Untitled Sermon

God’s Assured Deliverance (Freedom from Struggling and Suffering (Part 4)

Romans 8:28-29

The very point of the entire book of Romans is for you to get right with God. The message of Romans is one of deliverance; deliverance from struggling and suffering—through Jesus Christ. The whole point of what was written before (18-27), is that we desperately struggle against

*pressures and forces within ourselves and outside ourselves

*the weight and discouragement of trials

*the pollution and corruption of life

*the relentless accusations and bombardment of our sinful nature, the enemy, and the law

*the pain and decay of the body

*the striking fear and hopelessness of an eternal judgment (we fear what God will say to us what day)

*the unknown, the pain, hurt, sorrow, loneliness, alienation, aging, death, and hell

We know the solution; the way out of our problems is to get right with God. If a right relationship with God is found, received, these struggles and hardships don’t evaporate, but we discover there is an assurance that God will help us through the struggles, trials, and problems of life and deliver us from them.

This is the message of Romans….you need to get right with God. Without getting right with God, you live under condemnation, you live under the wrath of God, and stand to be eternally separated from Him for eternity.

You need to be justified, declared righteous by God

You need to be freed from the wages of sin; b/c sin corrupts and leads to death

You need to be freed from bondage of following rules, laws, and good works to salvation

All of chapter 8 leads to this point, to these verses (28-39). The summit of Paul’s message is Romans 8 is found here, in these last verses of Romans 8.

Those who love God are called by Him and will be freed from the bondages and corruptions of this life and ushered into glory.

This is assured by God, nothing shall prevent God from His settled plan and promise to free the believer from bondage, from his/her sin, and to deliver them from the struggles and corruption of this life. So whatever it is you are holding onto tonight that is binding and bonding you to this world; whatever weight you are carrying tonight or have been carrying this week or these past months, that has been deceiving you, leading you further and further away from God and towards darkness, you need to know that God has settled and set His mind to free you, redeem you, restore you, and rescue you from those things that are weighing you down and wearing you out. For those that will choose to surrender, who will choose to confess that Jesus Christ is their Lord, for those that will surrender their lives to Jesus, He has determined and promised two supreme things

*Believers shall be conformed to the image of His Son (v.29)

*His Son shall have many brothers, among whom He is to be honored as the first Person (v.29)

There are 7 assurances we will discuss tonight

(v.28) First Assurance of Deliverance: God works all things out for those who love Him—Scripture actually declares that in ALL things God works for the good for the believer (He knows what’s best for you, He knows exactly what you need to sustain you, to grow you, strengthen you, and mold you. He works ALL things (good and bad) for his (believer’s) good

“All things”—

God does control the events of the world, yet He controls all the events and happenings that happen in the life of a believer. He works “all things” out for the good of the believer “Work”—means to create and eliminate; place and replace; connect and group; interrelate and intermingle, shape and forge, press and stretch, move and operate; control and guide, arrange and influence

It is a “present action”—means God is continually working all things

He doesn’t stop working He works daily, moment to moment arranging an re-arranging all things for the believer’s good “Good”—means for the “ultimate good.”

God sees the future—we cannot God sees the results of each and every event—we cannot God sees all the events of our lives (past, present, future) and works them out for our ultimate good ***ALERT, ALERT***

God works out for good ONLY to those who LOVE God and are CALLED according to His purpose

Greek Language lays this out emphatically: “Of those who love Him,” is placed first in the sentence, so in the originally language is reads: “But we know that to those who love God all things work together for good.” GOD ONLY LOOKS AFTER THE AFFAIRS OF THE PERSON WHO LOVES HIM

If you do not love God—if you do not place your life into His hands—how can God take care of you? If you turn you back on God, if you walk away from God, how can God look after and take care of you

So many of you walk around with this superficial love for God, for Jesus…but you won’t commit your lives to Him. Love is a choice of the heart, it’s a commitment of the heart.

God cannot and will not force HIs care on you. He will not force you to live at His beck and call…it’s a decision you have to make. He wants love that flows from the heart, from the heart that chooses to love Him

We either turn our lives over to Him in love, or we continue to take our lives into our own hands

***Note*** “called according to His purpose.” The believer’s deliverance is purposed by God. God calls you (the believer) for the glorious purpose of being saved from the struggle and sufferings of life.

(v.29) Second Assurance of our Deliverance: God has determined to fulfill His purpose for the believer

This passage is often missed and misunderstood

It seems to say that God chooses some for heaven and others for hell…this is simply not the meaning of this verse. God wants believers to take heart (be encouraged, strengthened, live in His hope), that God has assured the believer’s salvation.

God knows the sufferings we go through, as believers, daily. He knew that those who would choose to surrender, those that would respond to the message of the Gospel, respond to Jesus Christ, would suffer. No thing you encounter, no suffering or hard thing, no battle with your mind, your sinful nature, no attack of the enemy on your image, value, worth and identity; nothing surprises Him, shocks Him; He is aware of every single moment in your life, those that have happened, are happening and will happen. This makes Him present in every circumstance in your life, even the ones you haven’t encountered yet. And if God is present in every circumstance, take courage that He stands ready to see you through it, to provide a way out, to provide you with an anchor to hold you fast to Himself…and the outcome He desires for you is to…

”…be conformed to the image of His Son.”

Conformed

Means the very same form or likeness as Christ. Our nature, our being, our person—shall be made just like Christ As He is perfect and eternal—without disease and pain—so shall we be perfected just like Him We shall be transformed in His very likeness Likeness

Means a derived or a given image

The image/likeness of Christ is not something we merit or work for His image/likeness does not come from our nature or character No one can produce or earn the perfection and eternal life possessed by Christ This is a gift of God To be conformed to the likeness of Christ means:

To become a participant in the divine nature (EMPHASIZE DIVINE) To be adopted as a son of God To be holy and blameless in His sight (Colossians 3:1-4) To be changed (transformed) into the same likeness of the Lord What assures the believer’s deliverance from struggling and suffering

The foreknowledge of God (used three ways in Scripture)

To know something beforehand, ahead of time To know something intimately by loving, accepting, and approving it To elect and predetermine something The predestination of God

Predestination: means to destine or appoint before; to mark off or set off the boundaries of something.

Picture of what God is doing for the believer The boundary of being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ

We will suffer, we will trip and fall, we will be pruned and grown, we will experience victory and learn and grow from times of sin and missteps; we will experience the sanctification (setting apart) of our lives from this world and towards Christ. But His purpose, which He established before all was created was to conform those who would profess Jesus Christ, the genuine child of God, is that we will NOT BE DEFEATED, NO TOTALLY. Our suffering is but for a short time; we will arise and follow Christ again. God will not allow Christ to be disappointed by losing a believer. True and genuine believers will be conformed into His Son’s image. God will see to it that it happens.

So whatever you are enduring, whatever struggle you are being weighed down by, whatever you are walking through…it has a purpose, and an aim. And as soon as you see this as God sees it, the more you will rely, depend, trust, and deepen your commitment to trust Him

(v.30) Third Assurance of Deliverance: God has set the glorification of the believer, once-for-all.

The whole of Romans 8 deals with the genuine believer. A person who sincerely believes in and diligently follows Jesus Christ, not who falsely and deceitfully claims to believe in Christ with no desire for obedience.

To those who sincerely believe and diligently follow, their glorification is predestined and set forever and ever by God. They, who truly surrender, are seen as glorified; they are called, justified, and glorified in His eyes (past tense—not something that is future or may happen, rather something God sees as something already accomplished already seeing them in glory with Him This is truth a true believer can rest in, b/c if God already sees you as called, justified and glorified, you are assured and already written down in the Book of Life, never to be erased. This is what is predestined—that b/c of Jesus Christ and your professing and faith in Him, you will be delivered from struggling and suffering—you will be ultimately freed. This is what He set His mind to do from before creation—-He does not pick and choose—He assures and solidifies His promise to those who believe.

He has called the believer (past tense)

The Holy Spirit stirs the hearts of those who don’t believe, to come to Christ and the believer responded

Revelation 22:17-“Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let hi who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him TAKE the water of life freely” He has justified the believer (past tense)

If you’ve truly been called, if your salvation is genuine, then your delivery from struggling and suffering is assured; note what this means:

No matter how deeply you experience shortcomings and failures No matter your struggle with the sin and suffering of this world….

You are a child of God….

Every time you come short or stumble and fall (and you will), you can get up and begin again There’s no need to become discouraged and defeated; self-accusing and incriminating; feel unworthy and undeserving, unwanted and rejected (this stated of mind is one of the most used and successful strategies of the devil—a tactic in which he uses to defeat believers by the multitudes). God has CALLED the believer, so you must arise and begin to diligently follow after Christ once again Every believer who is walking around defeated—no matter how great the fall—should rise right now and turn back to Christ…it is our duty and our call

(Paul Tripp). “When Jesus died, all of our sins were future sins. That means Christ gave His life up for us knowing full well that we would still fail and sin. If Jesus covered our failure, we don’t need to worry about hiding it. When we come clean about who we are and where we struggle, we will have a better chance of reaching out for help.”

We also struggle in believing/knowing that He also died for the here and now.

He has glorified the believer (past tense)

In God’s mind, the believer’s glorification has already taken place and He sees you and counts you as glorified in His presence for eternity: What is the glory of the believer?

Glory of righteousness that Christ gives to the believer by faith Glory of the cross that gives both forgiveness of sins and the privilege of serving God Himself Glory of the resurrection that gives the believer a new life in Christ Glory of living eternally in the presence of God and being exalted to serve Him

These things God sees as already taking place in the believer: What encouragement and strength; what boldness and freedom exists here; what a place of awe and wonder

(v.31-33) Fourth Assurance of Deliverance: God has acted for the believer—not against him (THE GREATEST TRUTH IN ALL THE WORLD)

*God did not have to act for man (for you or for me)…but He did

*God loves every man, no matter his condition or sin, shame or despari;;(some of you in here need to realize and grasp this…stop living in lie of the enemy that He can’t or won’t love you, that He won’t save or help you

As a believer in Jesus Christ…nothing, no thing can ever separate you from the plan and purpose of God

*God’s love is absolute. It is perfect. And it will be expressed by completing His perfect plan and purpose for each life…each believer. He’s accounted for your slips, falls, shortcomings…and He’s set aside and promised grace and deliverance for those…yet you, the believer have to choose to live, operate, believe, trust, obey, and pursue it.

*The believer can have 100% absolute assurance that God will work all things for his good…who’s good…the believer’s good.

WOO! No matter what you are dealing with as a believer, you can know that God has conquered all your enemies and He will/has/is prevailing over every struggle/hardship/weapon of the enemy, so you are conformed into the image of His Son. He will work out good for those who LOVE Him, for those who will surrender their lives to Him.

Things that are hard, times we fail, moments of pain, God will deliver you the believer from the struggling and suffering of this world.

“If God is for us (you), who can be against us (you)?”

God is our Savior

It was God who, “did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all.”

“did not spare”—means that God did not hold back or refrain from giving His Son (no second thoughts, no regrets, no guilt trips, no hesitation. God weighed your eternal separation from Him against the sacrifice of His Son and He didn’t blink, He didn’t question, He didn’t barter or try and find a different way. His choice was obvious and He made it without an iota of doubt or second-thought. He loves you too much to see you separated from Him..so He deliberately made a choice to sacrifice His Son..He knew exactly what He was doing

God does not want/desire one person, one person He created to be separated from Him…in His sovereignty He knows there will be those who will reject Him, live “fake-it-to-you-make-it…but that didn’t stop Him from sending Christ, His Son to the cross

And He didn’t wait until we cleaned ourselves up…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!!

WHAT A WONDERFUL LOVE!

God is our Provider

In giving us His Son—the greatest gift in all the world—how can He not be bound to give us everything else. Nothing could ever cost God anything close to the price He has paid in sending Jesus to the cross…therefore He shall give us everything else…(three things)

Spiritual-eternal-material gift Freely given Comes through Christ and Christ alone God is our Justifier

God does not charge the believer with sin. God does not being any charge against the believer

He forgives us He counts us righteous in Christ Jesus We belong to God, no one else can bring a charge against us

(v.34) Fifth Assurance of Deliverance: Christ does not condemn the believer

“Who is he that condemns?” Only Christ can condemn us for sin. But the glorious truth is that Christ does NOT condemn us…it’s the very opposite (four things)

Christ died for us

Our sins are a shame; they are rebellion against God Sin(s) act against God; Sin goes against all that God stands for and is Sin is insurrection against God—treason—the most terrible act that can be done against God

All of this deserves our condemnation…but we do not have to face it. The penalty, the wage, the cost, HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR YOU! The execution of the judgment of sin has already taken place and it took place on the cross, on the shoulders of Jesus Christ, with the nail-scarred hands and feet, with the whipping and flogging, the torture and torment, Jesus Christ bore what you and I should have and ought to.

This is the glorious love of God, of Jesus Christ. He died FOR US. He loves us, He forgives our insurrection, our rebellion, our treason…our sin.

But the reality is, the freedom of sin and its wages comes only to the beliver—the heart who surrenders all of who they are to all of who He is.

Christ has risen from the dead for us (two things for us)

The resurrection proves that God was perfectly satisfied with the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was acceptable to God to cleanse and redeem us of our sins The resurrection of the Lord gives the believer a new life…we are a new creation…a new person Christ has been exalted for us

We too shall be exalted into the presence of God, we will also live face to face with God for eternity Christ intercedes for us before the throne of God

Christ Jesus brings us to God as His treasure and His redeemed. Christ Jesus makes redemption and forgiveness of sins possible

He is our advocate—who fought the ultimate fight for us—and won, defeating death and sin forever He is our intercessor—His death interceded for us…blocked and prevented death of the believer His death and resurrection opens the door of heaven to us (v.35-37) Sixth Assurance of Deliverance: Christ protects the believer from the severest circumstances

“Who (or what) shall separate us from the love of Christ?”

So many people, even believers feel that God does not love them, that He could not love them. They feel unworthy of His love, for they come short—are too disobedient—and fail too much. Listen to the verse again—“Who (or what) shall separate us from God?” This is not a question that has a list—it’s a rhetorical question, promising and assuring us that..

No trouble—to undergo struggle, trials, and temptations, sufferings, and affliction. Hardship—to suffer anguish, trouble, strain, agony, not knowing which way to turn or go or what to do Persecution—to be abused, mocked, ridiculed, shamed, mistreated, ignored, neglected, harassed, attacked Famine—to have no food, to be starving and have way to secure food Nakedness—to be stripped of all clothing and earthly comforts, to be bare, to have nothing Danger—to be exposed to the most severe risks, to be confront with terrible dangers to one’s body, mind, etc. Sword—to be killed—suffer martyrdom

Imagine someone experience all of some of these things. What would their thoughts be, what would your thoughts be? Would they feel forsaken, that God didn’t love them?

The Bible teaches and promises that God does love them (love you). There is ABSOLUTELY nothing that can separate the believer from the love of Jesus Christ. Circumstances are not evidence that God does not love us. He loves us regardless of any circumstance, and He

*Gives us rest

*Provides escape from temptation

*Comforts us through trials

*Supplies all our needs

*Delivers us through persecution

*Delivers us into His presence, giving us eternal life

*Cares for us no matter what

*Enables us to overcome

*Strengthens those whose hearts are fully committed to Him

*Sustains and supports the believer

(v.38-39) Seventh Assurance of Deliverance: Christ protects believers from the most extreme experiences and forces

Nothing in the universe can separate the believer from the love of God

Not death: confronting death does not separate (it’s how we meet Him) Not life: No trial or pleasure or comfort of life, not any person Not angels, nor demons Not the present or future Not height, nor depth

“if there be any other creature than the ones named, that creature cannot separate us from the “love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

“God has promised you something. He has promised to do whatever it takes to conform you into the image of Christ. There are times we will walk through and have to deal with awful things, and sometimes you won’t understand the reason God is permitting you to walk through it until you’ve walked it. Yet know this. God is committed to shaping you into the image of Jesus, and that’s for your good. He hasn’t forgotten you and He hasn’t forsaken you.”

All of these promises are assured for the believer alone. It’s not a promise for those who refuse Him, reject Him, or assume Him

Some of you may be feeling stirred to come forward, but are afraid of what you peers say, won’t say, what your g/f or b/f might think, or what it might look like..

LISTEN TO ME: YOUR SALVATION ISN’T DEPENDENT UPON WHAT YOUR FRIENDS THINK OR MIGHT SAY. YOUR SALVATION, YOUR HEART ISN’T IN THEIR HANDS

You cannot expect the favor and working of all things to good, of God, if you refuse commitment to Him