Calvary
Chapel Bible College
March
10, 2021
Homework
Theological Vocabulary Test
Will be available starting today – under “tests”.
Write a brief paragraph defining each of the following: Righteous, Impute,
Grace, Justify, Sanctify
How would you explain these words to a kid in Jr. High? I don’t want fancy
language.
Did you do your reading? (CSB)
Did you memorize your verse? Can you recite it for me? (Romans 8:32)
(Romans 8:32 NKJV) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Introduction
The letter of Paul to the Romans is considered Paul’s most important
letter. This is why it is placed in front of all his others
writings.
When and Where
The year is around AD 57 or 58
In your Bible, we’d place the writing of this letter around Acts 20:2 –
that’s about when Paul wrote to the Romans from the city of Corinth.
Paul had been in Ephesus for three years, yet when persecution arose, he
makes his way up to Macedonia, writes 2Corinthians at Philippi, and then heads
south to Corinth where he writes his letter to Rome.
What it’s about
The first five chapters dealt with justification, how a person is
made right with God.
The next three chapters will deal with sanctification, the process
where we grow to be more like Jesus.
The next three chapters will unpack the differences between the Jew and
Gentile, and God’s plan for His people.
In the last five chapters, Paul will launch into personal, practical
matters – how do we live as Christians? What does the Christian life look like?
How do we get along with one another?
In building his case for justification, Paul started by showing that
The Gentiles were guilty of sin (ch.1)
The Jews were also guilty (ch.2)
God provided Jesus to pay for our sins (ch.3)
Paul showed that faith like Abraham is all that’s needed for salvation
(ch.4)
Paul showed that it’s reasonable for one person (Jesus) to affect all
mankind, like Adam (ch.5)
Last time we move into Paul’s next section: Sanctification
Chapter 6 talked about the connection between baptism, and the reality that
we’ve been buried and raised from the dead, and sin no longer has an
unbreakable hold on us.
Chapter 7 was about our continuing struggle of living with the flesh.
It ended with Paul’s painful cry that we’ve all felt:
(Romans 7:24–25
NKJV) —24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of
death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Today we start the life of the
Spirit.
8:1-8 Spirit vs. Flesh
:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation
condemnation – katakrima (“against”
+ “judge”) – damnatory sentence, condemnation
“No condemnation” is what we call “forgiveness”.
There is a qualification of who has forgiveness…
:1 to those who are in Christ Jesus
This is what happened when we put our trust in Jesus, we were “immersed” in
Him, we are now “in Him”.
This is part of the imagery of baptism.
The word “baptism” means “immersion”, being soaked, being covered. Baptism is all about identifying with Jesus,
being “immersed” in Him. This is what
Paul was talking about back in Romans 6:
(Romans 6:3 NKJV) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
When I’m “in Jesus”, I in effect go everywhere and do everything that Jesus
does, or has done.
Illustration
When I’m “in my car”, I go everywhere my car
goes. If my car goes to McDonald’s, so
do I, if I’m in it. If my car goes
through the car wash, and I stay in my car, then I go through the car wash.
If I’m “in Christ”, then I participate in the benefits of who Jesus is and
what He offers me.
When Jesus died and paid the price for sins, my sins were paid. When Jesus rose from the dead and conquered
death, I conquered death.
Illustration
Abraham Lincoln was walking into town one day when he was overtaken by a
man in a wagon going in the same direction.
Lincoln hailed him and asked, “Will you have the goodness to take my
overcoat to town for me?”
“With pleasure,” responded the stranger, “but how will you get it again?”
“Oh, very easily; I intend to remain in it!”
If you have trusted in Jesus, then what Jesus did on the cross He did for
you.
(2
Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
God performed a “great exchange” on the cross. He took my sins and put them on Jesus. He took Jesus’ good deeds and put them on me.
Lesson
No Condemnation
Jesus has come to free us from condemnation. He has come to bring God’s forgiveness.
Here’s a clip from the movie “The Gospel of John”, the story of Jesus and
the Adulterous Woman of John 8 –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGRhO5SiIqg
(John 8:1–11 NKJV)
—1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in
the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and
He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees
brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the
midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in
the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us
that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they
said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse
Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as
though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him,
He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let
him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote
on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it,
being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with
the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and
saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman,
where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said,
“No one, Lord.” And Jesus
said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Illustration
Lee Strobel shares this account:
We were doing a baptism service. We told people before they came up to the
platform to be baptized to take a piece of paper, write down a few of the sins
they’ve committed, and fold the paper. When they come
up to the platform, there was a large wooden cross on the stage. Take that
piece of paper, take a pin, and pin it to the cross, because the Bible says our
sins are nailed to the cross with Jesus Christ, and fully paid for by his
death. Then turn and come to the pastor to be baptized.
I want to read you a letter a woman wrote who was baptized in one of those
services. She said:
I remember my fear. In fact, it was the most fear I remember in my life. I
wrote as tiny as I could on that piece of paper the word abortion. I was
so scared someone would open the paper and read it and find out it was me. I
wanted to get up and walk out of the auditorium during the service, the guilt
and fear were that strong.
When my turn came, I walked toward the cross, and I pinned the paper there.
I was directed to a pastor to be baptized. He looked me straight in the eyes,
and I thought for sure that he was going to read this terrible secret I kept
from everybody for so long. But instead, I felt like God was telling me, I
love you. It’s okay. You’ve been forgiven. I felt so much love for me, a
terrible sinner. It’s the first time I ever really felt forgiveness and
unconditional love. It was unbelievable, indescribable.
Do you have inside of you a secret sin that you wouldn’t even want to write
down on a piece of paper out of fear somebody might open it up and find out?
Let me tell you something about the Jesus I know. Not only does he want to
adopt you as his child, he wants to lift the weight of
guilt off your shoulders.
Lee
Strobel, "Meet the Jesus I Know," Preaching Today tape no. 211
:1 who do not walk according to the flesh
This part of the verse isn’t in all the ancient Greek manuscripts, so some
of your translations leave it out – which is a shame.
The same phrase is found in verse 4 though, so in all practicality, it
could just as easily be here as well.
walk – peripateo (“around”
+ “to tread”) – to walk; to make one’s way, progress
In Hebrew this concept is used to describe how people “live” or conduct themselves.
according to … – How do you live your life? What is your life aimed at right now?
the Spirit – pneuma –
Spirit, soul, human spirit or the Holy Spirit
In Romans 7, the focus was on “himself”, as it was also on his “will”. Paul used the word “I” 32 times. Like:
(Romans 7:15 NKJV) For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I
do.
(Rom 7:24 NKJV) O wretched man that I am! Who will
deliver me from this body of death?
In Romans 8, the focus changes.
The word pneuma appears 21 times
in Romans 8, all but one of them referring to the Holy Spirit. The word “I” only appears twice.
We’re going to see Paul’s frustration change.
Lesson
Spirit living removes condemnation
(keyword)
Here, I think the idea is that if you are currently walking according to
the Spirit, you are learning to experience a freedom
from condemnation.
I don’t mean being a “perfect” Christian, but one who is learning to live
close to the Lord.
You will still sin, but when you do, you will
bring it to the Lord and be cleansed.
Even as a Christian, when you are living your life aimed at the flesh, the
sin nature, then you are probably experiencing condemnation, not forgiveness.
It’s not that you don’t have God’s forgiveness, but that you aren’t
experiencing it.
You may be experiencing the conviction of the Holy Spirit,
reminding you that you are not right with the Lord.
We don’t “earn” forgiveness by cleaning up our life.
We find forgiveness simply by jumping into the river of cleansing that God
has for us through Jesus.
When I learn to yield my life to the Holy Spirit, I find
that river.
:2 For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
:2 law of the Spirit … the law of sin
Paul has been contrasting different kinds of “laws”.
Through the first 6 chapters of Romans, Paul has used the word “law” to
mostly talk about the “Law of Moses”.
(Romans 3:20 NKJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His
sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But through the last part of Romans 7, Paul has used the word “law” to
contrast a “law of God” at work in his mind versus a “law of sin” that is at
work in his body:
(Romans 7:22–23
NKJV) —22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Now he adds a “law of the Spirit.
This law has…
has made me free – eleutheroo –
to make free; set at liberty
; aorist tense
One law sets you free from the other law.
Illustration
The law of “sin and death” is kind of like the law of gravity. There’s not much you can do about it. What goes up must come down.
Except there is another law. The law
of aerodynamics is used by an airplane to overcome the force of the law of
gravity.
When I “walk” according to the “Spirit”, I find forgiveness (freedom from
condemnation) and I find victory over my flesh
(freedom from sin and death).
It’s all about making choices.
Which way do I choose to go? Where
do I walk?
:3 For what the law could
not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the
flesh,
:3 the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh
the law – Paul now goes back to the original idea of “the law”, the
Law of Moses.
could not do – adunatos –
without strength, powerless, weakly, disabled; unable to be done, impossible
This is the opposite of dunamai,
or dunamis, the word used to describe
the “power” of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)
weak – astheneo – to be
weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless
The Law is spiritual (Rom. 7:14), and when we are trying to obey it in the
power of our own flesh, we can never accomplish God’s standards.
:3 sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
in the likeness – homoioma
– a figure, image, likeness, representation.
Like the difference between a real person and a cardboard cutout. Who really got their picture taken with the
President?
Paul is saying that Jesus was a man, a human, with real flesh, but it
wasn’t complete in that He had no sin.
Just a likeness.
condemned – katakrino – to
give judgment against, to judge worthy of punishment; The verb form of
“condemnation” in verse 1.
Robertson: “He
condemned the sin of men and the condemnation took
place in the flesh of Jesus.”
God took care of our sin problem when He sent Jesus to take on human
flesh. While He was a human, He went to
a cross to die, where God heaped the sins of the world upon Him. Jesus died, paying the price for our sins.
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
:4 that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit.
:4 the righteous requirement …according to the Spirit
righteous requirement – dikaioma
– that which has been declared to be right
When a Greek word has the ending “-ma”, it indicates a “work” of the root
word. This is a “work of righteousness”
might be fulfilled – pleroo –
to make full, to fulfill, to cause God’s will to be obeyed as it should be
Two ways this applies to us:
Lesson
Jesus did it all for me
The law requires us to be perfect.
When a person is not perfect, they must pay the price.
If you don’t want to pay the price yourself, you present a “sacrifice”,
someone else pays for you.
Jesus meets all the requirements of being a perfect sacrifice for us.
When we are “in” Him, His blood is applied to our sins, and the requirement
of the Law is met.
Lesson
Spirit filling looks a lot like the
Law
When we’re walking in the Spirit, we will find the Holy Spirit shaping our
lives to look more and more like the things described
in the Law.
A legalistic person is one who looks at the Law and tries to make their
life match the Law.
A Spirit-filled person is one who looks at Jesus, allows the Holy Spirit to
work, and ends up doing things in the real spirit of the Law.
Both people might look the same on the outside – both
might not smoke, both might not drink, but how you get there makes all the
difference.
One is trying to clean up their life from the
outside. The other is allowing God to
work in the inside.
For example:
The legalist will live by:
(Exodus 20:13 NKJV) “You shall not murder.
The legalist looks at that and keeps his gun in his
holster. He might get angry with
people. He might curse and yell at
people. He might hate and carry grudges
against people, but he does his best not to kill them.
The Spirit led person lives by:
(Romans 13:8 NKJV) Owe no one anything except to love
one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The Spirit filled person isn’t going to allow the hatred
and bitterness in their heart. The
Spirit is producing “love” in them. They
are going to learn to love others.
Both persons are not going to kill.
But they get there by different routes.
The outside looks the same, but the inside is very
different.
:5 For those who live
according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who
live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
:5 set their minds on the things of the flesh
those who live – eimi – to
be, to exist, to happen, to be present
It’s not the usual word for “to live”.
We could say it’s talking about people who “exist” according to the
principles of the flesh or the Spirit.
set their minds – phroneo –
to feel, to think; to direct one’s mind to a thing; to be of one's party, side
with him (in public affairs)
The verb is present tense – continually setting their minds on…
The word can almost give you the impressions of political parties.
It seems our nation has become so politically divided over the last few
years that you almost don’t want to raise the issue of politics lest someone
“unfriend” you.
The idea here isn’t about Democrats and Republicans, it’s about the Spirit
and the flesh. Which “party” are you
voting with? When the Holy Spirit votes
a certain way on an issue of your life, if you are “minded” or of the same
party as He is, then you’ll vote the same way too.
The non-Christian doesn’t even have a choice – they have a mind that only
knows the “flesh”.
(1
Corinthians 2:14 NLT) But people who aren’t spiritual
can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and
they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
The Christian has a choice, they can “vote” for the Spirit or they can vote
for the flesh.
The sad thing is when the believer continually votes for the “flesh” in
their life.
:6 For to be carnally
minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
:6 to be spiritually minded is life and peace
minded – phronema – what
one has in the mind, the thoughts and purposes; based on phroneo in verse 5.
carnally … spiritually – the words for “flesh” and “spirit”, same as
in verse 5.
death – thanatos – the
death of the body; separation (like the soul from the body)
life – zoe – life; of the
absolute fullness of life; life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous
peace – eirene – not being
at war; peace between individuals; security
Lesson
My head affects my heart
Though words like “death” and “life” make us think of heaven and hell, they
also make me think of the kind of emotions I experience in my heart.
Where my head is at has something to do with what kind of emotions I
experience, whether I’m living under “death” or “life”.
You have a say as to what kind of state your heart and mind are in.
You can choose the misery of death or the blessing of life and peace.
The choice is based on whether you are choosing to have your mind camped
out in the flesh or in the Spirit.
(Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is
stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Illustration
John Ortberg writes, “FTT—my
wife first introduced me to those initials. Nancy was a nurse when I first met
her. There were many parts of nursing for which she did not care. But she loved
diagnosis. To this day there cannot be too many episodes of Grey's Anatomy
for her. (Oprah either, but that's another story.) She is constantly telling me
her private diagnoses of people—even total
strangers—based on their skin color. She can tell you how long you have to live if she gets a long look at your face and the
light is good.
But of all the diagnoses I ever heard her discuss, FTT is the one that
sticks in my mind. Those initials would go on the chart of an infant who, often
for unknown reasons, was unable to gain weight or grow.
Failure to thrive.
Sometimes, they guess, it happens when a parent or care-giver
is depressed, and the depression seems to get passed
down. Sometimes something seems to be off in an infant's metabolism for reasons
no one can understand, so FTT is one of those mysterious phrases that sounds like an explanation but explains nothing.
Failure to thrive.
I didn't know why it struck me as so unspeakably sad until I read Dallas
Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines, a book that has affected me
more than any book other than the Bible, from which Dallas actually
gets his best ideas.
Dallas writes that although we have tended to think of the word salvation
as the forgiveness of sins or the escape from punishment, it actually
has a much more robust meaning for the writers of Scripture: "the
simple and wholly adequate word for salvation in the New Testament is 'life.'
'I am come that they might have life and that they
might have it more abundantly.' 'He that hath the Son hath life.' 'Even when we
were dead through our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ.'
"
This is the human condition. FTT.
Thrive is a life word; a word full of shalom. Thriving is what life
was intended to do, like a flower stubbornly pushing through a crack in the sidewalk. It is why we pause in wonder at a human
being's first step, or first word; and why we ought to wonder at every step,
and every word. Thriving is what God saw when he made life and saw that it was
good. "Thrive" was the first command: be fruitful, and multiply.
John Ortberg, "Ministry
and FTT," LeadershipJournal.net (June 2008)
There is a sense in which part of our “thriving” comes from where we’re
sticking our head.
:7 Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor
indeed can be.
:7 the carnal mind is enmity against God
carnal mind – literally, “the mind of the flesh”
enmity – echthra – enmity;
from echthros – hated, odious,
hateful; hostile
There is a state of war between God and the flesh:
(Galatians
5:17 NLT) The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is
just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit
gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These
two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out
your good intentions.
(James 4:4 NLT) You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world
makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the
world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
not subject – hupotasso –
to arrange under, to subordinate; obey; to submit to one’s control
This is that “awful” word “submit” used in:
(Ephesians
5:22 NKJV) Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the
Lord.
Also in:
(Ephesians
5:21 NKJV) submitting to one another in the fear of God.
can be – dunamai – to be
able to do something; to be capable, strong and powerful
The mind that continually setting itself on the things of the flesh will
not be yielding to the things of God. It
is not even capable of doing so.
It sounds to me that one of the keys to learning to do the right thing,
learning to “submit” to God, is learning to put your mind on the right things.
Lesson
Follow through depends on diet
One of the things that can happen at church is “inspiration”. We get “inspired” by a message – we come away
from church thinking that we’re going to change.
The problem is that we can set ourselves up for complete failure if our
head is in the wrong place.
If I have the kinds of lifestyle habits that are constantly feeding my old
sin nature, I’m going to have a hard time keeping those commitments I make at
church.
Could my TV viewing habits, my choice in music, or my internet usage affect
my ability to obey God? Absolutely.
:8 So then, those who are
in the flesh cannot please God.
:8 in the flesh cannot please God
in the flesh – the chapter started with talking about being “in
Christ”.
cannot – dunamai – to be
able to do something; to be capable, strong and powerful
please – aresko – to
please; to strive to please; to accommodate one’s self
to the opinions desires and interests of others
This is because in my flesh alone, there is “no good thing”.
(Romans 7:18 NKJV) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not
find.
If I am living my life as “in the flesh” rather than “in Christ”, I don’t
have a lot to work with when it comes to doing the right thing.
You are not ever going to be able to please God by yourself. This is why it’s totally futile for a person
to think they can clean up their life and make God happy. Impossible.
Lesson
Pleasing God
It starts with living after the Spirit
(John 7:37–38 NKJV)
—37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water.”
How do I live after the Spirit?
Choose the Spirit.
Make a choice that you want to live under the Spirit’s
control. Cast your vote.
Yield to the Spirit.
Get out of the driver’s seat. Let the Holy Spirit direct you.
Feed the Spirit.
Continue to make choices that build up your inner man,
move away from the things that feed your flesh.
8:9-11 Spirit Life
:9 But you are not in the
flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
:9 if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you
dwells – oikeo – to dwell
in; from oikos – a house
When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of you.
What do you call the “house” where a god dwells? A temple.
(1 Corinthians
6:18–20 NKJV) —18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin
that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins
against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from
God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God’s.
The Spirit of God is living inside us, but I wonder just how much He’s “at
home” in us?
:9 if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ
Even if the Holy Spirit isn’t “comfortable” inside us, even if He’s
“grieved”, He’s still inside of us.
Theology:
If a person does not have the Holy Spirit inside of them is not a
Christian.
Note: The
Holy Spirit is called
“the Spirit of God”
“the Spirit of Christ”
That puts Christ on the same level as God.
This verse hints at the “deity of Christ”.
How do I know if I have the Spirit of God in my life?
Paul is going to give us several ideas, none of which deal with speaking in
tongues.
:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin,
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
:10 the Spirit is life because of righteousness
life – dzo – life
Paul doesn’t use the word for “living”
(dzosa), but the word “life”. You expect him to say, “the body is dead, but
the spirit is living” (as translates all the modern translations). I think this is one of those times when the King James is actually a better
translation here. Paul is talking about
the Holy Spirit (capital “S”), not the human spirit.
The idea is that when we become a
Christian, our body is in a state of spiritual death. The body is dead.
But when the Holy Spirit comes into our
life as we receive Christ, He is life.
He brings life. He gives life.
And so the struggle starts, that dual nature.
Your body experiences death because of sin.
But there’s this new nature, the “Spirit”, living inside of you.
:11 But if the Spirit of
Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.
:11 if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus
This is talking about the Holy Spirit of God. God the Father raised Jesus from the
dead. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in us.
:11 give life to your mortal bodies
give life – zoopoieo (“life”
+ “to make”) – to produce alive, begat or bear living young; to cause to live,
make alive, give life
It’s a word Paul used to describe Abraham’s faith in God …
(Romans 4:17 NKJV) …Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and
calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
This was probably talking about Abraham’s own body (as good as dead), yet
Abraham believed God would still give him a son.
mortal – thnetos – liable
to death, mortal
He’s talking about the bodies that are “dead” because of sin. This is just another word for “death”.
This might be talking about our resurrection in the future, but I think
it’s talking about something a little more in the present.
The resurrection gives us the power to live for Christ in these bodies that
are so prone to sin.
The power comes through the Holy Spirit.
Lesson
Transforming Life
Not only is the Holy Spirit in us life, but He takes these dying bodies of
ours and gives them life as well.
It’s not that the Holy Spirit comes as a little light to dwell in this
dark, dead cave of a person, just a little light in a dark cave. But when He comes into our lives, He begins
to transform the dying cave and new life begins to
spring up. He brings a new life.
Keep in mind the kind of power that’s involved here. It’s the same power that raised Jesus from
the dead.
(Ephesians
3:20 NKJV) Now to Him who is able to
do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works in us,
If I take an ordinary gardening glove and ask it
to play the piano, it’s not going to be able to do what I ask. But if I put the hand of a piano player
inside the glove, it will be quite amazing.
The glove will play the piano.
Well, not exactly. It’s really
the hand inside the glove that plays. As
you might guess, the hand doesn’t do as good when it’s inside the glove, but
it’s way better than when the glove tries to play by
itself.
That’s how we as sinners can find ourselves doing what God wants in our
lives.
We let Him “fill” us. We let His
hand fill the inside of us, the glove.
Break
8:12-17 Spirit of Adoption
:12 Therefore, brethren,
we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
:12 we are debtors—not to the flesh
debtors – opheiletes – one
who owes another, a debtor; one held by some obligation, bound by some duty
We don’t owe the flesh anything. Our
sin nature may want to cry out as we are starving it, “But haven’t I been good
to you? Haven’t I taken care of you all
these years? Can’t you just feed me this
once?” But the truth is, we don’t owe
our flesh anything! It’s given us
nothing but pain and death.
Paul doesn’t quite finish the thought,
but the implication is that we aren’t debtors to the flesh, we are debtors to
the Holy Spirit.
:13 For if you live
according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you will live.
:13 if you live according to the flesh you will
die
you will die – you will (die) – mello – to be about; to be on the point
of doing or suffering something; to intend, have in mind, think to
die – apothnesko – to die
(very similar word to “mortal” in verse 11)
The result of living after the flesh is
death.
I don’t think it’s just limited to hell
here, though hell certainly is in mind.
I think the death we experience from living after the flesh starts right
at the time we are sinning. We are
cutting ourselves off from the source of life.
We are separating ourselves from God.
(Isaiah 59:1–2
NKJV) —1 Behold, the Lord’s
hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear
heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He
will not hear.
:13 by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body
put to death – thanatoo –
to put to death; by death to be liberated from the bond of anything, literally
to be made dead in relation to (something)
Back in Romans 6, Paul talked about this concept of dying with Christ and
the effect on sin in our lives:
(Romans 6:11 NKJV) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but
alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now Paul tells us how we are to do this.
By the Spirit. It’s an
“instrumental” case, meaning that this is the way it gets done, the Holy Spirit
is the “instrument” that is used to help us learn to “put to death” the deeds
of the body.
:13 you will live
you will live – zao – to
live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead); to enjoy real
life; metaph. to be in full vigor; to be fresh, strong, efficient
It’s that word “thrive” (FTT)
We like to use the term “live it up”.
It might be a “party”, drinking, gambling…
The problem is that often the things we’re thinking about
that qualify as “living it up” are things that actually
result in spiritual death.
The truth is that learning to really “live it up” involves putting some of
the old things “to death”.
Lesson
Victory over the flesh
Paul is giving us a clue as to how we put to death these things of our
flesh.
Illustration
In 1Samuel 5 the Philistines have captured the Ark of the Covenant in
battle and have decided to take it to the temple of their god Dagon – half man
and half fish. In the morning
they find that Dagon has fallen over.
They prop up their “god”. The
next morning Dagon has fallen over again and this time
has split into pieces. They decide they
don’t like this “Ark” thing and end up shipping it back to the Israelites.
The point?
Sometimes we try so hard to deal with the “Dagons”
in our lives. We try so hard to topple
Dagon.
Maybe we ought to consider bringing in the Ark – a picture
of God’s throne, a picture of God’s presence – allowing God’s presence to rule
in our lives.
Learning to “yield” to God. Learning to let Him rule our lives.
:14 For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
:14 led by the Spirit of God
led – ago – to lead, take
with one
It’s passive, God’s Spirit does the leading, we do the following.
If you were right here in my living room, and I
ask if you want me to give you a tour of the house, I’ll ask you to follow me
around the house. But if you just stay
in the dining room and don’t follow, then I’m not leading.
Lesson
Spirit Leading
The Spirit not only gives victory,
but also helps direct us.
One of the ways He directs us is through the desires of a Spirit-filled
heart.
(Psalm 37:4 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall
give you the desires of your heart.
If your heart is simply delighting in God, you will find
God planting new desires in your heart.
You don’t have to force yourself to do these things – they
will be things you will want to do.
Another way the Spirit will lead us is through God’s Word.
(Psalm
119:105 NKJV) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to
my path.
(John 14:26 NKJV) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all things that I said to you.
:15 For you did not
receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
:15 the spirit of bondage again to fear
bondage – douleia –
slavery, bondage, the condition of a slave
There is a sense in which we are the “servants” of God.
But the point here is to give you a boundary to what it means to be a
servant.
fear – phobos – fear,
dread, terror
We don’t serve God because of fear.
We serve God because of love.
(1 John 4:18 NKJV) There is no fear in love; but perfect
love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not
been made perfect in love.
I think that because of context, Paul is talking about bondage to sin and
bondage to the law.
(Romans 6:16 NKJV) Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey,
you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to
death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
When Paul gave his illustration of a woman being freed from her husband
through death, it had to do with bondage to the Law (Rom. 7:1-4)
Though there is a sense in which we are now slaves of Christ, there is also
a sense in which we are now freed from our old slavery
and we are now His friends:
(John 15:15 NKJV) No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what
his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard
from My Father I have made known to you.
Is your spiritual walk characterized by a sense of woe, heaviness, bondage,
and obligation? Is there this deep sense
of foreboding that hangs on you?
This is not the Holy Spirit.
:15 the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
adoption – huiothesia (“son”
+ “to place”) – adoption, adoption as sons
cry out – krazo – to
croak; of the cry of a raven; hence, to cry out, cry aloud, vociferate
Abba – Abba – “father”
It is an Aramaic word. It’s found
three times in the New Testament, and always
accompanied with the Greek word for “father” (pater) for explanation.
It’s thought to be a word that expressing loving affection towards a
father, kind of like saying “Dad”, “Daddy”, or “Papa”.
My granddaughter calls me “Popop”
Jesus used this word when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane:
(Mark 14:36 NKJV) And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.
Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
In the book of Galatians, Paul is also talking about our “adoption” as
sons:
(Galatians
4:6 NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Notice how it is the Spirit that does this work in us to
call God our “papa”.
Jesus didn’t use the word when He taught His disciples to pray, but He
taught them to address their prayers to God the Father:
(Matthew 6:9 NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be
Your name.
Lesson
Intimacy with Papa
Illustration
There was a time in our world during
both the First and second World Wars, when men and women who served their
country would go off and many times would be gone four or five years before
they ever came home. We’re told that a good Marine serving his country went off
to fight. When he left, his wife was expecting a child. That child was born,
and that child was a beautiful little girl.
Because this was a special home, the
mother would never let the little girl forget her father. Every day she talked of the girl’s father and
showed her pictures of her father. She talked about the father’s love and care
for her, and about how someday her father would come home.
When the little girl was 4 years old,
she was playing in the front yard. A man came to the gate. She looked up. She
looked into his eyes with love, and he looked into her eyes with love. Then she
said, “Daddy, you’re for real. Daddy, you are for real!”
• Richard H. Flick, “Memorial Service for
Heather Gillan,” Preaching Today,
Tape No. 71.
For some of you, the Father
seems like a distant person. But I want
to keep reminding you that He is very real, He’s very loving, and He’s your
Heavenly Father. Don’t pull back from Him.
Don’t be afraid. The Holy Spirit
works in our lives in such a way to draw us closer and closer
to our Father. There is a sense in which
we want to cry “Daddy” more and more.
It is hard for some people to address God as the “Father” because of their
own difficulties with their own fathers.
I’ve talked with gals who were abused by the fathers, they think a “father”
is someone who will hurt them.
Apologies to those offended by “The Shack”.
In the book “The Shack”, author Paul Young writes about a man named “Mack”
who spends a weekend with God, all three persons of the Trinity. In this fictional book, Mack is surprised
when he first meets “Papa” face to face, and finds
that “Papa” looks like a large African American woman who likes to cook. Why did the author do this? Because God is concerned about getting past
our broken ideas about what a “father” is about. The character of Mack has not only lost a
daughter in a great tragedy, he had experienced abuse
with his own father, and so until Mack starts opening up
to God’s kindness and goodness, God works around Mack’s own brokenness by
appearing to Mack in a form that he’s not afraid of.
By the end of the book, Mack has learned much about who God is, and “Papa”
no longer looks like a large black woman.
In fact he looks more like a loving grandpa
dressed in flannel.
Here's a clip from the movie…
Video: The Shack – Where were you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqhc32vs3KI
Be careful that you don’t put your own dad’s face on God. He is not like your dad (if your dad was bad).
:16 The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
:16 bears witness with our spirit
bears witness with – summartureo
(“with” + “to witness”) – to bear witness with, bear joint witness
There are two things that should be telling us that we are God’s children.
1. The Holy
Spirit.
2. Our
spirit.
Lesson
Holy Spirit Assurance
How does the Holy Spirit show us that we are the children of God?
1. Transformed
Life (vs. 11)
We find we are able to do things we didn’t used to
be able to do.
The hand in the glove.
2. Victory
over the flesh (vs. 13)
We are able to put to death the deeds of the
flesh.
Dagon falls on his face.
3. Spirit
Leading (vs. 14)
We find direction in our life as we learn to delight in God.
4. Intimacy
with Papa (vs. 15)
We grow to know God as our “papa”
What if I don’t see these things in my life?
Go back to the basics.
(1
John 5:10–13 NKJV) —10 He who believes in the Son of God
has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar,
because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who
does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things
I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in
the name of the Son of God.
:17 and if children, then
heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him,
that we may also be glorified together.
:17 joint heirs with Christ
heirs – kleronomos – one
who receives by lot, an heir; one who has acquired or obtained the portion
allotted to him
joint heirs – sugkleronomos –
a fellow heir, a joint heir; one who obtains something assigned to himself with
others, a joint participant
As having been adopted into the family,
we are heirs of our Father, and co-heirs with the Son.
Illustration
Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son,
shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world,
adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by
Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family
estate. The widowed elder man looked on with satisfaction as his only child
became an experienced art collector. The son’s trained eye and sharp business
mind caused his father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors
around the world. As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young
man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father
received a telegram. His beloved son was missing in action. The art collector
anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see his son again. Within
days, his fears were confirmed, the young man had died while rushing a fellow
soldier to a medic. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming
Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season,
that he and his son had so looked forward to, would visit his house no longer.
On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed, old man. As
he walked to the door, the master- pieces of art on
the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. As he opened the
door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hands. He
introduced himself to the man by saying, “I was a friend of your son. I was the
one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have
something to show you.” As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the
man’s son had told everyone of his, not to mention his father’s, love of fine
art. “I am an artist,” said the soldier, “and I want to give you this.” As the
old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the
man’s son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the
painting featured the young man’s face in striking detail. Overcome with
emotion, the man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the picture above the
fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set
about his task. True to his word, the painting went
above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars worth of art. His task
completed, the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift
he had been given. During the days and weeks that followed, the man realized
that even though his son was no longer with him, the boy’s life would live on
because of those he had touched. He would soon learn that his son had rescued
dozens of wounded soldiers before a bullet stilled his caring heart. As the
stories of his son’s gallantry continued to reach him, fatherly pride and
satisfaction began to ease his grief. The painting of his son soon became his
most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces for which
museums around the world clamored. He told his neighbors it was the greatest
gift he had ever received. The following spring, the old man became ill and
passed away. The art world was in anticipation, that
with the collector’s passing, and his only son dead, those paintings would be
sold at auction. According to the will of the old man, all of
the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received the
greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world
gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. Dreams would
be fulfilled this day; greatness would be achieved as many would hope to claim,
“I have the greatest collection.” The auction began with a painting that was
not on any museum’s list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer
asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. “Who will open the bidding
with $100?,” he asked. Minutes passed, and no one
spoke. From the back of the room came a voice, “Who cares about that painting?
It’s just a picture of his son.” “Let’s forget about it and move on to the good
stuff,” more voices echoed in agreement. “No, we have to sell this one first,”
replied the auctioneer. “Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a neighbor of
the old man spoke. “Will you take ten dollars for the painting? That’s all I
have. I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.” “I have ten dollars. Will anyone
go higher?” called the auctioneer. After more silence, the auctioneer said,
“Going once, going twice, gone.” The gavel fell.
Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, “Now we can get on with it and we can bid on the real treasures!” The auctioneer looked
at the audience and announced that the auction was over. Stunned disbelief
quieted the room. Someone spoke up and asked, “What do you mean, it’s over? We
didn’t come here for a picture of some old guy’s son. What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars worth
of art here! I demand that you explain what is going on!” The auctioneer
replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes
the son...gets it all.”
We will share in all that belongs to
God. It comes through Jesus.
:17 if indeed we suffer with Him
suffer with – sumpascho –
to suffer or feel pain together; to suffer evils (troubles, persecutions) in
the like manner with another
Is Paul saying that we “earn” our inheritance by suffering with Christ?
Some people follow a practice of punishing themselves as a way of
identifying with Jesus.
In the book and movie “The DaVinci Code”, the evil “albino
monk” followed a Catholic practice of wearing a device called a “cilice” meant
to inflict pain on the person wearing it, the intention is to keep the sin
nature in check.
There are Catholics in the Philippines that follow a
practice of being whipped, some even being crucified, as a way of identifying
with Jesus.
Paul has a word for these practices:
(Colossians 2:23 NKJV) These things indeed have an
appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and
neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the
flesh.
Lesson
Suffering from following Jesus.
(keyword)
I don’t think you need to do anything to suffer with Him, the suffering
will come as a result of you following Jesus. You don’t have to seek it out, it will find
you.
Our part is to not run from it, but to learn from it.
(Luke 9:23–24 NKJV)
—23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will save it.
I don’t think you have to go out and look for suffering. I think that if you are honestly following
Jesus with a whole heart, you will encounter plenty of difficulties.
Suffering comes from following Jesus.
What will you do with those difficulties?
Will you run from them? Will you
stop following Jesus?
Jesus is looking for people who will follow Him, even when it causes tough
times in their own lives.
Some people get the mistaken idea that
a Christian is not supposed to experience pain.
I’m afraid that just the opposite is true.
(Philippians
1:29 NKJV) For to you it has been granted on behalf of
Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Paul considered that part of knowing
Jesus was suffering:
(Philippians
3:10 NKJV) that I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His
death,
Illustration
A beekeeper once told F.B. Meyer how
some of the young bees are nurtured to ensure their healthy development. The queen lays each egg in a six-sided cell
which is filled with enough pollen and honey to feed upon until it reaches a
certain stage of maturity. The top is
then sealed with a capsule of wax.
When the occupant has exhausted its
supply of nourishment, the time has come for the tiny creature to be released
from its confinement. But what wrestling
and straining it endures to get
through that wax seal. The opening is so
narrow that in the agony of exit, the bee rubs off the membrane that encases
its wings. Thus, when it finally does
emerge, it is able to fly! The man
telling F.B. Meyer the story said that one time a moth got into the hive and
devoured the wax capsules. As a result,
the young bees crawled out without any effort or trouble, but they couldn’t
fly. Soon the mature insects, seeing the pitiful, unproductive state of new
arrivals, instinctively proceeded to sting them to death.
Meyer drew from this information a
spiritual application. He asks, “Are you
congratulating yourself on having an easy time in life with no hardships or
difficulties to bear? Then beware, lest
you lose your ‘wing power’ like the handicapped bees, and
perish miserably in the dust of defeat.”
:17 that we may also be
glorified together
glorified together – sundoxazo
– to glorify together
There were three words in this verse that used the Greek preposition “sun” (“with”) in them:
“joint heirs”
“suffer with”
“glorified together”
When you are “with” Jesus, things happen in your life.
You become an heir-with Jesus, an heir of God because of your relationship
with Jesus.
You will suffer with Jesus.
You will also be glorified with Jesus.
8:18-25 Suffering to Glory
:18 For I consider that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
:18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time
I consider – logizomai –
to reckon, count, compute, calculate; weigh, meditate on;
It’s our old accounting word, it deal with facts not suppositions.
It’s the word we saw many times through
chapter 4, that Abraham’s faith was “accounted” or “imputed” to him as
righteousness.
We saw it in chapter 6, that we need to
“reckon” ourselves dead to sin.
Now we have an obligation to
“calculate” regarding our suffering and decide if it’s worth it.
:18 are
not worthy to be compared with the glory
worthy – axios – weighing,
having the weight of another thing of like value
to be compared – not a part of the Greek text. It’s what is understood with the idea of
“worthy”, putting on the scales…
glory – doxa – splendor,
brightness; magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity; majesty
to be revealed – apokalupto –
to uncover; This is the word that is used to describe the book of “Revelation”,
it is the “apokalupsis”, the unveiling of Jesus Christ.
Lesson
Weight Lifting
Paul’s using the language of a merchant who is weighing things out on a set
of balance scales.
If you were to put
the weight of the suffering we go through day to day, and
lay it on a scale opposite the glory that we’re about to receive, there’s no
comparison. The glory in the future far
outweighs the current suffering.
It’s very similar to what a woman goes
through in childbirth. There is great
suffering during labor and delivery. But
for the most part, the pain is forgotten when the mother sees and holds her
child.
We could focus on the great weight of our suffering.
But the problem of focusing on the suffering is
that it always gets heavier the more we look at it.
Perhaps we ought to focus on the other thing – the glory ahead of us.
The disciples had a glimpse of what “glory” was about when they saw Jesus
on the “Mount of Transfiguration”
(Matthew 17:2 NKJV) and He was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
John later saw Jesus again in His “glory”
(Revelation
1:14–16 NKJV) —14 His head and hair were white
like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace,
and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in
His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and
His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
John wrote that we’re going to be kind of like that too.
(1 John 3:2 NKJV) Beloved, now we are children of God;
and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Part of the glory that we’ll experience looks like this:
(Revelation
21:1–5 NKJV) —1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I,
John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard
a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself
will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things
new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Heaven is going to be an awesome, wonderful place. But the most glorious thing is that we’ll be
with God.
Paul uses the idea of weighing things out again in writing to the
Corinthians:
(2
Corinthians 4:16–18 NKJV) —16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even
though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed
day by day. 17 For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are
seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are
eternal.
Compare the two:
Light versus weighty.
A moment versus eternity.
Affliction versus glory.
It might be tough right now. Just wait till you see what’s up ahead.
:19 For the earnest
expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
:19 the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits
earnest expectation – apokaradokia
(“from” + “head” + “to watch”) – anxious and persistent expectation; to
watch eagerly with outstretched head
the revealing – apokalupsis –
laying bear; manifestation, appearance
This is talking about the “glory” that is to be revealed in us (vs. 18).
the creation – all created beings
eagerly waits – apekdechomai (“from”
+ “out of” + “to receive”) – constantly and patiently waiting for
Years ago I got a taste of having to wait for
something. We were warned by Edison that
our power was going to be turned off for “routine maintenance”. At 9:00am the house shut down. I like to study at home – I don’t have as
many interruptions as I do in the office.
I was glad I had a good battery in my laptop. The power was supposed to be back on at noon. Noon came and went. I watched my battery meter go lower and
lower. At 1:00pm I called Edison. They said they were working on it. I called at 1:30pm and they said the power
would be back on in a half hour. My
laptop ran out of power and shut down.
At 2:00pm they had a recorded message that said the power would be back on
by 4:00pm.
I wasn’t too “patient”, but I was sure “eagerly waiting”.
Maybe you are “eagerly waiting” for the end of this Covid-19
quarantine. The world has sure changed.
We ought to be “waiting” for Jesus.
Paul says that all of creation is eagerly waiting for the time when we
humans will change, when we’ll receive our glory.
:20 For the creation was
subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it
in hope;
:20 the creation was subjected to futility
futility – mataiotes –
what is devoid of truth and appropriateness; perverseness, depravity; frailty,
lack of power
subjected – hupotasso – to
arrange under; to subject, put in subjection; to submit to one’s control
Corruption came to all creation as a result of man’s sin (Gen. 3)
(Genesis 3:17–19
NKJV) —17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your
wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall
not eat of it’: “Cursed is
the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns
and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the
field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return
to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
The curse that came from sin affected
all of creation.
All of creation wasn’t exactly
overjoyed with the fact that Adam’s sin brought “vanity” or “futility” to all
of creation.
God tied all of creation to Adam’s sin so that all of creation would long
for the change as much as we would.
Lesson
Suffering is a result of sin.
There are people who have a hard time
with the subject of suffering. “How
could a loving God allow people to suffer?” they ask. The problem isn’t with God,
the problem comes from a misunderstanding of the origin of suffering.
Suffering entered into the world through man’s sin. We’re the ones responsible.
:21 because the creation
itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God.
:21 the creation itself also
will be delivered
will be delivered – eleutheroo
– to make free; set at liberty
bondage – douleia –
slavery, bondage, the condition of a slave
corruption – phthora –
corruption, destruction, perishing; that which is subject to corruption, what
is perishable
liberty – eleutheria –
liberty to do, the noun form of “will be delivered”
We could translate it, “creation will be delivered … into the liberty of
glory of the children of God”
When God’s kids get glorified, then all of creation goes along for the ride
as well, enjoying the freedom from the decay of sin.
:22 For we know that the
whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
:22 creation groans and labors with birth pangs together
groans – sustenazo (“with”
+ “groan”) – to groan together; to express grief by inarticulate or
semi-articulate sounds, to groan
labors with birth pangs together – sunodino (“with” + “childbirth labor”) – to feel the pains of
travail with, be in travail together
metaph. to undergo agony (like a woman in childbirth) along with
Creation is waiting like a woman going
through labor, for the time when the curse will be lifted. There will be a day, when because of Jesus,
the curse that came in Genesis 3 will be no more:
(Isaiah 11:6 NKJV) “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard
shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little
child shall lead them.
C.S. Lewis uses this idea in his “Narnia” books – having
animals and trees all being interested in what is going to happen with the
“sons of Adam and daughters of Eve”.
Creation can hardly wait for things to change.
:23 Not only that,
but we also who have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
firstfruits – aparche – to
offer firstlings or firstfruits
I think it’s important to remember that the feast of Pentecost was also
known as the “Feast of Firstfruits” (Ex. 34:22). It was at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit was
poured out on the church.
groan – stenazo – a sigh,
to groan; to express grief by inarticulate or semi-articulate sounds, to groan
Even as all of creation is groaning together, waiting for the curse to be
lifted, we too groan, waiting for that same day.
:23 the adoption, the redemption of our body
the adoption – huiothesia –
adoption, adoption as sons
redemption – apolutrosis –
a releasing effected by payment of ransom; redemption, deliverance
eagerly waiting for – apekdechomai
(“from” + “out of” + “to receive”) – assiduously and patiently waiting for
Same word as in vs. 19 – both creation and us are
“eagerly waiting” for things to change.
Sometime before the Tribulation period
begins, we will receive our new bodies.
(1 Thessalonians
4:16–17 NKJV) —16 For the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet
of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who
are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus
we shall always be with the Lord.
Those who have already died before the Rapture, will receive their new
bodies first. We’ll follow them with new
bodies.
After the Tribulation, those believers that have died will be raised at the
time of the Great White Throne judgment after Jesus comes back and eliminates
the antichrist (Rev. 20:4-5)
This is the “redemption” of the body,
when we will receive new, glorified bodies.
Bodies without pain or sickness.
Bodies without sin.
:24 For we were saved in
this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for
what he sees?
:24 hope that is seen is not hope
Hope is an expectation for something that you don’t see.
If you see the thing, then it’s already come and you are no longer
“hoping”.
After you open the new tie for
Christmas, you can’t say, “I hope I get a new tie for Christmas”. You’ve already got it,
you’ve already seen it.
If we saw our new glorified bodies, we would no longer have hope. We’d have the thing we were hoping for.
:25 But if we hope for
what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
:25 we eagerly wait for it with perseverance
perseverance – hupomone –
steadfastness, constancy, endurance; the characteristic of a man who is not
swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even
the greatest trials and sufferings
eagerly wait for – apekdechomai
(“from” + “out of” + “to receive”) – assiduously and patiently waiting for
Lesson
Hold on to the end
I know there are times we want to
quit. But we’ve got to keep holding
on. “Stay under” it. Don’t run away. Don’t lose hope.
Illustration
I remember hearing about tests done with Norwegian wharf rats. These are the rats that live under the piers
along the waterfront. One group of rats
was placed in a large container of water, in the dark, with no place to stand
on, they had to keep swimming. They all
drowned within fifteen minutes. The second group was placed in a similar
container, yet every ten minutes the lab technician would open the container,
take the rats out, stroke them a few seconds, and put them back in the
water. They didn't have time to rest, they just got a little encouragement. These rats went on swimming for over 12 hours
(or something like that...).
The second group had “hope”. They were looking forward to the lab tech opening up the barrel and giving them a stroke and
encouragement.
Because of my belief in a “pre-trib”
rapture, I’ve been accused of clinging to an “escapist” mentality, but the
truth is we need to be looking forward to the Second Coming of the Lord. In that passage about the rapture, Paul tells
us to find comfort in it:
(1 Thessalonians
4:17b–18 NKJV) —…And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Don’t lose hope. Consider yourselves
reminded that He’ll be back soon. Take
comfort in it. Keep going.
Illustration
I don’t know what you think of the color yellow,
but after hearing about Vincent van Gogh, perhaps you might look at it
differently.
This famous Dutch painter, sadly, tossed away the truth imparted him in his
Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God,
as he later began to embrace the truth again, his life took on hope, and he
gave that hope color.
The best-kept secret of van Gogh's life is that the truth he was
discovering is seen in the gradual increase of the presence of the color yellow in his paintings. Yellow evoked (for him)
the hope and warmth of the truth of God's love. In one of his depressive
periods, seen in his famous The Starry Night, one finds a yellow sun and
yellow swirling stars, because van Gogh thought truth was present only in
nature. Tragically, the church, which stands tall in this painting and should
be the house of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces
of yellow. But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, his life
was on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire picture
is (blindingly) bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own face on Lazarus
to express his own hope in the Resurrection.
Yellow tells the whole story: life can begin all over again because of the
truth of God's love. Each of us, whether with actual yellows or metaphorical
yellows, can begin to paint our lives with the fresh hope of a new beginning.
Scot McKnight, The Jesus Creed (Paraclete Press, 2004), pp. 65-66
Hold on.
Pericope Project
8:1-8
Spirit vs. Flesh
8:9-11
Spirit Life
8:12-17
Spirit of Adoption
8:18-25
From Suffering to Glory
How would you title the chapter?
Homework
Reading in KJV
Memorize Romans 8:38
(Romans 8:38 NKJV) For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
(don’t worry, we’ll memorize vs.39 next week)
Share a prayer request with me
Quick Quiz
Keywords
Spirit living removes condemnation
Suffering from following Jesus.
Also due –
Theological Vocabulary Test
What words should we test on? I will want you to write a simple, concise, short paragraph on
each word. This will be listed in your
“tests”.
Righteous
Impute
Grace
Justify
Sanctify
You can take the test any time.
Chapters 1-8 of Pericope Project (submit as a paper/file)