Powerhouse of Encouragement
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Rudy Clip set up
Rudy’s dad was a minor and they always watched Notre Dame football together. Rudy struggled in High school because he was dyslexic. He served 2 years in the military out of High school then went to college in order to get his grades up so he could get into Notre Dame. He did this. He walked onto the football team and had a goal to play in one game. The last game of his senior year this is what happened.
(Play clip)
The Call
The Call
29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
Those He foreknew He also predestined
As with Israel in the Old Testament, Paul understands that those who have been brought into fellowship with God through His Son that God foreknows them. He does not dive into detail about what this looks like neither here or anywhere else.
Paul concentrates on that which God has planned and purposed for those he foreknew.
To be conformed to the image of His Son
To be shaped into the pattern or model of Jesus (Philippians 2)
To be genuinely human (Live life as we are created to be)
To be as much like Jesus as we can possibly be
To be Jesus in suffering as Jesus suffered for us and conquered sin and death
Firstborn among many brothers
So much hope because of Jesus and we have hope when we join the family as younger brothers and sisters of Jesus the truly human one!
30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
Predestined: marked out in advance
This is not describing an elite club that closes itself off from the broken and hurting world. This is not consistent with scripture.
Called: conversion or called out for a task.
This is the moment Paul on the road to Damascus was changed. His world was turned upside down and inside out for the name of Jesus.
God is calling people to be apart of God’s rescue plan for the whole world.
Those he called he justified them and those he justified he also glorified
Glorified
The tense of this word is unique. We often think of glorification as future only. Meaning when we get to New Heaven and New Earth we will get glorification then and only then. This verb tense makes us realize that it is now and future.
Glorification means sharing the royal priesthood of the Messiah - enabling us to be “true/genuine humans,” being conformed to the image of the Son.
View of God in Suffering
View of God in Suffering
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?
This continues the chant so to speak. 8 chapters leading up to this point in Chapter 8 and he says If God is for us, who is against us.
How is God for us?
He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all;
The present world is groaning and we at times experience suffering but in all this God did not even spare His own Son. This is the Abraham image of the Old Testament of Abraham offering Isaac on the alter but the Lord provided another sacrifice.
God the Father spares nothing in saving you. God did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all.
I love love love this. In our suffering, what was God’s risk for you? He did not even spare His own Son but he offered Him up for us all.
In our suffering, will He not also with Him grant us everything
If God the Father is willing to give up His Son will he not also grant us everything.
No Condemnation
No Condemnation
33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies.
34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Satan stands as the accuser of God’s people. He hurls charges out against us. Satan’s accusations will be thrown out!
why
God is the one who justifies. God cleans the slate. He cleanses us and cast our sins as far as the east is from the west and He remembers them no more through the blood shed of Jesus.
Who is the one who condemns?
This points us back to verse 1 of chapter 8
1 Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus,
So verse 34 ask the question that was stated in verse 1.
34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Christ Jesus died, He has been raised and He is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
8 The One who vindicates Me is near; who will contend with Me? Let us confront each other. Who has a case against Me? Let him come near Me!
9 In truth, the Lord God will help Me; who will condemn Me? Indeed, all of them will wear out like a garment; a moth will devour them.
A good Old Testament illustration is the silence of Satan, chief prosecutor in the heavenly court, when God declares his acceptance of Joshua the high priest (Zech. 3:1–5).
F. F. Bruce, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 179.
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.
2 The Lord said to Satan: “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the Angel.
4 So the Angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before Him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then He said to him, “See, I have removed your guilt from you, and I will clothe you with splendid robes.”
5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in garments while the Angel of the Lord was standing nearby.
Romans: An Introduction and Commentary 3. The Triumph of Faith (8:31–39)
But one day, as I was passing in the field, and that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, ‘Thy righteousness is in heaven’; and methought withal, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, is my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was a-doing, God could not say of me, ‘He wants my righteousness’, for that was just before him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.
Jesus is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of the Father and there is now NO Condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
No Separation
No Separation
35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
The love of Christ is present in affliction, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword. The Love of Christ is present in all these things and these things don’t cause separation for us. Christ loves us through these sufferings.
Verse 36 quotes Psalm 44 and it the culmination of the Old Testament and the accusations from the accuser towards us who believe. It has this idea of suffering, darkness as a part of our journey into healing and light.
Psalm 22, 69 and 88.
Victory
Victory
37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers,
39 height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
In the midst of suffering or the references to the verses before we are not stuck in the suffering. We are more than victorious through Him who loved us.
The suffering will never conquer us.
Jonathan Chambers said it this way this week
“The story isn’t about our suffering. The story is that we are saved despite our suffering”
WE are more than victorious through Him who loved us.
v.38-39
We are inseparable from Jesus. NOTHING can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Summarize this amazing chapter
The image of the courtroom
Judge Jesus
Accuser: Satan beating down persecution
Chants slowly start to rise
Judge steps down and intercedes on behalf of the accuser
What does suffering and ruling and reigning as Royal Priest look like
Christ suffered on our behalf and interceded for us. So part of our role as royal priest is to suffer for the sake of others and intercede on their behalf
Romans 12/Bible Project insight: we are not only the priests, but we are also the sacrifice. Laying down our rights and our privileges for the sake of others in their suffering.
It’s the upside down Kingdom. When we say we rule and reign as Royal Priest we are saying that we lay down our lives for the sake of others. We like to think of ruling and reigning as conquering but the conquering happens the more we model what Christ has done for us.