You Need to Know This
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Perhaps you are like me and you are sitting in class, daydreaming, thinking about the free throws you missed when you went one for two in the game on Tuesday.
And all of the sudden, you hear these words, you better know this, it will be on the test. What happens? You jump, you’re like, o no what did you say, can you repeat that, I need to know cause I wasn’t paying attention and now I have to have this information for my test.
Anybody ever done that?
One of the things you have to learn when it comes to studying the Bible, reading the Bible, is that you should look at repeated words, words that are mentioned over and over. The reason you look for those is that they are often repeated for a reason. There is significance.
That’s why your teacher is yelling at you saying this is going to be on the test make sure you know this.
When you look at Romans 8, there is a word that is repeated, and ironically, it’s the word know. The apostle Paul is telling us there are certain things we should know. And it’s repeated because these truths are important, and they will be on the test.
So what do we need to know?
I. We Live in a Messed up world
I. We Live in a Messed up world
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
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.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
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.
What is being said here is simple. We are suffering here in this life, we see the world in a messed up state, with creation groaning. That’s why you’re wearing a mask, why there are tensions between races, political turmoil, and so on. We are living in a messed up world.
And you need to know that. That person you are following on instagram ain’t real. That celebrity with it all together ain’t real.
But you need to know that. You need to understand that our life is going to be faced with pain and hardship and trouble.
The truth is many your age know that, and yet don’t know the answer, don’t know the hope, the remedy, and as a result, feel the only way out is to end it all. But there is hope, there is a remedy, which we will get to here in a moment
So we know we live in a messed up world, but my second point is,
II. Sometimes we don’t know what to do.
II. Sometimes we don’t know what to do.
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.
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.
What’s going on here? We’re told that when we are in a time of weakness, we often are unsure of what to do. And yet, when we don’t know what to do, we pray and the Holy Spirit often sometimes takes our lack of word, our groanings too deep for words, and brings them before God.
We’ve done that. We’ve talked about how we have no words. This is what is being referred to here. Why is that? Because He knows what we are going through. He knows the pain we are facing in our lives.
So we know we live in a messed up world, we know there are times we don’t know what to say, and then,
III. We know God is working for our good.
III. We know God is working for our good.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
IF we know these things, this is what can lead us to say,
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
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?
And finally, what is said in
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
This leads us to our final exclamation in
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
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.
I am sure. I am positive. Your teacher says, are you sure you have all the right answers on your test, you want to turn your test in? I’m positive. I’m good. I have the information down, I know I am right.