Romans 8:18-39 3 Weeks of Bible Study

ROMANS 8 A & D  HOPE
Introduction:   
Romans 8 is a very beautiful, a very powerful passage of Scripture.
There are some very familiar Scriptures in this chapter. 
We are going to look at verses 1-17 on Sunday am and pm
We are going to talk about verses 18 to the end of the chapter tonight and next Wed.
Thomas Schreiner breaks the rest of the chapter into 4 sections and builds them around the word hope in his commentary.
Hope of a new creation
Hope in prayer
Hope of glorification
Hope in suffering
Hope
Dictionary:  The feeling that what is wanted can be had.   to give up hope.
Paul explains hope in vs. 24-25
Hope looks for what we do not have yet. 
He says that hope is not in what we already see or have in our hand. 
Hope certainly takes patience. 
Paul describes hope in our first area of study but it can be applied to the others that we will talk about in this chapter. 

I.    Hope of a new creation

A.    Present suffering and future glory
Suffering is very much a reality of life.
It is a sad, challenging reality.
We do not like the pain that comes with the sufferings.
But suffering precedes glory.
Earlier in Romans we talked about tribulation generating patience, and patience generating endurance, and endurance generating hope in the glory of God being revealed.
Without the cross there would be no crown. 
Paul says the future glory to be revealed in us far exceeds the present suffering.
Paul is talking about the glory of God.
He is certainly relaying that this glory will be revealed in us.
Hold on through the suffering because the end result is amazing. 

B.    Creation waits
Vs 19
Creation is waiting for us the children of God to be revealed.
Waiting for this corruption to put on incorruption and this mortal to put on immortality. 
Why is creation waiting for this to take place?
Because creation was subjected to frustration.
Creation was drastically impacted by the fall of man.
Genesis 3:16-19
The struggles of creation, the thorns and thistles are all a result of our fall. 
Just let that sink in.
Our sin has caused the pains of creation. 
The bondage to decay is our fault.

C.    Creation groans
Creation wants this new change to happen. 
Creation is feeling like it is in pain about to give birth to a child. 
Creation wants this new day to come. 
We are groaning for this change to take place in us and this adoption to be completed.

II.    Hope in prayer

A.    The Spirit’s aid in our weakness.
The weakness referenced here is prayer.
Many times we do not know how to pray.
We do not know what to pray for.

B.    The Spirit’s groaning
The Spirit helps us to pray.
He knows the mind of God.
He knows exactly how to pray  for us.

ROMANS 8 A & D  2

Introduction:
We are filled with hope because the Spirit prays for us.
He prays according to the will of God.
The Spirit always gets a positive answer to His prayers.
The next several verses show us that the Spirit’s goal is that we, believers, conform to the image of Christ ultimately resulting in glorification. 
This is possible because God works all things together for the good….
This begins with the foreknowledge of God and ends with glorification.
     Let’s look at this and our 2nd area of hope tonight.

III.    Hope of glorification,  vs. 28-30
Note the transition from Spirit to God in vs. 28

A.       All things work together….
Paul begins verse 28 with “And we know”.
This is great knowledge that we are about to learn.
All Things
It is great to know that God has everything under control.
The good and the bad.
The trials and the tests.
God works for good.
They will all somehow contribute to the good.
They teach us that we are weak.
They teach us to lean on the Lord for support.
They point us to the ultimate good.
Those who love Him.
Paul is using this phrase to refer to believers.
Believers love Jesus or they would not be believers.
Those who have been called according to His purpose.
This phrase begins the transition to vs. 29. 
Whosoever will may come.  We will read that in chapter 10.
God has invited us all to Him.
The called here appears to reference those who have accepted the call and have come to Christ.
God has a plan for everyone that has accepted Him. 
God’s plan guarantees the good to those whom God has chosen. 
We often reference vs. 28 as a stand alone verse.
But I believe that it is connected to next several verses. 

B.    The golden chain
One commentator calls the next 2 verses the golden chain that charts the course from God’s foreknowledge of believers to their glorification.
Foreknowledge
To know before hand.
To be acquainted with future events.
God sees the whole picture from beginning to end.
He knows the future. 
Predestination
To determine before hand.
Ephesians 1:5
God determined before hand that we would be conformed to his image.
Christ is the firstborn setting the example for us.
We can look to Him as the example of what is yet to come.
This can be a very controversial subject.  Explain
Called
He called those whom He predestined.
It was not a phone call but a call of the heart.
It was a calling to a relationship with Jesus.
Justified
This relationship with Jesus results in our justification.
The easiest way to understand justification is in God’s eyes it is just as if I’d never sinned.
Paul told us earlier in Romans that we are justified by faith.
Glorified 
This is a reference to eternity, to heaven.
The result of our justification is eternal life in the presence of the Lord forever. 
Everything in life works together to bring us from outside the fold to a relationship with Jesus and eternity awaits in the end. 
The challenges that we face are not obstacles but steps, the means to the glorious end that awaits. 

Recap our hope in chapter 8


IV.    Hope in suffering,  vs. 31-39
This passage climaxes this section of Romans from 5:1 to here.

Read 5:1-5
This section of Romans on hope begins in chapter 5.
Verse 4,  suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character hope.
Vs. 5  Hope does not disappoint.   Why?  Because God has poured out his love into our hearts. 
Here in Romans 8:39 we read that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  
Our passage tonight would reference all of the above and concludes with nothing can separate us from the love of God. 
So both passages feature the confidence that comes from the hope of believers.
Friends, we need to understand that the hope that has been building can not be shaken.   

A.    If God is for us who can be against us.
What shall we say then….
What is the conclusion that we can come up with? 
That if God is for us than who can be against us. 
God is on our side. 
Who can defeat us?
Who can destroy us?
Psalms 118:6,7  The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7. The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
God gave us the greatest gift in His Son.
“He who did not spare….
God gave his best for us.
He did not even spare his own son.
Because we have his son in our heart God will grant his best to us.
Once you have done the hardest thing there ever is to do it is easier to do other things.
We have the assurance that God with Christ will give us all that we need. 
Connecting verse 28-32
Since God works all things for the good of believers everything given to them turns out to be a gift for our benefit.
We do not deny the pain and the challenge.
However the ultimate benefit is out of this world. 

B.    A closer look. 
No one will ever be able to bring a charge against us. 
Vs 33
God has chosen us.
God has justified us.
No one will be able to condemn us on judgment day.
Christ died,  He was raised to life, He is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
That means He will not condemn us but defend us.
1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Nothing will be able to successfully separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus.   vs. 35
Many obstacles and opponents will come our way.  vs. 35
As it is written….  This is a quote from Psalms 44:22.  Christians have experienced adversities down through the generations.   The believer lives in a hostile world. 
But we are more than conquerors. 
The hostilities of this life can not take away what we have in our Father though His Son our Savior Jesus Christ. 
Vs. 38,39 

Conclusion:   
If we fail it is our choice to fail.
No external force of adversity can pull us away.
The Divine love and grace will do its part to keep us.
We have the choice to remain or not remain in Christ.
I hold on to that precious 4 letter word,  HOPE. 
I pray that believe that you are doing the same.