Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Rom 8-11
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. We are continuing our chronological walk through scripture, and we are in the ⁓ the book of Romans or the the ⁓ the Paul's letter. ⁓ and Romans is ⁓ just a powerful, powerful book. And I encourage you to read through and ⁓ spend some time in Romans. There's no way we're gonna do justice as we're kind of taking this relatively quick. view through all of scripture, even though I say that we've been doing this for over two years. And so I'm glad that you're still with us. But ⁓ we're going to look at Romans chapters eight through eleven today. So eight, nine, ten, and eleven. So if you want to read those and then come join us. But ⁓ chapter ⁓ eight, Paul is is ⁓ again he's he's already kind of made the ⁓ the statement of how all of us have sinned. We've all fallen short of the glory of God God. And that grace comes through faith and faith alone. ⁓ in ⁓ chapter eight, ⁓ he gets into that even more. He says, ⁓ chapter eight, verse one, 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. All right, so I I I love that. You know, it's so often we we we feel condemned because we know we're not worthy, right? ⁓ and ⁓ and that's that's normal. We should recognize that we are not worthy, that none of us, ⁓ that we have as Paul wrote wrote, that all of us have fallen short of the glory of God. ⁓ but when we accept that gift of grace and forgiveness from from God, ⁓ then there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. And so now we begin to walk a new way. Once we've experienced the the salvation that comes from God and that that freedom that we are no longer condemned, it changes the way that we begin living our life. We live our life now in a new way and we strive to to live our life ⁓ in the spirit, not in the flesh. It says ⁓ verse three, for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. Right? So that Our flesh, we couldn't keep the law on our own. No matter how good the law is, no matter how specific it is, we can't keep it on our own. And so the the law was too weak through the flesh. God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin. So he condemned sin in the flesh because he took on flesh, right? 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. So he is going to be the one who fulfilled that law. He was in the flesh, and he actually lived up to the law. He was able to live up to the law. And then he was going to sacrifice himself for us so that so that his holiness he could give that to us because of what he ⁓ did for us by going to the cross. says verse five, 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. For to be carnally minded is death, but spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be, so then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Right? If we are trying to do it on our own strength, we are going to fall short. And by relying on our own strength, it's actually actually going to lead us away from God, put us at odds with God. We have to ⁓ seek to to live ⁓ the way God has called us to live, which is to live spiritually, not according to our own fleshly human desires, ⁓ which because we are fallen as we live in this fallen world. we continue on, I love ⁓ verse twelve. ⁓ it says, Therefore, brothers, Brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but by the spirit you will put to death the deeds of the body and you will live. For as many are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by him whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit. That we are children of God, 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. I love that picture that that we are now grafted in, we are adopted in to be ⁓ in the presence of God, to be heirs ⁓ of of what ⁓ of eternal life, that we can have that now. ⁓ I love that ⁓ picture of adoption. ⁓ My my brother and his wife have adopted a ⁓ a beautiful little girl and ⁓ my ⁓ I I guess ⁓ my wife's cousin ⁓ they they've ⁓ adopted and and I've known ⁓ many people who have and the there's just such a beautiful picture of that, of choosing that person and bringing them into your family ⁓ and loving them just as you love i your biological children. Not that there is no difference. Well that's the image here. That what God has done for us through Christ Jesus, so that now we are heirs ⁓ with Him. Then in verse 18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us. And so all the challenges that we experience, the difficulties of trying to live according to the spirit and not according to the flesh, all of those challenges pale in comparison to the glory of That will be revealed in us through Christ Jesus. Verse twenty two, for we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains together until now. Not only that, but we also who have first fruits in the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly awaiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body, for we are saved in this hope. But the hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. So we we know that we are still in this struggle right now. We're gonna struggle with the flesh because we're still here. We haven't received the full glory of God yet. That is what is to come. That is what we hope for. But that helps us as we struggle ⁓ to live the life that God wants us to live. Because listen, you're not going to do that perfectly. You're going to struggle with that. And but we should keep our eyes focused on the glory that is to come of what God has in store for us. And that gives us the strength and the motivation to continue to to ⁓ focus on living our life for Christ, living in the spirit, not according to the flesh. Says, lost lost my place there. So now go skipping down to verse twenty-eight. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called, whom he called, these he also justified, and whom he justified, these he also glorified. That just such So so wonderful that God is working through the the failures, through the the things that seem to go against us. He is working through that to bring about good. That he has known us, he has predestined us, ⁓ he has called us, he has justified us, and he will also glorify us in the w once we ⁓ enter into his kingdom fully. Verse thirty one. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? When you start feeling overwhelmed, think about that. If God is for us, who can be against us? ⁓ Beautiful, just continue reading. I I have to read this. You just need to read chapter eight is great. He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us, how shall he not? With him so freely give us all things. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? If God is who justifies, who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen. Who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? So tribulation or distress or persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword? Obviously the answer is none of those will separate us from the love of Christ. Yet in all these things, verse thirty seven, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Isn't that beautiful? Just that should give us the hope. the strength that we need to strive to live our lives for him each and every day. No matter what the tribulations may be, no matter the challenges we may face, know that God, that nothing can separate you from the love of God. And then we as we get into chapter nine, ⁓ Paul spends ⁓ the next few chapters ⁓ kind of struggling because he sees that many of ⁓ his ⁓ brethren the the Jewish people are not accepting Jesus and he's wrestling with that and he goes back and forth and and ⁓ and and is implores them to come to a faith in Jesus Christ. But he he knows that God is not finished with them yet. And he's kind of going back and forth. ⁓ getting into chapter ten, verse one Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved, for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. And so he's saying, just h turn your trust to the Messiah, the one who he sent. So you don't rely on the righteousness that comes from following the law. It's the righteousness that comes from following Christ and knowing Christ. He sa he says ⁓ but what does it say in verse eight? ⁓ the word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith in which we preach that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Verse twelve, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all ⁓ is rich to all who call upon him, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. So he's imploring the the Jews to come and to to ⁓ turn to Christ. ⁓ verse eleven talks about how they are rejecting, many are rejecting, but that that God is going to use that ⁓ to bring them ⁓ to him. Says, I say then, has God cast away his people? Certainly not, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, the tribe of Ben Benjamin. God has not cast away his people, whom he foreknew. verse eleven. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not, but through their fall to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I provoke may provoke to jealousy those who are in my f who are my flesh. And save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Verse twenty five For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so as Israel will be saved, as is it is it as it is written. The deliverer will come out of Zion and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins. Now what what Paul is struggling with is he's struggling that there are so many Jews who are not turning ⁓ and and ⁓ g gaining a faith in who Jesus is, that he is the Messiah. ⁓ and he's he's he struggles with that because he desires for all to be saved. ⁓ and you know People will interpret this different ways. ⁓ and and honestly I don't have the right answer. People say, Well, what happens to the Jewish people? ⁓ will they be saved in the end? ⁓ the way that I approach this, and people will differ obviously on this, is I know for sure that we will end up being with God and being with him for eternity if we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Right? ⁓ He does have a covenant with the people of Israel. ⁓ how God decides to work that out ⁓ for those who reject Jesus as Messiah but are still faithful to God, I I don't know. ⁓ I would never say that, ⁓ you'll you'll probably be fine just because you're Jewish. Just like I would never say, ⁓ you'll pe probably be fine because your parents took you to church. No. I know you will be fine and that you will be found in Christ if you confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And so that's the message that I will share. If God has plans that I do not fully understand, in fact, I anticipate that God has plans that I will not fully understand. I am fine with that. And ⁓ the the Jewish people, especially in this certain time, we we have a unique and special connection with them. And we should stand with them and we should support them and we should encourage them and to give this Jesus guy a look that maybe he is the Messiah. Maybe he is the one that the scriptures, the ancient scriptures of the old, what we call the Old Testament, that he is the one that they were pointing to all the time. All right. Next time we will look into we'll start in chapter twelve and we'll go twelve through Probably around fifteen, twelve through fifteen. All right, we'll see you then.