LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER 2023 – PASTOR SAM
GORDON
ROMANS 8 VERSES 12 – 17
One of the greatest truths
of scripture is that we are privileged to serve a great God who never
changes. He is always the same. Hebrew 13 verse 8 “he is the same yesterday,
today and forever.” At the end of the
Old Testament in Malachi 3 verse 6 we also read that he is the Lord who changes
not. We live in a world today that is
relentlessly changing, it is unstoppable.
Yet in the midst of it all Jesus remains constant. He is fantastically true. The Lord never changes but he is always doing
new things – in your life, in your church, in the world we live in. He is always doing new things, brand new
things. We find that as we read Romans
8. We see a monumental change in this
chapter. In the opening section we have
a new pattern from the king. We are no
longer living under a dark cloud of condemnation. We have a new friend, the Holy Spirit
himself. When you come to Christ you are
energised by the spirit of life. We have
a new obsession. He has given a
sparkling new mind and heart. He gives
to every one of us a genuine reason for living.
There are many other new things for us to sink our teeth into. We follow someone new. We belong to someone new. We speak to someone new. We inherit something new. We experience something new. Paul has some unfinished business in verses
12 and 13. He is going for the
jugular. He reminds us in 2 verses we
have, as the people of God, a serious obligation to fulfil. Paul spells it out in a few easy to
understand words. In verse 12 we are
responsible to the Spirit. Verse 13 we
are re-enforced by the Spirit. You know
we ought to take those together. The
challenge for every one of us is – let’s be different. Let’s be distinctive. I want you to live your life on the sharp
edge of faith for God. If we toe the
party line we are onto a real winner. We
are blessed of God. We experience
victory. We experience life with a
capital L I F E. Life that is full and
overflowing with godly optimism.
However, if you prefer to do your own thing, go your own way we are
losers every single time. Why? Because the flesh is never satisfied. The old man is never content. We will know from experience the more we give
in to it the more it demands and the more it wants. When we come to the point where we repent and
are converted that is the moment when loyalties switch. We march to a different drum. Paul says there is no point in a life in
bondage when you are a liberated people.
We have freedom in Christ. We
might as well enjoy it, live it to the full.
“When it comes to our walk with God there is no point in drinking
skimmed milk when you can drink full milk.”
Count your blessings – that is what you have right here. We see here the
benefits that will be ours. In verses 14
to 17 we see that God leads us, each step, each mile of the way. “God leads his dear children along.” When we think of that marvellous message
there are certain truths that we need to underline.
First when God does the
leading we do the following. We can rest
assured that the Lord will never lead us where his grace will not be able to
keep us. There are things we question in
our lives. God knows exactly what he is
doing all the time. As we follow hard
after him he will not lead us where his grace will not go before us.
Secondly he will never
lead us contrary to the word of God. He
is consistent in all his dealings with us.
We must trust him at all times.
Verse 14. The fact that we are
conscious of God’s leading in our lives is a sign that we really do belong to
him. He is our heavenly father. He wants
nothing but the best for us. We can rely
on him to lead us down the paths that ultimately in his time and his purpose
will always do us good. It will not
always be easy, we know that. When God
does the leading and we do the following God’s way is always the best way. He never gets it wrong. God’s not going to lead you into a spiritual
cul-de-sac or a dead end. God does the
leading, we do the following.
In verse 15 he re-enforces
the truth of our adoption into a global family of God. We can reflect on that daily when we come
with freshness and vitality. The moment
we become a believer the Lord did a special work of grace. He did not take us and leave us to get on
with life. He did not shortchange
us. He did not give us a spirit of
dread. He has adopted us – you and I
have been personally chosen by him. We
were not only born a second time and we were, but we were handpicked by
him. He not only saved us from sin but
adopted us and placed us into his forever family. If you are a child of God legally you are in
his family. You are there to stay. It is
for time and eternity - no matter how long we have in this life. He has placed us in his global family. Come what may out there or even in there that
is our secure position right now and that will not changed. It does not matter what blessings there are,
we have access to it all and so much more.
The genius of God’s astounding grace.
Adoption in this context of Romans was very important. The people back in first century knew what
Paul was talking about. When a child
transferred from one family to another 3 things happened. The adopted person lost his rights in his old
family. He gained legitimate rights in
the new family. The child got a brand
new father. Secondly by law the old life
of the adopted person was completely wiped out, the debts were wiped
clean. Thirdly in the ceremony the
adopted son received the right to carry the name of the new family as well as a
share in the family fortune. That is
what God has done for us. In the Lord we
have been taken from the family of Adam and placed in the family of God. We should never ever forget God adopts
wrongdoers, failures, rebels. J I Packer
said “adoption is the
highest privilege of the gospel. The
traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the
family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved
and cared for by God the Father is greater.”
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
As a consequence of all that has happened to us we enjoy intimate
relationship with God. God our Father is
not someone out there far away. Uncomfortable,
remote and distant. He is up close
relational specialising in personal touch. We can look him in the eye and say “father”
or “father my father”. Not only follow a
divine leadership but a divine relationship.
We experience divine worship.
Verse 15. “we cry unto him Abba
Father.” That word “abba” means “daddy”
or “pappa”. If you were in the land of
Israel today children talking to their father would say this. In Paul’s day this was a totally new concept.
No Jew ever dared called God
father. The cross made all the
difference. As the redeemed of God we
can say to him “abba Father”. That is a
term of rich endearment. Loving
trust. Utter dependence on him. It shows
our bonding with the father is real, genuine.
It has a ring of reality to it.
It suggests to me today that whatever comes into your life from that
direction or from the opposite direction it does not make any difference. The thrilling truth is it does not matter
what our life is like, when we know Jesus as Lord, God is our father and we
love him and he loves us. The Methodist
Charles Wesley said
“my God is reconciled
His pard’ning voice I hear
He owns me for a child
I can no longer fear
With confidence I now draw nigh
And Abba Father cry”
In verse 16 we see another blessing. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our
Spirit that we are the children of God.”
He comes to us at all hours of the day and night. He convinces us that we really do belong to
the living God. The fact that you know
the Lord and it is not a figment of your imagination, you are not someone
living in cloud cuckoo land. It is a
cast iron certainty. God gives us his
word and his word is his bond. The
transaction is legally binding, complete, never to be unravelled, sealed and
signed for ever and ever. The Spirit confirms
and affirms our relationship with God.
We are reconciled. Why does he do it?
He knows the devil will come along.
The adversary will plague and pester us with all kinds of doubts and
fears. We live in a world of anxiety. We are buffeted with all that life throws at
us. It is tough down here. He gives us the assurance – blessed assurance
– that enables us to hold our heads up high.
If one should ask of me, how can I tell?
Glory to Jesus, I know very well!
God’s Holy Spirit with mine doth agree,
Constantly witnessing Jesus loves me.
That is something you can do when you know the Lord.
Now I belong to Jesus
Jesus belong to me
Not for the years of time alone
But for eternity
In verse 17 Paul brings it to a finale.
The future for the child of God is getting broader and better as the
days go by. Your name and mine is
written with indelible ink in his last will and testament. It will never be blotted out. It cannot be accidentally erased or
removed. As a child of God we are home
and dry. What a mind blowing inheritance
we have to look forward to. The value of
inheritance is determined by the worth of the one who bequeathed it. The inheritance we have is from the creator,
owner, sustainer of the world. The Lord
is rich in so many ways. He owns the
cattle on a thousand hills. Earth
belongs to him. There is nothing mean about our benevolent God. Not impoverished. He is there for you and I to enjoy. Maybe you are saying great but what have we
inherited? We are heirs of God. That is fascinating. We fully inherit everything that God
owns. That is a lot we inherit. All that God has. The second way to look at we inherit God –
our inheritance is God himself. We
inherit all that he has. We inherit all
that he is talking about. An inheritance
cannot beat that. Paul throws a spanner
in the works. Earthly grace is guaranteed. Getting from here to there will not be plain
sailing. We all have good days and bad
days. Days of sun and days of shade, the
best of times and the worse of times. Sooner
or later in your life there will be difficult days of suffering and trial. Moments when our back is against the
wall. In moments like that, that is when
we are called to share in the sufferings of Jesus. God doesn’t have to tell us why. We live our lives grounded on the promises of
God. God will take all that happens to
us and will purge us from sin. He will
use us to conform us more completely to the image of his son if we are going to
share his glory for eternity. What is a
few days of heartache by comparison?
Whatever happens down here will prepare us for life in a better
place. When we step out into that life
we will appreciate things so much more.
No matter how difficult life is today or in the future cannot compare to
the glory that is coming our way. Paul
reminds us of the ultimate reason – the joy of glorification. Grace today enough for today but grace
tomorrow too. The hurts in your life
will be followed by hallelujahs. If this
does nothing else it gives us a breathtaking insight into heart and mind of God. What he thinks of every one of us. How much he values and treasures us. He sees our worth. It will be worth it all when we see
Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small
when we see Jesus. Just one glimpse of Jesus. So bravely run that race until you see
Christ. While we run that race until
heaven lets count our blessings.
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