Romans 8:18-30

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

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Romans‬ ‭8:18-30

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Today’s reading is filled with hope. But not just any kind of hope that we are often used to. Such as I hope it’s sunny tomorrow but I don’t really know if it will be sunny tomorrow. No, this is a hope that we can fully expect because we put our hope in Christ who we can fully trust. 

There’s so many things that is going on with our lives and so many sufferings. Whether it be virtual school, fitting in, annoying bosses, missed opportunities etc. you name it. There’s so many things that our sinful world throws at us. But what’s the point in dwelling in these sufferings? We know that God came to us in the form of flesh so that he can free us from eternal death and we are able to live with him in glory in eternity. Like how the reading started, all these sufferings that we are currently experiencing are nothing compared to what God has in store for us. 

It’s hard sometimes to look pass the present especially when there’s so many distractions and all the sufferings and impacts of sin are blurring our minds to where we should put our focus on. The pain, our weakness, our humanness is so real we can’t avoid it. But it’s also comforting to know that The Holy Spirit is always with us and He knows and feels what we are experiencing. God has paved the way for us so that we can directly run to Him. We can always look to God who we can call Father and cry out to. This is an invitation to bring all our sufferings to Him and fully surrender ourselves to Christ. We can put our true expectant hope in Him and trust that He can free us. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:1-17

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

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Has there ever been a time where the struggle of your sin has been so great that it felt hopeless to try to fight it? Where it feels inevitable that you would fall into the temptation of sin once again that day? I've been there, and I'm sure many other Christians have been too. It's really hard when you're going through a season like that, and it's even harder to get out of it. But that's why its so important to read scripture and be able to apply it during every part of your life. Because here in Romans, Paul is telling us exactly what we need to hear in times like that.

The first thing, he starts off the chapter with it, is reminding us that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"! Paul reminds us of the most important fact, that God sent Jesus down to die for our sins and because of it, we are seen as righteous. It takes the pressure off of us to perform and be able to fall back on the fact that we have been saved not from our own doing but from God's.

He doesn't just leave us there though, Paul also tells us how to get past this idea of hopelessness. And he does so by simply telling us its not true! Yes a life lived according to the flesh and to sin will lead to death, but for Christian's Paul says, "You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you." If we have accepted Christ into our lives, we need to know that our feeling of hopelessness could not be further from the truth! As if we continue to live life according to the spirit Paul promises us life and peace. It may seem hopeless right now, but we will move past it.

So recognize if this is a season you're in and if it is, hold on to these facts. Continue to move towards the Lord no matter how hard your struggle with sin gets. Continue to try to live a life according to the spirit. And remember when we fall short, that Jesus has already paid for our sins and that's all we need for life and peace.

- Jeremy Palad

Romans 7:7-13

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

-Romans 7:7-13

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When you’re injured, your body experiences pain as a means to tell you something is wrong.  The purpose of the law is to help you do that with your soul.  Our souls are vehemently sinful, but it can stay pretty well hidden.  But when we are confronted by a law, especially God’s law, our sinfulness comes light.  No matter the rule or law, our soul just wants to disobey.  I see that in baby Taylor.  Baby Taylor always wants to crawl to the places that we’ve set as off-limits.  Sometimes she’ll even look at us to make sure we’re watching her blatantly disobeying us.  It’s not fun disobeying if the people you are disobeying don’t know!  We’re all like baby Taylor.  There’s something in us that just wars against authority and anything that’s godly.  That’s our sin nature that the law brings out in us.

So we need God’s laws and rules because not only do they tell us how to live life to the full, they show us how messed up we are on the inside.  We just can’t follow them.  It’s like there’s something wrong with us, because there is!  It’s sin!

This is why the Apostle Paul says that the law is good.  God’s laws and rules show us how we’re messed up and compel us to seek help.  If we don’t know we’re messed up, why would we ever come to God for help?  Only a sick man seeks a doctor.  Only a sinner seeks a savior.

Romans 6:19-23

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 6:19-23

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Let’s get real about how sin tricks us.  When you first commit the sin, it feels so good.  It feels like that sinful act is so fulfilling and life-giving even.  But it’s so short-lived.  After we commit the sinful act, there’s a sense of emptiness.  Then there’s the guilt!  The Apostle Paul here uses the term “ashamed.”  This is how sin gets us.  It tricks us in accepting short-lived empty so-called “pleasures.”  We keep falling for it and then at the end of our lives when we look back at what we accomplished, it’s just emptiness.  We’ve wasted our lives chasing one empty pleasure to another.

But when we allow God to take control of our lives, we find true fulfillment.  God made us and so He knows what we were made for.  We were made for holiness.  We were made for righteousness.  When we pursue these things, there’s a sense of peace and calm that overtakes us even in the midst of life’s setbacks and storms, because we operating the way God designed us to.

Horatio Spafford wrote the famous Christian hymn, “It is Well With My Soul.”  He wrote it after the death of his four daughters from a shipwreck.  Check out the first verse of his hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Only a man who pursues God can write this after such a tragedy.  There was no emptiness in this man’s heart.    His heart was filled by God and that’s why he can sing, “it is well with my soul,” even in the direst of circumstances.

Do you want unassailable peace?  Do you want eternal fulfillment?  Choose God.  Follow Him.  May it be well with your soul.

Romans 6:11-14

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. -Romans 6:11-14

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Are you wise in the way that you’re dealing with sin?  In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes that we are not to let sin reign in our mortal body.  What in the world does that mean?

It means we need to be wise about how we deal with the temptations in our lives that lead to sin.  If you’re struggling with a particular sin, and you’ve been trying to deal with it the same way for years, by now you should probably get the message that whatever you’re doing is not working.  Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Not allowing sin to reign in us begins with prevention.  For example, it’s probably not a good idea for an alcoholic to hang around in bars.  That’s just unwise because the temptation of a drink is right in front of you.  It’s the same thing with any other temptation, being wise and creating a situation where you are far from that temptation is going to help.

This is where the tough part comes in.  Prevention might mean cutting things out in your life.  That’s what the Apostle Paul meant when he says “do not offer any part of yourself to sin.”  It means you got to cut things out in your life that may encourage you to a particular sin.  So for the alcoholic, the bar is probably a no go.

For you, it might be things that are hard to cut out.  It might be cutting out friendships that at this time isn’t healthy for you.  It might be cutting out a sport you really like but it’s become an idol in your life.  Cutting things out is hard.

But when we do cut things out for the sake of our faith, we see that God replaces whatever we cut out with Himself.  We experience a greater joy than what any temptation or sin can provide.  Far greater joy.

What do you have to cut out in your life?

Romans 6:8-10

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. -Romans 6:8-10

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Jesus has the power. On the Cross, Jesus not only conquered physical death, but Jesus conquered spiritual death. In Christian terms, death is being as far away from God as possible. You see, God sustains us. Every breath we take, that’s God allowing us to breathe. When we are far away from God, we cease to function physically and spiritually. But on that Cross, Jesus was able to overcome the separation between us and God. He defeated physical death and spiritual death. Jesus has the power.

And now the one who has this immense power wants to be your friend. Not just your friend, your best friend. Not just your best friend, a brother. Jesus wants to be with you. Will you accept his invitation?

Romans 6:5-7

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. -Romans 6:5-7

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Christianity is not behavior modification but heart transformation.  Many people think of Christianity as a set of rules that force you to do what’s “right.”  It’s a list of do’s and don’ts that you have to try to follow.  It’s a way to make sure that we all behave.

The problem with behavior modification is that it doesn’t change the heart.  You can make a law forcing people to not say racist things for example.  And because they can get in trouble for it, they stop.  But, it doesn’t stop them from being a racist.  Their racist thoughts and beliefs are still there.   That’s behavior modification.

Christianity doesn’t just want to stop people from saying racist things.  Christianity wants to help people to not even be racist.  That’s heart transformation.

When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, he began the process of heart transformation within us.  It is a process but over time our hearts will begin to change.  We will obey God not because we have to, but because we want to.

From the poet William Cowper:

To see the Law by Christ fulfilled,

To hear His pardoning voice,

Changes a slave into a child

And duty into choice.