Steve Teachings
This is the third week of this four week study on Roman's Chapter 8. I'm going to recap that last to weeks to bring us up to date for this message so that we will understand the scripture passage that we are going to read today.
In the first week we learned that:
the birth of Christ was planned long before Jesus was even born.
A Savior was promised in the Garden of Eden after the fall of Adam and Eve.
He would be conceived in the womb of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem.
He would be beaten worse than any man that ever lived and then cruxcified.
Last week we learned:
To be carnally minded would be death and damnation without Christ. If we decide that we want to live to satisfy our flesh and the desires of our hearts.
God does not change His thinking to adapt to ours…we have to change to conform to His
.
Jesus came to set the captives free, to pardon sins and help us to change destructive behaviors.
If we are led by the Spirit of God, then we are adopted into the family of God, we are no longer strangers.
Our lives show everyone what our hearts and minds think.
This brings us up to what we will be learning from today. Today's reading talks about the victory we get to experience because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It reminds us that His death wasn't by chance, it wasn't because of karma, it wasn't an accident that just seem to fall into place, it was deliberately planned ahead of time, to give those who trusted in the Savior to come, the hope of redemption.
Two thousand years ago, they were looking ahead in time, into the future, looking forward to the Messiah that was coming. We in retrospect, look back, at a loving Messiah, who gave His life for us on Calvary's cross, and now we too look ahead, to His second coming when we will be freed from the cares and filth of this world, when we will receive the inheritance that sons and daughters in the family of God will receive according to His promises made to us.
We have all the visual aids that anyone could ever need, to know that He was coming again very soon, He's probably at the door now waiting to come in and put all things under subjection to His well earned authority and power. We can read about it, in the bible, the road map to heaven, the owners manual from Him to us.
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. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 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? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.. Romans 8:18-25
Roman's was written by Paul the apostle, he was the most educated of all the disciples whom Jesus chose. He was a persecutor of the body of Christ, he was there when Stephen, the first martyr of Jesus, was stoned to death. He wrote out warrants and legal documents that were sent out to gather up Christians so that they could be put into prisons. Paul was a cruel and evil man, until one day on the road to Damascus, on his way to imprison the followers of Jesus, he was struck down and blinded. It was on that day that his whole life would change and be turned completely upside down, forever.
He went from being the hunter to the hunted, from being the persecutor to the persecuted, from imprisoning to being the imprisoned. This most educated apostle went from being taught by the highest rated scholars and schools of his time, to becoming the author of ¾ of the new testament from a prison cell.
Who better to write these verses than him ?
Did Paul know about suffering ?
From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness- 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28
A lot of people think they are under a lot of stress all the time, and they are to a point, but if I were to compare my life to that of Paul the Apostle, I could honestly say that things aren't so bad after all. I have never received 39 lashes from a cat with nine tails, I have never been beaten with rods the way that the Roman's beat people with rods, I've never been shipwrecked or adrift in the sea like that guy in Florida was.
So taking everything into account, I guess I'm doing OK, and so are most of you, because as broke as we are at times, we are still better off than most people are, and we are certainly better off than those guys were 200 years ago when you could be crucified for just looking stupid in front of Caesar.
So I guess we can agree that Paul was very experienced with pain and sufferings, we can also agree that he is more than qualified to write on the subject of suffering, would you agree ?
But you have to understand that he was trying to get another point across, he wasn't just bragging about himself, he wanted us all to understand, that the things that happened to him were just shadows of things to come. He wanted us to understand, that these were just birth pangs that were pointing the way to an event that all creation was in turmoil for.
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:9
How will the Sons of God be revealed ?
When Jesus returns to get His bride. The church is the bride of Christ, the body of Christ is the church. The church is made up of born again Christians who have dedicated their lives to serving Him.
How do we know that the church is in earnest expectation ?
Because there would be signs that we would be able to follow:
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Romans 8:20-22
The body of Christ is going through birth pangs according to Paul, but what did Jesus say would be happening when these birth pangs took place ?
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all[
Jesus himself gave us guides lines to watch out for. He said that just before a great tribulation was to take place, these things would be happening. The earth would be in the beginning of sorrows. The Greek word used to describe this event is:
“ethnos”:
means to be in pain or travail and is many times associated with the birthing process for humans. The “start of birth pains.”
If you put the word sorrow into it's proper context according to the Greek meaning, the scriptures said that these things that were going to be happening just before the tribulation to come, they would be the labor pains that happen just before the end comes.
What are the labor pains ?
False Christ's, wars and rumors of war, nations going to war with other nations, famines, sickness, earthquakes, anti-Christ's, persecution, false prophets, lawlessness, hatred, the gospel preached to all the nations.
Are all these things happening ?
Yes.
But what else did Jesus say ?
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,[
Many here today, refuse to believe that there is going to be a second coming, they refuse to believe that the bible is even true, that's OK, God bless them. The scriptures tell us not to torment people in this world who refuse to believe, because they will have plenty of torment after they die.
Just as in the days of Noah, people will be gorging themselves, drinking to the point of total stupidity, fornicating and committing adultery oblivious to all the signs until the day Jesus comes.
The scriptures say that we need to be on the lookout, we have to be believing in hope.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 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? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Roman 8:22-25
We have to be eager about our adoption into God's family, we have to want to be raised in the Spirit, we have to have hope. But it's very interesting that Paul goes on to say that hope that is seen is not hope at all, because if you can see what it is you are hoping for, then what is the point of being in eager expectation if you already see it ?
But if we hope for what we don't see, he says we wait with perseverance.
What is perseverance ?
the action or condition or an instance of persevering
steadfast:
1 a: firmly fixed in place : immovable
2: firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal
synonyms see faithful
27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:27-29
Romans Chapter 8 Part 3