children, who from creation were meant to rule and subdue the earth with God.
17 And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
>> 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.
It seems Paul is suggesting, that all of creation is groaning… Paul identifies that we have the “firstfruits of the Spirit”
In Galatians 5, Paul addressing the life by which the Christian should now walk:
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
And the fruit of this walking by the Spirit is spelled out:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
We are living in an awkward place:
The ALREADY but the NOT YET
>> ALREADY, Christ has accomplished freedom, life, peace, righteousness, power over sin and death, all these good things...
>> YET we have not “arrived”… we still live in this season of waiting for the redemption of our bodies
But the Fruit of the Spirit is our marker of the salvation Christ has accomplished for us and is being actively applied to us day by day, until he returns.
We shine in the dark because we are a new creation and that’s what we are remade to do until the True Light comes again.
———————————————————————————————
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.
Saved for TODAY:
(1) The Spirit applies the freedom, life, peace, and righteousness accomplished by the Son
(2) The Spirit applies the power over our sinful flesh, accomplished by the Son
(3) The Spirit applies the adoption and inheritance accomplished by the Son
(4) The Spirit applies the fruit of the Spirit in a fallen world, accomplished by the Son
(5) The Spirit applies the intercession necessary and accomplished by the Son
One thing is clear… We have the fruit of the Spirit, but we are still weak.
[Illustration]
There are many times when Jett is attempting to talk to someone or being emotional and no one understands what is going on with that boy...
Except for his mom.
She hears his caveman talk and she helps him in his weakness
>> In our weakness, we aren’t left to do the hard work by ourself… The Spirit is with us and intercedes for us.
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.
>> This isn’t for our prosperity, but for our genuine, good! What great news, that God has a purpose for us… And that HE intercedes and works for good.
Have you ever felt like you’ve thwarted the plans of God?
Like, your screw up or sin or weaknesses… can’t be worked and used for God’s good purposes?
"God not only delivers us from our suffering, he makes our pain and suffering serve his purposes. Affliction is made the servant of God in his purposes. What Satan meant for evil, God uses for good, because God uses these attacks to work in us an even greater weight of glory than we would have experienced without them." — John Piper
———————————————————————————————
The Golden Chain of Salvation
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.
Foreknew
Predestined
Called
Justified
Glorified
[NOTES]
Foreknew
>> Before our creation, before our conception, before our being… God foreknew us. What’s astounding about this first link in the chain… is that God foreknew us in our corruption.
>> verse 29 suggests, that God foreknew us, wart and all… and predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. We are not inherently bearing that image.
>> And God knew this before we would even be being!
Predestined
>> But it is God’s love and grace that He would still predestine us for conforming into the image of His Son
Called
>> And after predestining us for this transformation, God would then call us out of the dark, to Himself
Justified
>> And in calling us to Himself, He would then do as He predestined to do: He would justify us by the work of His Son through the power of His Holy Spirit
Glorified
>> And being now justified by the done work of Christ, our being glorified is not even a question.
But if it were a question, how would we respond? Read verses 31-39...
———————————————————————————————
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.
Saved for TODAY:
(1) The Spirit applies the freedom, life, peace, and righteousness accomplished by the Son
(2) The Spirit applies the power over our sinful flesh, accomplished by the Son
(3) The Spirit applies the adoption and inheritance accomplished by the Son
(4) The Spirit applies the fruit of the Spirit in a fallen world, accomplished by the Son
(5) The Spirit applies the intercession necessary and accomplished by the Son
(6) The Spirit applies the confidence and security accomplished by the Son
Are we safe when we are saved? Once we are justified, can we lose our salvation? Not if the golden chain is true, because all the justified will be glorified. If you are saved now, you are saved forever and ever. That is the golden chain. Indeed, it is not a rusty chain. It is a chain made of the precious truth of the gospel. — R.C. Sproul
>> What is the Spirit’s work in this confidence?
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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
"The Spirit is God's own seal upon us — his mark of ownership, his guarantee that what he has begun he will bring to completion. The sealing of the Spirit is not an experience to seek; it is a reality to rest in." — Attributed to Sinclair Ferguson, The Holy Spirit (Christian Focus)
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
>> We are not sustained by ourselves… but by the grace and mercy of God
>> Just as we talked about with the kids, does the darkness ever snuff out the light? NO!
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
>> If you are in Christ, how can anything melt your confidence and security accomplished by the Son?
>> If you are in Christ:
You are forgiven!
You are sealed with the Holy Spirit
You have a future hope of eternal life and sonship with the Father
We are more than conquerors through him who loved us
>> On “More than conquerors”...
"A conqueror defeats his enemy, but one who is more than a conqueror subjugates his enemy. A conqueror nullifies the purpose of his enemy; one who is more than a conqueror makes the enemy serve his own purposes. A conqueror strikes down his foe; one who is more than a conqueror makes his foe his slave." — John Piper
Romans chapter 8 reminds us, that
We are saved for an enriched and sanctified life through the Spirit, TODAY, until Christ returns
>> We may live in enemy territory, but the enemy has been defeated
>> We may rest in the comforts of these realities
>> Martin Luther writes,
"There is no book in the Bible more comforting and encouraging than this epistle, and especially this eighth chapter. It is truly the theologian's home — the place where, after all the doctrines of sin and grace and justification have been laid down, the Christian may rest and breathe." — Martin Luther
[Welcome Worship Team Up]
[Communion]
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
“23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Jer. 17:9
John 15:26
2 cor. 5:17
sanctification:
1 thess. 4:3
1 peter 1:15-16
Romans 7:24-25 and 8:1
john 17:17
Titus 3:4-7 >> regeneration
1 Cor. 6:9-11
illumination
John14:26
1 cor 2:13-14
Eph. 1:17-18
Preservation
eph. 1:13-14
