April 21, 2024 • Pastor Andy Shanks • Romans 8:28–30, Hebrews 12:5–7, James 1:3–4, Philippians 3:20–21, 1 Peter 4:12–13
Every human being lives with some sense of self or identity. By that I mean, we all have an inward view of ourselves and where we fit in the world that affects how we live our life, interact with people, respond to our circumstances, and make decisions. This week we are going to bring Romans 8 to its final conclusion and the apostle Paul is going to shine a light on an important aspect of the Christian’s identity. He says that, if you are in Christ, you are, right now, more than a conqueror. The question becomes this; how does that present tense truth align with how you see yourself, how you’re responding to life, and the choices that you’re making…right now?
Pain hurts. That’s the most obvious statement you will read this week. It always causes us to ask questions and, as Christians, it causes us to ask questions about God. Those questions can range from, “what did I do to deserve this?” to “what am I to learn from this?” This week the apostle Paul is going to confront us with the reality that, according to the sovereign purpose of God, we can do everything that we should be doing to glorify Him and still find ourselves in seasons of hardship. The question becomes, how have you reconciled the sovereignty and love of God in painful circumstances? We hope to help you with that this week.
It’s been said many times that every good thing must come to an end. Endings are as common as beginnings. This morning, we are beginning a three-week journey to bring Romans 8 to a close. Paul does that by compelling us to look back over all that he has said thus far and draw some conclusions concerning it. He begins this last section of Romans 8 with this question, “What shall we say to these things?” What are we to make of this? I would encourage you not to stop there, but to ask yourself, “What shall we do with these things?” How shall we apply such great and glorious truths to our lives? How will they encourage us, transform us, and motivate us as we live the Spirit-filled life of Christ?
