Sermon Tone Analysis

*Sibling Relationship in **Romans 8**: 29*

*Text:  **Romans 8**: 28**, 29*

*Introduction*: Before I became a Christian, I fought my brother awful lot.

He was 3 years older than me and we just did not get along at all.

I remember vividly one afternoon, when we fought, I took his beautifully crafted box that he made in his industrial art class and threw it down to the first floor.

Took few hours to make it was shattered into pieces.

But since I became a Christian we are good friends.

Brothers are born for enmity some one said.

But brothers are for each other, especially when one is going through hardships.

Brotherhood is inseparable for the life of Christian when sufferings are so common.

In fact suffering and brotherhood has deep relationship that when we discover, it brings a great comfort and courage to press on this earthly pilgrimage.

*How are sufferings and brotherhood related?*

/It is related through Jesus Christ who is the first born in the family of God//./

*Romans, 8: 28, 29.  *Very famous verses and yet, they are quite often misunderstood and thus blessings missed.

*Now first of all, let us see how these verses relate to the suffering.

*

For that I want to draw your attention to *Matt.

5*.

A famous Sermon on the Mount.

Here, Jesus begins with,

Blessed are the *poor* in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (vs.

3).

Blessed are those who *mourn* for they shall be comforted (vs.

4).

Blessed are the *gentle*, for they shall inherit the earth (vs.

5).

This is a beautiful *picture* of a soul that is granted to live in the Kingdom of Heaven where the *Spirit* of God *rules*.

A careful examination tells us this Kingdom of God is not without *sufferings*.

Look at *verses* *10* *to 12*.

Jesus said; “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness (vs.

*10*).

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you… (vs.

*11*).”

Now please go to *Romans* *8*.

Let’s look at *7: 24**, 25* which says, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Isn’t this what it means by “*Poor in spirit*” in *Matt*?

That’s how our spiritual *journey* begins doesn’t it?

*/Repentant heart = Poor in spirit/*.

Then Paul describes the life that is led by the Holy Spirit.

*Please read 8: **1 – 14**.

*This is the picture of the life that is led by the Holy Spirit.

*Verse 14*, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”  Then just like Matt., Paul touches on the *suffering* of the Christians.

Please read on to verse *18*.

Verse *17*; “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him to that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Is this *coincidence*?

No.

In any life of Christian, there are frictions between the kingdom of *Light* and the kingdom of *darkness*.

But we are not without hope.

Verse *18* says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

The glory which will be revealed will *outweigh* the suffering we face here on this earth.

The next section verses *26 to 39* is a *Victorious* Life of Christian.

Paul connects this section with *3 GROANINGS*.

*1:* Groaning of the whole creation (vs.

*22*).

*2:* Groaning of “we ourselves” (vs.

*23*).

*3:* Groaning of the Holy Spirit (vs.

*26*).

And *sandwiches* with suffering.

Look at verse *35*.

When do you groan?

When things are going well or when things are not going well.

So when we see these verses *within* a context of suffering, then only then, we can *appreciate* verses *28* and *29*.

So you agree with me that these famous verses are *buried* in the *context* of suffering?

So now once we *established* that Romans 8: 28, 29 have a lot to do with sufferings, let’s draw the blessings that are *hidden* in these verses.

It is God who causes all things to work together for good.

Not our *tactics* or *plan* that make it work but God and it is “*all things*” not a part of it.

One early *MS* reads “all things work together for good” and omits “God causes” but that’s does *not* *alter* the over all meaning much because it *qualifies* by saying, “to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

So this promise is only *for* the Christians.

Now usually, we stop right there thinking we received God’s promise but fact is far from it.

Verse *29* is more important than verse *28*, in my opinion.

This is why.

Because it tells us the *purpose* of God.

There are two-fold purpose why God called us.

1.     that we are to become conformed to the image of His Son.

And the reason why God predestined for this is

2.     that Jesus would be the firstborn among many brethren.

/In the beginning of this message I asked: How are sufferings and brotherhood related?

Then I answered: It is related through Jesus Christ who is the firstborn in the family of God.

This is it.

/

In the *Jewish* family, firstborn had many *privileges*: The Firstborn had a position of *preeminence* among family (Gen.

49: 3).

He had *precedence* over other sons of the family (Gen 49:3).

He received a *special* *blessing* from the father (Gen.

27: 4, 35).

He received father’s *title* and *power* (2 Chr.

21:3).

He received a *double* *portion* of inheritance (Deut.

21: 17).

In other word, the reason God causes all things to work for good to those who love Him and those who are called according to His purpose is that: *Jesus* becomes *preeminence* among the Christians.

This is the other side of the coin for us to be like Jesus.

It is not only for us but more so for Jesus.

*Col.

1: 18* says, “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”

また、御子はそのからだである教会のかしらです。御子は初めであり、死者の中から最初に生まれた方です。こうして、ご自身がすべてのことにおいて、第一のものとなられたのです。

God’s way of *achieving* this is through suffering for us.

Yes, we can give Jesus our *lip* *service* but God *designed* that through suffering we become like Jesus.

It is through suffering we learn to give Jesus the preeminence learning how it was for the Son of God to go through suffering.

God wanted us to have same nature like His only Son and that is the best way to give Jesus His *deserved* *preeminence*.

See suffering is *essential* for forming Christ’s character in us and Christ’s character in us is essential to *acknowledge* Christ’s preeminence.

Do you feel for Mr. *George* *Bush*?

Are you able to give him some *significance*?

May be it’s bit difficult but if you are his staff, work with him day and night and have *first* *hand* experience about Mr. Bush’s *struggles* and *pain* and share with his *agonizing* *moment*.

Doesn’t it make easier to give him some credit?

It is the same way when we suffer for Jesus; it’s easier to give Him preeminence when we go through similar suffering as He went through.

This whole concept is already introduced in *5: **1 – 11*.

“Life is not fair.”

No, life is not fair in a sense but when a Christian says that he is saying “God is not Fair” and that is not right.

Contrary to our *fleshly* *thinking*, God is fair and life is fair.

Let’s go to *Heb.

2: 10*,

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation *through sufferings*.

The *creator* of all things, *source* of Life and the *sustainer* of all things

 

went through sufferings just like us.

How did He do that?