Exploring Romans #12

Nothing Can Compare

Reminder that there will NOT be any Wednesday night service next week.

Youth camps are coming up and I hope that everyone will be faithful to Wednesday night service even though I will not be here some nights.

Series Recap:

The Apostle Paul is writing to the Roman Church

He is writing from the city of Corinth

He is writing during a time of relative peace because Nero hasn’t yet blamed the church for starting the Great Fire that destroyed much of Romes city.

Up to this point Paul has been teaching the basic fundamentals of the Gospel.

The law can’t save but faith in Jesus can

Chapter 8 Paul is putting the icing on the GOSPEL CAKE.

Chapters 9-11 Paul Explains God’s sovereignty and how to develop a right relationship with God.

Chapters 12-16 Paul preaches Holiness.

Let’s go back to where we left off last week:

Now before we get started let me say that the 8th chapter of Romans is especially important top me because on April 13th my mom read her Bible for the last time ever. Her devotion was Romans Chapter 8. I wish I had the notes that she made that day but I’ve somehow misplaced them over time.

The 8th chapter of Romans is especially important top me because on April 13th my mom read her Bible for the last time ever and her devotion was Romans Chapter 8.

However I will never forget how I felt the day I found her bible and stumbled across her devotion notes. You see my mom had missed church on Easter Sunday 2009 which was something she would never do unless she absolutely had no choice.

So on Monday morning My wife and I went to visit her to see how she was doing. She was able to get up and move around a little but was in a lot of pain. We loved on her a little bit and had to leave to go visit another family who had just lost their mother Easter night. By the time we finally got to a restaurant and ordered our food My step dad called and said we needed to get there quick. My mom had taken a turn for the worst. By the time we got there she was still conscious but looked as though she could pass at any moment. We did not expect to watch her slowly fade away over the next four and a half days.

While my mom laid there on her death bed She would raise her arm into the air as though she was praying or worshiping God and she would spin her hand around in circles in the air like she had done many times during her prayer time at the altar over the years. She begin slipping in and out of consciousness Monday night and by Tuesday afternoon my mom never spoke another word to anyone. In fact her last words ever spoken were to her sister who had run from God for many years. My mom slightly leaned forward as soon as my aunt Barbra sat down beside her, she urged her with great fervor to repent of her sin and surrender her life to Christ.

After Pleading with her Barbra my mom laid back and slipped off into an unresponsive state but she kept that arm up in the air, just a spinning it and uttering words just like she was in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

It was around Thursday that I finally had had enough and had to pull away from the family and just cry out to God for some help. I grabbed up my moms bible and headed to the only quit place i could find, the bathroom. I sat there clenching my moms bible and prayed , “God why is my mom going through this? Why is she suffering so much? Please God just show me something in your word that will bring me comfort tonight.”. Then I opened up her bible and turned to where she had her bookmark, which was . As I read, the power of God and his precious Holy Spirit begin to minister the very help I had prayed for, at that very moment.

Now during this Chapter there are some life changing principles taught and to blaze through this chapter like we did the past seven would do a great injustice to this chapter.

So let’s get started.

I touched on a subject during last weeks lesson in the book of Romans, but I didn’t get to expound to much on it. Let me pick up where we left off last week.

We discussed the first part of chapter eight last week:

I spoke about the three laws

Law of God - The Written word

Law of Sin - Temptation

Law of the Spirit - Liberty

Paul begins Chapter 8 with this:

Romans 8:1 NKJV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Verses 6&7 He reminds us that a carnal mind is enmity (hostility) with God

Verse 14 says that if we are led by the Spirit of God then we are the sons of God.

Verse 17 says we are joint heirs with Christ IF we suffer with Him that we may also be Glorified together with Him.

Romans 8:18–27 NKJV

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits 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 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.