Sonship, Suffering, Glory

Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm one of the pastors here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

We're continuing this morning our series in the book of Romans. You'll remember that Romans is a letter written by the Apostle Paul in the 50s AD.

And it's called Romans because it's written to the churches in the city of Rome and this letter is about the gospel.

It's about the good news of Jesus' life and death and resurrection.

And we are now in the middle of chapter 8 which is about life in the Spirit.

That is life in the Holy Spirit.

And we are moving kind of from this discussion we've been having about holiness to all the benefits that come to Christians from the Holy Spirit.

So we're moving from talking about the life of holiness where we've been for a while to talking about all the benefits, all the blessings that God gives to his people through his Spirit.

And that's where we'll be in many ways through the rest of the chapter.

And so as in previous weeks we're going to go from top to bottom.

I invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 8 starting at verse 14 which you'll find on page 7 of your worship guide.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And as we come to this passage remember that this is God's word.

Proverbs chapter 30 tells us every word of God proves true.

Proverbs 30 · chapter mention

He's a shield to those who take refuge in him.

So that's why we read now Romans chapter 8 starting at verse 14.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.

But you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abba Father.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

And if children then heirs.

Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

Provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our Father in heaven we do come again this morning to thank you and praise you.

For your words that you've given us.

To show us the great mercy and grace that you've given us in Jesus Christ.

Show us our great need for that very same grace.

And we ask that you would be with us by your spirit in a special way here and now as we look into your word.

That you would open our eyes.

You would unstop our ears.

You'd clear our minds.

You'd soften our hearts.

That we would be able to see and hear and understand and believe.

Everything written in your word.

And we ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Some people, many people, consider Romans chapter 8 to be among the greatest chapters in the entire Bible.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

If not, in fact, the greatest chapter.

And it's for good reason.

This is the payoff of the work that we've done over the last number of months.

Paul has explained that salvation comes not by works but by God's grace.

That was chapter 5.

And then he spent chapters 6 and 7 in the beginning of chapter 8 talking about this question of holiness.

Are we still holy even though we're not saved by works?

Yes.

That's chapter 6.

Does that holiness come by the law?

No.

That's chapter 7.

Holiness instead comes by God's spirit.

That's chapter 8.

And now that Paul has clarified this need for holiness, the source of holiness, that it comes from the work of the Holy Spirit,

he's going to explain to us the great benefits, the great blessings that come from our salvation.

Now as we come to this portion, we need to remember where we left off last week because verse 14 picks up from where verse 13 left us.

You'll remember verse 13 tells us life comes from walking in the spirit.

Life now and life in the future comes from obedience, from living lives of holiness.

Which raises a question that takes us to verse 14.

Why is that so?

Why is it that our lives of holiness are the path to life?

Paul goes on to tell us verse 14, because walking in the spirit, obeying God, means that you are a son.

Verse 14.

For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.

First, it's important to remember, to know what Paul means here by being led by the spirit.

He means what we've talked about previously the last number of weeks.

Being led by the spirit in context means that you are fighting against sin as empowered and enabled by God's spirit.

That's what it means to be led by the spirit.

In other words, it does not mean, sometimes Christians import a meaning from outside of the text,

being led by the spirit does not mean that God is going to tell you by his Holy Spirit which car to buy.

That is not what it means to be led by the spirit.

That's not what Paul's talking about in Romans 8.

No, he's talking about the obedience that comes from a new heart.

So you'll see on page 7, the leading of the Holy Spirit is his continual work to influence God's children

to understand the Holy Scriptures and obey them.

Are you in the battle?

Are you putting sin to death as we talked about last week?

Are you doing this work to understand the Holy Scriptures and obey them?

If so, you are being led by the spirit.

You're living the life that comes by the spirit.

Those who put sin to death have God's Holy Spirit.

Okay, that's review in a sense.

Now we talked in verse 9 about the fact that all Christians have the spirit.

Verse 14, though, tells us something new.

Those who have the spirit are sons of God.

Now we have to understand here the meaning of sons.

Son is what Paul uses because in his context, first century Rome, that was inheritance language.

Sons were the heirs.

So if you are a woman and you are a Christian, guess what?

You are a son of God.

And you're a son of God in the sense that you're an heir.

You receive the inheritance.

It's helpful that Paul then in verses 16 and 17 also uses the word children.

So we're not left just with the word son.

But he's saying, and we're going to get to this in a little bit, in verse 17,

the inheritance is yours.

It is not simply or merely that God has forgiven your sins on behalf of Christ and credited you with his righteousness.

No, even more than that, he's adopted you.

You're his child.

The inheritance is all yours.

So last week, living by the spirit, we ended seeing that it leads to life, right?

Life now, life in the future.

Paul now adds on to that.

It is not only that the spirit leads to life.

It also leads to inheritance and intimacy.

The spirit does not just lead to life, although it does.

The spirit also leads to inheritance and intimacy.

First, verse 15, Paul tells us about the intimacy of our sonship.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, Father.

So he starts in the negative.

No, there is no spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.

Paul here is referring to what it was like when sin was controlling your life.

Remember, we spent a ton of time talking about this in chapter 6.

Chapter 6, we dove deep into what is the power center of your heart, of your life?

Is it a power center controlled by sin, or is it a power center controlled by the Holy Spirit?

And if you're a Christian, it is the latter.

The Holy Spirit rules and reigns in your life.

So fear and slavery, those are all behind you.

There's no need to fall back into that.

No, actually, you have something now positive.

You've received the spirit of adoption as sons.

Received reminds us of what we saw a couple weeks ago,

that every Christian has the Holy Spirit.

There are not some special Christians with the spirit and normal, regular Christians without it.

No, it is what you receive as God's gift as one of his children.

Every Christian is given the spirit.

And it's given by grace as a gift.

The spirit of adoption as sons is reaffirming verse 14,

which is that those with the spirit are sons.

They are heirs.

Even more than that, the Holy Spirit communicates this reality to you

in the deepest places of your heart.

The Holy Spirit communicates this reality to you

that you are one of God's children in the deepest places of your heart.

That's what Paul is getting at when he says,

by whom we cry, Abba, Father.

By whom?

Meaning it's by the spirit.

The spirit.

The spirit.

God's Holy Spirit.

Enables and empowers us to cry out to God as our father in prayer.

The Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to cry out to God as our father in prayer.

And it's in that sense that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of adoption.

So our God is not a distant or far off God,

but a God who gives us the intimacy of a child with their father.

Our God is not a distant or far off God.

He's a God who by his spirit assures us and gives us the intimacy of a child with their father.

This word cry is significant as well.

Notice what Paul doesn't say.

He doesn't say pray,

although this cry is a type of prayer.

He does not say that we call God father,

although we do,

because it's not strong enough.

No, we cry.

The Greek word here is a crying out,

almost a wailing.

We cry to our father,

reminding us, telling us, teaching us

that God our father is the one to whom we run when we are in distress.

God our father is the one to whom we run in our distress.

We feel, because of the Holy Spirit,

deep in our souls that we belong to God.

And so because of the Holy Spirit,

in and with the Holy Spirit,

it comes out of us as a cry.

A cry for help.

A cry for aid.

And the point is this.

Because of the Holy Spirit,

when trouble comes,

we run to God in prayer.

Because of the Holy Spirit,

when trouble comes,

we bring it to our father unfiltered.

We bring him the deepest pains and longings of our heart,

which helps us to begin to see

why Romans chapter 8

Romans 8 · chapter mention

is one of,

if not the greatest chapter in the Bible.

You did not receive the spirit of slavery

to fall back into fear,

but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons

by whom we cry,

Abba, Father.

Verse 16 goes on to tell us

why we can be so bold.

The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit

that we are children of God.

In other words,

the Holy Spirit gives you

the confidence and the boldness

that you need

to approach God in this way.

And even more than that,

the Holy Spirit gives you

a deep and firmly rooted certainty

that God is your father.

The Holy Spirit gives you

this unshakable trust and confidence

that you belong to him.

Do you have certainty

that God is your father?

Do you know

beyond a shadow of a doubt

that you belong to him?

Do you know it,

we might say,

deep down?

Does it run

all the way

to your roots?

I hope it does.

What Paul is telling us

is that when it does,

that is because

of the work

of the Holy Spirit.

God's spirit

at work in your heart

assuring you,

reminding you,

convincing you

that you belong to him.

He bears witness

with our spirit

that we are children

of God.

Spirit gives you

powerful confidence.

Spirit gives you

this felt sense

of God's love.

Remember we talked

about that

in Romans chapter 5,

Romans 5:5

verse 5.

The love of God

poured into your hearts

by the Holy Spirit.

It doesn't say

the love of God

poured into your mind

by the Holy Spirit,

although of course

our minds understand

God's love.

No, God's love

poured into your hearts.

It's a felt sense

of God's love

given to you

by his spirit.

And it's not something

that you can generate

on your own.

Do you have confidence

that God is your father

and that you belong to him?

If you do,

that is because of God's

spirit at work

in you.

The spirit himself

bears witness

with our spirit

that we are children

of God.

That is the intimacy,

the connection

that comes

because you are a son,

whether you're a man

or a woman

because you're a son

of God.

You're one of God's children.

Belong to him.

Now I said with sonship

there is both inheritance

and intimacy.

Now we've seen the intimacy.

Now verse 17

takes us

to the inheritance.

And if children,

then heirs.

Heirs of God

and fellow

heirs

with Christ.

Now if I came to you

and I said,

you know what?

There is a will

and you're in it.

What would you want to know?

What am I getting?

What does the will give to me?

Does the will give me

the baseball card collection

or does it give me the stocks?

You know,

how much is it worth?

We have the same question here.

If we are heirs,

if we're in the will,

what is it exactly

that Paul is telling us

we're going to get?

Of course the inheritance

is great.

We could spend

multiple sermons

talking about it.

I will remind you

of a few things

that you already know.

If you are

an heir of God

and a fellow heir

with Christ Jesus,

you are inheriting

a world

without sin.

If you are one

of God's sons,

whether you're a man

or a woman,

you are going to receive

a new body.

It's going to be a body

without sickness,

disease,

or decay.

You are going to rule

with God

over the entire earth.

And even more

than all that,

saving the best

for last,

you will have

God himself.

God's promise

in the Old Testament,

his covenant promise

to his people

will be fully

and finally true.

And that promise

is this,

I will be your God,

you will be my people,

and I will dwell

with you forever.

forever.

In fact,

Revelation chapter 21

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

gives us

an idea

of what the inheritance

looks like.

And I heard a loud voice

from the throne

saying,

behold,

the dwelling place

of God

is with man.

That's God's presence,

that's part of your inheritance.

He will dwell with them

and they will be his people

and God himself

will be with them

as their God.

that's the best part.

Because God

is with you,

will be with you

as your God,

this will also happen.

He will wipe away

every tear

from their eyes

and death

shall be no more.

Neither

shall there be mourning

nor crying

nor pain

anymore

for the former things

have passed

away.

That's your inheritance.

That's what you have

to look forward to.

That is what is named

for you

in the will.

That's what comes

because you

are a son

of God.

And how do you get

this inheritance?

How do you become

a son?

Now Paul tells us

it's because

verse 17

we are fellow

heirs

with Christ.

He'll tell us

later in chapter 8

in verse 29

that Jesus

is the first

born

among

many

brothers.

So you

are God's

son,

his heir,

his child.

You have the

intimacy

that a son

or a daughter

has with their

father.

and you

have the

inheritance

that comes

to children

in the will

because of

the work

of Jesus

Christ

on your

behalf.

Because of

the first

born son

you

and all

of God's

people

are brought

in

as his

children,

his heirs,

his other

sons.

that's

what you

have.

That's

what's

waiting

for you

because

of

God's

work

by his

son

through

the

spirit.

Finally,

Paul tells us

the path

to

inheritance

runs

through

suffering.

Suffering

comes as

part of

the journey

to the

destination.

Verse 17,

provided we

suffer with

him in

order that

we may

also be

glorified

with

him.

Paul here

is talking

about the

suffering

that comes

to you

because

you're a

Christian.

Remember years

ago we talked

about the fact

there's different

types of

suffering in

the world.

There's

suffering that

you experience

because you

did something

really stupid.

There's

suffering that

you experience

just because

of general

sin in the

world.

You know,

when you

get a

cold or

pneumonia,

that's

because of

sin and

sickness,

general sin.

And then

there's the

suffering that

you experience

as a follower

of Jesus.

Paul here is

talking about

that last

suffering.

He's saying

as you live

in this world

as a

Christian,

it is

unavoidable

that following

Jesus will

bring

hardship.

Paul says

this also in

2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

indeed,

all who

desire to

live a

godly life

in Christ

Jesus will

be persecuted.

So it's

not optional.

Every Christian

in some

way will

in this

world suffer

for the

name of

Jesus

Christ.

Jesus

himself

tells us

that.

John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15,

remember the

word that I

said to you,

a servant

is not

greater than

his master.

If they

persecuted

me,

they will

also

persecute

you.

If they

kept my

word,

they will

also

keep

yours.

In other

words,

as go

the master,

so go

his servants.

As goes

the teacher,

so goes

the students.

as goes

Jesus,

so goes

us.

Jesus

suffered in

this world.

If you

follow him,

you will

too.

Jesus

says the

same thing,

Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

Blessed are

those who

are persecuted

for righteousness

sake,

for theirs

is the

kingdom

of heaven.

Suffering

in

glory.

By the

way,

here's a

teaser for

next week.

Verse 18.

We're going

to look only

at verse 18

next week.

Paul says

this,

guess what?

Everything

to come

is so

great,

the future

is so

glorious,

that everything

else fades

in comparison.

The suffering

isn't even

worth talking

about,

given how

amazing

everything

to come

is.

Remember,

I've been

telling you,

and I'll

tell you

again,

that Romans

is the

fifth gospel,

because what

Paul teaches,

Jesus taught

first.

Jesus teaches

that we're

his heirs.

Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

again,

blessed are

the meek,

for they

will what?

Inherit

the earth.

Blessed

are the

poor in

spirit,

for theirs

is the

kingdom

of heaven.

Remember,

I said

part of

our inheritance

is that we

will be

with God.

God

himself

is what's

coming.

Blessed

are the

pure in

heart,

for they

will what?

See

God.

Blessed

are the

peacemakers,

for they

shall be

called

sons

of God,

heirs.

And so,

we're going

to sing

now that

very same

hope.

What

reward

will

heaven

bring?

Everlasting

life with

him,

it's the

inheritance

that waits

for you.

There we

will rise

to meet

the Lord,

then sin

and death

will be

destroyed,

and we

will feast

in endless

joy when

Christ is

ours

forever.

Let's

pray.

God,

our

Father in

heaven,

we do

thank you

and praise

you that

you have

not just

saved us

from the

penalty,

the power

of sin,

but you've

also adopted

us as your

sons and

daughters.

You have

given us

the ability

to cry out

to you as

a father,

and you've

assured us

of that by

your spirit

that you

have put

within us.

You've

promised us

a great

inheritance

in the world

to come.

We ask

that you

would use

that to

transform our

hearts and

our minds

and our

lives,

that we

would follow

you and

love you and

obey you in

faith.

We ask all

of these

things in

Jesus' name.

Amen.