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Structure of Romans 8
Life in the spirit 1-17
No
condemnation for those
who are in Christ. 1-5
Looking forward to
the glory that is to come.
18- 39
Groan 1. Creation
groans for the glory to come 18-23
Groan 2.
The hope groan 24-25
a complete salvation 28-30
Faith is safe 31-39
The
connecting phrases are
if
indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the
glory that will be revealed in us.
We
need to understand that life in the Spirit is not a cop-out for the toughness
of life. In fact, you need look no further than the life of Jesus to understand
that being a Christian means added suffering.
Last
week we were taught that the life in the Spirit involves Protection, Power,
Perspective and Priorities. Remember that you were told to be “Deliciously
Different”. But that will inevitably mean you will be hated by those who reject
Jesus. They hated your master, they will hate the sons of the Father. But
instead of sleeping with the enemy, compromising on truth, imitating the world,
believing the adverts we need to look for the glory. Hang on , haven’t I heard
that word before?
Romans 3:23-24 There is no difference, for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
The
glory of God is all to do with his love, justice, peace and joy. Heaven is
described as full of light because it is full of holiness. It is described as
having a river of life, trees for the healing of the nations, full of saints
who are there because of the sacrifice of the Lamb. People who have passed
through the great tribulation. Their joy is to praise and worship Jesus. Anyway
where was I?
The
creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. What has creation got to do
with our salvation? Isn’t the universe a vast mechanistic creation and
spiritual things something else?
NO!
The
Mechanistic universe:
The Universe and two chairs
The Semaphore message
I ought to warn you that I wrote this on the way to Newcastle by train. So if you know the East coast line you can tell where we are in the sermon! We have left Kings Cross and Stevenage and heading towards Peterborough.
A real world view
We live in God’s world. He created it.
His purpose was that he might express himself. The Bible describes this as the
righteousness of God. And we have discovered that his purpose was to be the
Saviour of his people. To redeem them by his great love. So throughout the
Bible we find case after case of God saving people.
·
Noah
and family from the flood.
·
Isaac
from the sacrifice,
·
Moses
and the children of Israel from Egypt
And
not just the good guys either.
·
Rahab
the prostitute is saved from Jericho
·
Balaam
is saved from an angel by his ass.
·
Lot
is saved from Sodom
·
And
so on….
So
here in Romans we see the key unlocked. God is looking for a people who respond
to his saving grace by faith.
So….
Salvation is central to creation. The vast cosmos to the smallest genome fits
into God’s purpose. SO whatever else you may think about earthquake and other
natural disasters, they fit into God’s plan. SO they fit into Paul’s concept.
The whole creation is one vast single creation looking forward to the
consummation when God’s people are translated into glory. So Paul uses a simile
of child birth. Expectant mums know all about earthquakes and disturbances as
they await the coming birth. And they greet each kick or movement with a
mixture of fear and joy. SO it should be with us. Each evidence of the coming
destruction of the earth should be greeted with natural fear but also joy. This
world is not my home, it’s a launch pad for a glorious eternal future.
So
says Paul we also groan, looking forward to our hope.
Christians groan 1. in hope of
adoption as Sons
And redemption of our bodies
Paul
talks about us groaning in two ways: first in hope; second in prayer.
Tell
me, what makes someone groan?
Pain,
intensity, desire
SO
our hope and our prayer spring, not from our ease and our pleasure, but from
our pain and desire.
This
is not a worked up experience. I have
no truck with engineered emotional intensity. Paul is not suggesting it here.
He is saying that hope and prayer both spring from a deep desire to know God.
So, feeling spiritually flat? Go and
ask for pain!
Not sure of your faith? Talk to an
atheist!
The
key to this passage is the Holy Spirit. It interests me when people talk about
spirituality. I have listened to people say they felt far from God and God
spoke to them! Think about it. I think this passage suggests that when you
haven’t the words to express what yiou think, the Holy Spirit is at work!
Forget the well-expressed prayer that
we impress each other with. Be a groan! Come to Powerhouse not to sound good
but to stumble through some words and get mixed up and dry up. That’s what God
wants!
Peterborough.
And the same at home in the time you
spend with God. Its not the form of words that matter. It is the groans that
the Holy Spirit works with.
So sit down, stand up, lie down or
whatever and get into what you really care about. Mind you, you may discover
the main problem with you is that you are totally selfish and spend the whole
time taling about yourself. Never mind. Prayer is not about impressing God,
prayer is about conversing with God. So listen to him, open your Bible
expecting God to talk to you about your selfishness. Or maybe it is lust that’s
your problem. Well talk to God about your fantasies. You will not get much
sympathy but you will get love, rebuke, correction and training in
righteousness as you read God’s word to you.
James talks about this in James
4:1-3
1 What
causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that
battle within you? 2 You want something
but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You
quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you
ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend
what you get on your pleasures. (NIV)
Therefore,
when you pray, ask God to search your heart. Let him deal with you.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because
the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
This verse is a couplet –
the same basic thought repeated. - he
who searches our hearts intercedes for the saints
And he who knows the mind of the
Spirit intercedes in accordance with God's will.
The Holy Spirit
intercedes with God about our innermost thoughts. He also knows the will of God
– that is His mind.
The world is
full of cheap imitations – Transcendental meditation, ritual prayer, and the
like. But prayer is a life-long adventure. It takes time to cultivate a
relationship. So take time to cultivate your friendship with God.
Retford.
No, don’t feel
bad because you always get interrupted by the children when you sit down for
your Quiet Time. That depressed sigh when you get up is interpreted by the Holy
Spirit.
Anyway, still
find time. Don’t expect words to flow. Let the things that are on your mind
surface. Tell God about them. But also have a Bible open – use some
Bible-reading scheme but don’t just read the bit and its notes, leave it opoen
as you twitter on to God and let today’s reading speak to today’s problems.
O.K. quite often I can’t spot the connection either. But remember the Holy
Spirit is working through the whole event. He knows your heart and God’s will.
If you let him, he will bring you and God together. Your heart and God’s will
come to the same thought and plan. It is at this point your prayers are
answered!
Paul moves on to one of those
favourite Bible verses.
28
And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
I’m sure Paul
didn’t even notice what he said when dictating it. He was moving to the climax
of his gospel. And he is excited about it.
But it
summarises the previous verses. In all this creation, your understanding of the
gospel hope, your inability to pray well God is working for good. Your
shambolic prayer life is no accident, its part of his plan. A plan for
righteousness, a plan for good and not ill.
So Paul develops this. Your
prayer time, your hope life is known about right from the beginning of time
itself. And what God knew about he planned or predestined. And he planned for
you to be saved. Here Paul describes salvation as being conformed to the image
of His Son. All that prayer time, the pain the groans and the hope is part of God’s
plan to make you Christ-like. That is what God considers good.
Doncaster
Station.
But Paul has
warmed to his theme. Its not the struggles that absorb him it is the glory of
the gospel. God the creator is at work. He planned for your salvation in detail.
He called you; he made you right before himself – justified and you will make
it to glory. Is that what it says? No! Gad also glorified. PAST TENSE! Remember
that God’s will is to bring about salvation and he will do it! SO first it is
as good as happened. You are as good as in heaven now . To quote Toplady from
the 18th Century
Yes, I to the end shall endure,
As sure as the earnest is given;
More happy, but not more secure,
The glorified spirits in heaven.
Secondly you
are glorified now. You may not feel it but you are the new creation, you are
living an eternal life. You have peace with God, no condemnation because you
are in Christ; when God looks at you he sees righteousness. Not yours but
Jesus’.
York
Now Paul is
getting into gear.
What, then, shall we say
in response to this?
He
is talking about the whole eight chapters of Romans so far. Notice how he
reiterates some of the key points.
1.
God
is for us
2.
God
makes us righteous – the judge justifies us.
3.
God
does not condemn those in Christ.
4.
Jesus
prays for us.
Put
that altogether you get
An
inseperable and unconquerable love.
The
circumstances may be tough but hope transports us to see life completely
differently. Verses 35 – 39 are an example of the hope groan, mentioned in
verses 23-24.
DARLINGTON , STILL ½ HOUR SHORT OF NEWCASTLE.
And
we still have a long way to go in our Christian lives. Even in Romans we have
only reached the halfway point.
But
what have we gained?
Our
world is not a cosmic disaster, it is created so that God may express himself in
granting salvation by faith in His Son, Jesus. That we have a hope which is
sure. That our prayer life is not one of words
but that the Holy Spirit works listens to our groans and interprets them
and, if we let him, brings them together with God’s will and purpose so we
become like Jesus. Learn the verses and repeat them. They are better than any
Mantra. The are words of eternal life. Enjoy God today!