The Plowman

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An exposition of Romans 8:18-27. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, February 14, 2010.

Introduction
It is not the sort of thing we think about.  We prefer to push it out of our minds and put off dealing with it as long as possible.  But I’ll tell you when I think about it.  I think about it when I’m standing in the hospital hallway at 2:30 in the morning.  Or when sitting in an ICU waiting room anticipating the doctor’s morning report.  I think about it when I’m pulling up to the house of that total stranger who has no idea I’m about to knock on their door and change their life forever by announcing the death of their loved one.  “What’s next?”  “What is there after this life?”  “What are we to make of eternity?”

Now, death is not the only thing that causes me to consider eternity.  I also think about it when I’ve had enough!  You know what I mean.  When I’ve had it up to here.  When it’s been a rotten day on top of a rotten month and I just want to slap the next face I see.  When I think, “I just want all of this to be over.”  You have to admit there is something about tragedy and heartache that simplifies life.  Pain has the unique ability to clarify issues.  You would gladly trade it all – the house, the car, the job just for some peace.  When all hell breaks loose in your life and you are toss about by the winds of pain and sorrow – you look up and you give thought to the world to come.

But here is the thing, as the people of God we are to be different from the world around us.  Part of the work of the Spirit in us is that we have a new mindset, a new life, a new dynamic at work in us and we see the world differently.  We are possessed of a joy beyond understanding.  We have a hope that is steadfast and sure.  That hope, that joy makes a difference now and forever.

As we continue our walk through the 8th chapter of Romans I want to show you that…

Thesis
Part of what it means to live by the Spirit is to live expectantly in anticipation of our future glory.
Our text this morning is found in Romans 8 beginning at verse 18.

Text: Romans 8:18-27
As we move through this text note the connection between groaning and glory.
We live in a fallen world.  Sin has brought devastation and that devastation affects all of the creation.  As Christians we are not immune.  We are not given a free pass.  We do suffer.  We experience genuine heartache.  But look at what Paul says in the opening verse of our text.

8:18 – that is an extraordinary statement.

Picture an account ledger – in one column “the sufferings of this present world” in the other “the glory that is to be revealed”.  Paul says the glory far outweighs the sufferings of this life to the point that there is no comparison between the two!

We must lift our eyes and look to the glory yet to come.

Let me point out three things.

1. Even the creation longs for that glorious day.  (8:19-22)
2. We, as the adopted heirs of that glory, long for its fulfillment in the resurrection.  (8:23-25)
3. The Holy Spirit enters into our burden and expresses our hope and longing.  (8:26-27)

Conclusion
A glory awaits us that exceeds our wildest imagination.  You and I are going to be creatures so glorious that if we saw such ones today we would be tempted to fall down and worship them!  Because of the greatness of such a glory and because of our weakness we groan.  But we’re not alone.  The whole of creation groans awaiting that day.  The Spirit himself groans.  And one day our groaning will be replaced with glory.

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An exposition of Romans 8:1-17. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was brought to the fellowship of Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, February 7, 2010.

Introduction:
If you go to Mardels or any number of Christian Bookstores you will find entire sections dedicated to the work of the Holy Spirit.  You will find books on the filling of the Holy Spirit, on how to walk victoriously in the Spirit, how to be led by the Spirit and a number of books on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Now when you are there and you see someone on that aisle wearing a trench coat and dark glasses…they are probably a Baptist!  Because we’re just not into that sort of thing.  That’s what those other folks do.  And you know they are really “off track” doctrinally.  It seems too often we, as Baptists, are like those disciples of John found in Acts 19:2.  When asked if they had received the Holy Spirit they replied, “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  Talk of the Holy Spirit “frightens” us because there is such abuse.  I’m not deny there is great abuse in this area.  But we have nothing to fear from the 3rd Person of the Trinity.  The work of the Spirit is essential.  Apart from the working of the Spirit of God there would be no salvation.  It is the Spirit that quickens us making us alive and enabling us to see the beauty of Christ and the wonder of the Gospel causing us to flee to Christ for life.  It is the Spirit of God who indwells every believer conforming us to the image and likeness of Christ, teaching us to observe all that He commanded us, and moving us toward sanctification and glorification.  The work of the Holy Spirit is essential to your growth and maturity as a Christian.  Apart from the presence and power of the Holy Spirit you cannot be what God has called you to be.  This morning we are going to consider “life in the Spirit.”

Now we hear that phrase and because of our context we think of tongues, healing crusades, prophetic utterances and let’s go ahead and acknowledge it  – nonsense! If you are God’s child you have been called to live and walk in the Holy Spirit.  It is not an option.  It’s not an elective – something you can choose to do or not do – it is required.  But you can do it without ever “jumping a pew” or speaking in an “unknown tongue.”  I want to show you what life in the Spirit is all about and we find it in Romans chapter 8.

Text: Romans 8:1-17

In Romans 7 Paul speaks openly and honestly about his on-going struggle with sin.
There we discover the tension in salvation present and not yet.
We are saved but we are also being saved.
We are declared righteous in the sight of God because of Christ but we are not yet perfected.
In our journey toward holiness we struggle.
We often slip and fall.
At times we yield to sin and thus fall victim to its passions and desires.

Paul ends chapter 7 with a cry, “Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  But this is not a cry of despair.  This is not a hopeless surrender.  It is a shout of affirmation because he goes on to say, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  Victory is not secured by means of our heroic struggle with sin but rather by God’s gracious provision in Christ.

Romans 8 is then marked off by two great statements.
One at the beginning and the other at the end.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…”
“…nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
No condemnation at the beginning.
No separation at the end.
And no defeat in between!

Paul makes reference to the Spirit some 20 times in this chapter.
This morning I want to focus our attention on the first 17 verses.
It is here that we discover…

Thesis: Genuine saving faith rejoices in the life altering work of the Holy Spirit.
There are two things I want to point out from our text.

1. Paul, with a prophetic voice, boldly declares our freedom and deliverance through the work of the Holy Spirit.  (8:1-4)
2. Paul, with pastoral concern, outlines the Spirit’s work on our behalf.  (8:5-17)

There are 4 things attributed to the work of the Spirit.

• Through the Spirit we’ve been granted a new mind – (8:5-8)
• Through the Spirit we’ve been given new life – (8:9-11)
• Through the work of the Spirit we are driven by a new dynamic – (8:12-13)
• Through the work of the Spirit we are made heirs of a glorious new family – (8:14-17)

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An exposition of Romans 7:1-25. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 31, 2010.

Introduction:
As Christians what is our relationship to the Old Testament?  I know that there are those who think all that really matters is the New Testament.  There are others who take that even further and say what really matters is the “red letter” words.  “You just need to read what Jesus said,” is their motto.  As if the words of Jesus stood in opposition to the rest of the inspired record.  Others think it a crime if you only carry a New Testament as if by doing so you were ignoring everything else God had said.  I remember having struggles with our homeschool basketball program because we had kids who could not play from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.  No, we didn’t have any Jewish families we had some Adventists and 7th Day folks.  They even needed to know what kind of hotdogs we where serving in the concession stand.  Where they beef or pork?  I remember some Adventist friends in Fort Worth who were all excited about a new product that looked, felt and tasted like ham but wasn’t ham, so they could eat it.  I never understood why, if it was wrong to eat pork, you wanted to eat something that looked like pork, had the texture of pork and tasted like pork but technically was not pork!  Just what is to be our relationship with the Old Testament law?  We are agreed that we are a people of the Book.  By that I mean the whole Book both the Old and the New Testament.  We are a Bible people not just a New Testament people.  But does that mean the laws of the Old Testament apply to us the same as it did to ancient Israel?  Is it wrong for us to eat shell fish?  Are we sinning because we wear a cotton blend?  Must I give up my cheeseburger?

On the other hand am I free to just ignore what God has spoken in the past?  Am I to understand that to be under grace rather than law means there are no rules?  Am I to approach the Old Testament in cafeteria fashion taking what I like and leaving behind what is less desirable?  It’s not an easy question to answer.  Paul is clear, the law does not save.  It never has and it never will.  That was never its intent.  Rather the law was given to reveal the sinfulness of sin.  Its purpose was to unmask us as sinners and expose us as those needing a savior.  We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of our sin is death.  We, because of our sin, stand under the wrath of God.  We are weighed and found wanting.  We are guilty as charged and the sentence is death.  But God has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.  God manifested a righteousness that is outside of us, apart from the law and becomes ours by faith.  By our faith and trust in God’s gracious provision in Christ we are declared righteous and have peace with God.  But is that an excuse for lawlessness?  Is it a free pass?  How are we to relate to God’s law?  That is what our text is about.  Our text this morning is Romans chapter 7.

Text: Romans 7:1-25

• Romans 4 speaks of God’s provision in Christ.
• Romans 5 speaks of the result of God’s provision – peace with God, union with Christ.
• Romans 6 deals with how we are to respond to grace – press on toward holiness, obedience.
• Chapters 7 and 8 speak of the believer’s struggle with sin (7) and his victory in Christ (8).

This morning I want us to explore the believer’s struggle with sin in light of his relationship with God’s law.  As we explore this section we’ll discover…

Thesis: While the law no longer has a claim on us the law continues to be God’s instrument for refinement and purification.
There are three things I want us to note.

1. Because of our union with Christ the law no longer has its claim on us.  (7:1-6)
2. The law serves God’s good purpose of convincing and convicting us of sin bringing us to the end of ourselves.  (7:7-23)
3. Our victory comes not from our heroic struggle in fulfilling the law but rather through God’s gracious provision in Christ.  (7:24-25)

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An exposition of Romans 6:15-23. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 24, 2010.

Every one is a slave. The only question is whose slave are you?