Life defining hope
Series: ROMANS8
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 3rd December 2016
Passage: Romans 8:1-39
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 If I told you that you had to pick one aspect of your life, one thing, it could be a relationship,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:12 it could be your income, it could be your job, it could be your skills, it could be your level
00:00:12 --> 00:00:17 of holiness, whatever it is. If I told you that you had to choose one aspect of your life and
00:00:17 --> 00:00:25 right now we will lock that aspect in. I mean it will stay as it is right now and will not change
00:00:25 --> 00:00:32 for good or bad at any point in the rest of your life. What would you choose? Would it be your job?
00:00:33 --> 00:00:40 Would it be the amount of money that you earn? Would it be the place that you're in relationally,
00:00:40 --> 00:00:46 maybe with your spouse or your kids or with your housemates? Is there an aspect of your life,
00:00:47 --> 00:00:51 any aspect at all that you go, you know what, I'm happy with where that is and I actually don't
00:00:51 --> 00:00:58 need it to go anywhere else. Now you might be kind of happy, you know like I love my wife,
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 I think we get on pretty well but I'm kind of hoping we keep getting better at being married
00:01:02 --> 00:01:07 and our relationship keeps improving. I want it to improve, I think I get paid reasonably well,
00:01:07 --> 00:01:12 you might be pretty happy with the income that you get but you wouldn't turn down a slight increase,
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 I mean it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit more money for a holiday or whatever else you want to do.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:22 I'm glad that I'm good at certain things and I have certain skills but you know I'd love to
00:01:22 --> 00:01:29 get even better or learn. It's built in to every single aspect of our life, even the ones that we're
00:01:29 --> 00:01:39 happy about, is this kind of subtle discontent. It's not driving always, sometimes it is but there's
00:01:39 --> 00:01:45 this inbuilt sense that I actually want to move forward from here, I actually want the next step,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 it could be that it's good and you want it a little bit better, it could be that it's horrible
00:01:49 --> 00:01:57 and you want it fixed but every aspect of life we have this inbuilt perspective and understanding that
00:01:57 --> 00:02:04 we're longing for just a little bit more, just a little bit better, just a little bit happier,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:11 just a little bit nicer. We long for more, we hope for more and we actually need that hope
00:02:11 --> 00:02:18 because hope is the thing that makes it okay that even though it's good, it's not quite where we
00:02:18 --> 00:02:24 want it to be. Hope is the possibility that the things that I'm not okay with are going to improve.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:30 We actually need that hope because it doesn't take a whole lot of looking around at the world to see
00:02:30 --> 00:02:35 that there are some problems. There's injustice, there's oppression, there's war, there's natural
00:02:35 --> 00:02:40 disasters, there's starvation, there's sickness and it's not just out there that there's problems that
00:02:40 --> 00:02:47 we sit there and go, it's got to improve, it's here as well. In my life there's pain,
00:02:48 --> 00:02:53 there's frustration, there's hurt. In your life there's relational breakdown, there's starvation.
00:02:53 --> 00:03:01 And we need hope because hope is the possibility that this isn't all there is.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:08 Hope is the thing that protects us from despair. Hope is the thing that releases us from giving up
00:03:08 --> 00:03:19 because it just gives the chance that we could be in a better situation. And hope's not an exclusively
00:03:19 --> 00:03:25 Christian thing. Everybody in the world needs hope. People need and want to believe that life can get
00:03:25 --> 00:03:32 better, that there's going to be a little bit more than this. And in Romans 8 that Nick just read out
00:03:32 --> 00:03:40 for us, Paul wants to encourage us that our present sufferings, those things that we're not quite happy
00:03:40 --> 00:03:46 with yet, those things that frustrate us, those things that we want to move forward, we want to change,
00:03:46 --> 00:03:53 are not worth comparing to the future hope that we look forward to as Christians.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:00 They're not worth comparing to heaven. They're not worth comparing to all the goodness that is promised
00:04:00 --> 00:04:07 in scripture. Our present situation doesn't weigh up next to just how good it's going to be one day.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:15 But our present situation is still our present situation. It's still real. It's still the thing
00:04:15 --> 00:04:20 that you wake up each morning going, oh, I've got to go to that job again. I've got to deal with that
00:04:20 --> 00:04:29 person again. I'm not feeling well again. It's still real. It's still there. And so we need hope.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:38 And we need it every day. And so Paul opens in verse 18. I consider that our present sufferings are
00:04:38 --> 00:04:46 not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Why do we need that hope? For the
00:04:46 --> 00:04:52 creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected
00:04:52 --> 00:04:59 to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the
00:04:59 --> 00:05:04 creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of
00:05:04 --> 00:05:10 the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
00:05:10 --> 00:05:16 right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit
00:05:16 --> 00:05:24 grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. Paul tells
00:05:24 --> 00:05:33 us that it's not just us who feel this discontent, that creation itself is frustrated, that the world,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:40 the material world around us is frustrated because it is buckling under the weight of its bondage to death.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:46 Everything that exists is trapped in a cycle of decay from the point where anything is born or
00:05:46 --> 00:05:53 begins, it begins to die. That is the weight that weighs down not just us as people but even
00:05:53 --> 00:05:59 trees, nature, forests, all those sorts of things. It is this cycle so that even the creation
00:05:59 --> 00:06:09 longs for the day, longs for the future that Christians look forward to when those who belong to God are
00:06:09 --> 00:06:14 finally and fully vindicated, fully released from this curse, from this burden.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:23 And on top of creation, we've grown inwardly. We've kind of tasted how it's supposed to be.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:29 This is what we talked about last week. We've tasted what it is to have the possibility of punishment
00:06:29 --> 00:06:35 removed from us. We've tasted the joy of being accepted by God. We've tasted the joy of being
00:06:35 --> 00:06:43 promised eternal life, having death taken away. And so we know even more so how much this world is
00:06:43 --> 00:06:50 not how it's supposed to be. We feel it even more acutely because God has begun to open our eyes to how
00:06:50 --> 00:06:57 it is going to be. And so suddenly, not only is it just this vague sense that it's not quite right,
00:06:57 --> 00:07:04 it's actually nowhere near the picture that God is painting for us. Something better is waiting.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:11 The redemption of our bodies. The removal of the effects of sin and death. I mean, already,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:18 condemnation is gone. The possibility of punishment is gone. But in the future, one day, every trace of
00:07:18 --> 00:07:28 sin, every consequence of sin completely removed from creation. One day, heaven. We've had the taste.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:35 And so now we're aware what we're missing out on. This might not come as a big surprise to you,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:41 but I'm a bit of a soft drink junkie. And so my wife holds grave fears for our two boys.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:46 So we have an unofficial line that my son, my older son, we haven't even talked about Hudson yet,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:52 he's second. So he's bound to get a softer version. But my oldest son, Bailey, always wants Coke.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:57 He sees us drinking. Can I have some? Can I have some? No, no, no. And then we joke, you know,
00:07:57 --> 00:08:01 maybe for your 18th birthday, we'll get you some Coke or something like that. And then we're having
00:08:01 --> 00:08:05 a half serious conversation the other day. And we said, oh, maybe when he's like 10, we'll let him
00:08:05 --> 00:08:09 try some Coke. Because I'm just worried that he's going to be like me. And he's just going to drink
00:08:09 --> 00:08:15 it all the time. But Coke has brought out this ginger flavored Coke as a promotion for Christmas.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:19 This is not cash for comment, just to clarify. Although if Coke wants to give me some, I'm not going to
00:08:19 --> 00:08:24 turn them down. And so we bought some to try it. And it was quite good. It was on the table. And Sal
00:08:24 --> 00:08:29 had this genius idea that maybe she'll let Bay try this one because he probably won't like it
00:08:29 --> 00:08:33 because it's got ginger in it. And so he said, can I have some? She goes, oh, you just give him a tiny
00:08:33 --> 00:08:39 bit in a cup. And you should have seen his eyes light up the second it touched his tongue. He was
00:08:39 --> 00:08:44 licking the bottom of his cup to try and get the last dregs out of it. He was trying to wrestle my can
00:08:44 --> 00:08:48 off me so that he could continue drinking it for the remainder of dinner. And now the issue is,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:55 he knows how good it is. And so whenever I'm drinking Coke and I say, not just a vague sense
00:08:55 --> 00:08:59 of it's probably good and one day it'll be nice. He knows exactly what he's missing out on. And so
00:08:59 --> 00:09:04 the angst has increased. The answering back has increased. The attempts to steal Coke from the
00:09:04 --> 00:09:12 fridge have increased because he knows how good it is. And in a similar way, because we have been
00:09:12 --> 00:09:19 invited into God's family, because we have been forgiven, because the power of death has been taken
00:09:19 --> 00:09:25 off from hanging over our lives, we know that all the effects of death that we experience,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:32 all the effects of sin, sickness, disharmony, oppression, injustice, all these things that we've
00:09:32 --> 00:09:42 talked about, we know how good it tastes when those things are gone. And so we long for the day when
00:09:42 --> 00:09:50 they are fully and finally removed. And so in this life where they're still here, in this life where
00:09:50 --> 00:09:58 day-to-day you still have to deal with frailness, with sickness, with relationship breakdown, with your
00:09:58 --> 00:10:08 own failure, we need hope. Hope is essential. But what does hope look like?
00:10:13 --> 00:10:19 It's not that we'll no longer experience suffering or difficulty. It's not that somehow suffering or
00:10:19 --> 00:10:26 difficulty is not as serious as we thought it was. I mean the image here in Romans, I don't know if you
00:10:26 --> 00:10:32 caught it, is that it's like childbirth. Now granted I'm a man, but I can say with a fair degree of
00:10:32 --> 00:10:38 confidence that childbirth is at least a 7 out of 10 on the pain scale. I'm joking, I'm joking, it's
00:10:38 --> 00:10:44 like a 15, it's crazy, I didn't even want to be in the room. But the point being that the pain is still
00:10:44 --> 00:10:51 real. Paul's not trying to shrink it down and go, we've got hope so. It's still there, it still matters,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:59 it's still serious. So hope's not about ignoring it or pretending it's not painful. What does hope look
00:10:59 --> 00:11:09 like? Verse 25, if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:19 Hope is patience. That's not the same as disinterest or apathy, because we already heard in verse 23 that
00:11:19 --> 00:11:29 we're waiting eagerly. So what does eager patience look like? Well verse 26, in the same way the Spirit
00:11:29 --> 00:11:34 helps us in our weakness. So in the same way, it's got to do with patience. In the same way the Spirit
00:11:34 --> 00:11:41 helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes
00:11:41 --> 00:11:47 for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts, that's God, knows the mind of the Spirit,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:52 because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.
00:11:54 --> 00:12:08 Eager patience looks like prayer. Hope is expressed in prayer. Hope is lived out in prayer. And the crazy
00:12:08 --> 00:12:15 part about this is we don't even know exactly what to pray for in our hope and our discontent.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:21 We know things aren't the way they're supposed to be, and so we can pray, God, this sucks,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:26 and that's good, and that's right, and that's valid. But our understanding of what God will do,
00:12:27 --> 00:12:33 of what it will be like, is so partial that we literally don't even know what to pray for.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:41 Christian hope by its nature is not seen. We don't have it yet, and we've never had it.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:49 We've got a little taste. We've got clues from God's Word in the Bible. We look forward to no hurt,
00:12:50 --> 00:12:54 and no sickness, and no pain, and no tears, but we really don't know what that will be like,
00:12:55 --> 00:13:01 because all we've experienced is hurt, sickness, pain, and tears. It sounds appealing, but we actually
00:13:01 --> 00:13:07 don't know exactly what it will be. We look forward to meeting God face to face, but none of us has
00:13:07 --> 00:13:13 experienced that before, so we've got this kind of veiled, non-detailed idea of what it is that
00:13:13 --> 00:13:21 we're hoping for, which could be enough to stifle eagerness. That could be enough for us to get
00:13:21 --> 00:13:27 distracted by some other things and think, you know what, I'm going to hope for holidays, retirement,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:38 something less. But God bridges the gap between what we know and what we need to know by His Spirit.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:44 This is the same Spirit that released us from the power of sin in the beginning of chapter 8,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:51 the same Spirit that drew us into God's family as His sons and daughters, which now intercedes for us.
00:13:51 --> 00:14:01 He guides us in our hope. He takes our imperfect prayers and kind of sharpens them and aligns them
00:14:01 --> 00:14:11 with God's will. It's God's Spirit, so He knows what God's mind is. He knows what it is that we're
00:14:11 --> 00:14:15 looking forward to. He knows it perfectly, and so not only is He adjusting our prayers,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:22 He's slowly adjusting our hearts, slowly adjusting our desires,
00:14:24 --> 00:14:36 aligning our hearts with God's heart, so that as we pray, we're actually being given a sharper image
00:14:36 --> 00:14:43 of our hope. We won't see it fully until we get there, but what's going on here is we're praying,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:49 these imperfect, fumbled prayers that God would fix everything that's wrong, which is good and right,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:54 and the Spirit is taking those imperfect prayers and making them express God's desire.
00:14:56 --> 00:15:02 And when someone intercedes, that's not a one-directional interaction. They go between,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:09 between us and God. So they take our limited understanding and make it a prayer that is in
00:15:09 --> 00:15:17 line with what God has designed, and then they take that prayer that they've sharpened and write it
00:15:17 --> 00:15:25 onto our hearts, so that increasingly our desire lines up with God's desire. Increasingly, our vision
00:15:25 --> 00:15:33 for the future lines up with God's vision for the future. Christian hope looks like prayer.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:40 Prayer because we're eager, because we get this incredible vision, even in its limited
00:15:40 --> 00:15:47 bit that we see, we get this incredible vision of what God has in store, and at the same time patient,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:54 but because we have this deep confidence in the one who has promised to deliver.
00:15:54 --> 00:16:02 But this isn't the same as fatalism either. Christian hope is distinct from the attitude of,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:09 hey, it could be worse, or hey, somebody else has it worse than me, or one thing, things will get better.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:15 Now, there's some overlap there. There's some truth in those statements,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:22 but Christian hope is more than just something that we're waiting for. It's more than that.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:29 Christian hope actually transforms right now as well. It is future. That's what hope is by definition.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 It is something that we look forward to, but it's not just that.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:40 Christian hope actually has power today. Power in your situation, in your circumstance.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 Have a look at verse 28.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:47 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 who've been called according to his purpose.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 We're still in the groaning.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 We're still in the things that we want to change,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 but Paul says confidently, we know,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 not we hope,
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 not fingers crossed,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 not it's my best guess,
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 we know
00:17:05 --> 00:17:09 that in all things God is working for the good of those who love him.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:15 This is one of the best known and quoted Bible verses,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 and it's a good one to have memorized.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:23 We love to quote it when times are tough in our own life or to people around us.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 But how can that be true?
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 What do we mean when we use the word good,
00:17:33 --> 00:17:37 and we're talking to somebody who's just lost a loved one?
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 What do we mean when we say God is working for your good
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 as you receive the diagnosis of cancer?
00:17:49 --> 00:17:52 What do we mean good as you hear the word that you have lost your job
00:17:52 --> 00:17:56 and you will have to work out how to feed your family and pay your rent?
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 Is it like relative?
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 Do we mean, hey, it's not as bad as it could be?
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 At least you're not starving in Africa?
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 Or does the Bible mean,
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 and do we mean when we say it,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 good is in a sense that this is positive,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 this is beneficial,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 maybe even joy giving?
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 What do we mean by good?
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 Good is defined here
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 by God's agenda.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 Verse 29,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 for those God foreknew,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 God's agenda
00:18:48 --> 00:18:52 is that you would be made completely like Jesus.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 Or from last week,
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 in verse 4,
00:18:56 --> 00:19:00 God's agenda is that the righteous requirement of the law
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 might be fully met in you.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 God's design,
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 God's good desire for you
00:19:05 --> 00:19:08 is that you get transformed
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 to the point
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 where you're righteous enough
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 to be able to spend all eternity
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 in the presence of God.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 That's His good for you.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:22 That you might spend all eternity
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 in the presence of the One
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 who is all-powerful,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 all-loving,
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 all-knowing,
00:19:26 --> 00:19:26 creator,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 sustainer,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 judge,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 source of every good gift,
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 in the presence of the One
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 who sent His Son
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 to die in your place
00:19:33 --> 00:19:37 so that you might have eternity in heaven.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 That is the good
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 that God is committed to for you.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 That is the good
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 that it's talking about
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 in Romans 8.28.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 That's the ultimate good
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 that gives context to everything else.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:54 God has raised the bar on good here.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 I think sometimes we get criticised
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 and maybe fairly
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 that we use this verse unhelpfully
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 and that we kind of,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 by good we mean,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 you know,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 survivable.
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 But God hasn't lowered the bar here
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 so that He can use the word good.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 He has actually lifted it.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 Good is no longer defined by
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 I've had a good week.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 things are good at home.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 And God's replaced it with
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 I'm one step closer to heaven
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 than I was.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 God's replaced it with
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 right now,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 in this moment,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 in my pain,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 in my struggle,
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 in my win,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 in my everything,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 God is here walking with me.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 Loving me unconditionally,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 strengthening me,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 enabling me to keep going.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:44 Context is everything
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 when you think about good.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 I've got an illustration
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 that I use in
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 a year six scripture lesson
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 that I used to do annually
00:20:52 --> 00:20:55 as to try and invite kids along
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 to Jesus mostly,
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 but also to join church and youth.
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 And it's about the two roads.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 It's a story that Jesus tells.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 And so I draw up on the board
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 this kind of mountainous goat track
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 with a fence at the front.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 It's hard to find the entranceway.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 And then this just amazingly drawn
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 six lane highway
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 with a big neon sign.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 And ask the kids,
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 which road do you want?
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 And, you know,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 apart from the kid
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 who knows the answer
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 and just wants to cause trouble,
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 everybody chooses the freeway.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 Because the freeway looks straight,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 it looks easy,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 there's plenty of space,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 no one's going to get in your way.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 And that makes total sense.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 But you don't choose a road
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 based on how it looks.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 The point of a road
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 is to get you
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 to where you want to go.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:38 You can't get on the M2
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 if you want to go to the beach.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 You might eventually end up at a beach,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 but it's going to be the long way.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 You choose the road
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 that's going to take you
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 towards the coast
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 because that's where you want to be.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 That's the destination
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 that you're trying to get to.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 We've got to understand
00:21:56 --> 00:22:01 that it is a daily miracle
00:22:01 --> 00:22:04 for us to keep following Jesus.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 The Bible makes it clear
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 following Jesus is the goat track.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 It's the hard path.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 It's more difficult
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 than just doing your own thing.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 It is a daily miracle
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 that God enables us
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 to keep going on that track.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:21 It is God's grace to us
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 that we are able
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 to persevere through difficulty
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 and get that one step closer
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 to the destination
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 that we actually want.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:32 It makes so much more sense
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 if you ignore God
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 to just take the easy road.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 But what we want
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 is not an easy road.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 What we want
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 is something better
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 than an easy life.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 What we want is heaven.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 What we want
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 is all of the problems dealt with,
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 not just the struggle this week.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 We want death taken.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 We want sin taken.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 We want sickness taken.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 We want pain taken.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 We want relational difficulty taken.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:58 God has raised the bar on good
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 because he's given us hope
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 for eternity.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 Our measure now
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 is not how was my week
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 or even how was my year.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 God has given us a vision,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 even just a partial vision,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 that is so good
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 that words can't express it.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 We need the Spirit's help.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 Even our wildest imaginations
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 keep falling short
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 of what heaven is going to be.
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 And so everything
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 from now until then
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 needs to be measured
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 in relation to that good,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 to that destination.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 That's why Paul says,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 I consider our present sufferings
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 are not worth comparing
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 with the glory
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 that will be revealed in us.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 They're still difficult,
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 but they're not worth comparing.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 And so in the context
00:23:44 --> 00:23:46 of marching towards heaven,
00:23:47 --> 00:23:50 even difficult can be good.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:54 When that's the ultimate good,
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 when that's the thing
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 that defines all other good,
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 even painful can be good
00:23:59 --> 00:24:02 because it's taking me
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 to the good that I need
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 and want most.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 Which takes us to our last question.
00:24:10 --> 00:24:15 How do I unlock this kind of power
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 in my life?
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 How do I hold on
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 to that future hope
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 in such a way
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 that it does transform right now?
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 Because it could be
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 that right now
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 you don't have a whole lot
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 of need for hope.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 When we started,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 you actually had a few things
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 in your life
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 that you go,
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 I'd be pretty happy
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 if this locked in like that.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 I like where I live.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 I like my job.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 I like my family.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 Maybe things are going well
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 and so you don't have
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 a whole lot of eagerness
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 for what might be.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 Or maybe you're at the other end
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 and right now
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 it is a struggle for you
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 to be sitting here,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 let alone being told
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 that God's working for your good
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 in whatever's going on
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 for you right now.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:05 In those circumstances
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 and everything in between,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 how do we unlock
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 the power that makes
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 right now good?
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 That makes it possible
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 for you to hold on
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 to the truth
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 that God is actively
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 working for your good
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 in your situation?
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 How?
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 Verse 31.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 What then shall we say
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 in response to these things?
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 If God is for us,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 who can be against us?
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 He who did not spare
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 his own son
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 but gave him up for us all,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 how will he not also
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 along with him
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 graciously give us
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 all things?
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 Hear that again.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 He who did not spare
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 his own son
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 but gave him up
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 for us all,
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 how will he not also
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 along with him
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 graciously give us
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 all things?
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 the foundation
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 for hope,
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 the thing that
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 enables you
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 to look past
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 your circumstance,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 to believe
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 even when it's hard
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 to know exactly
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 what God is doing,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 that he is doing good,
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 is Jesus.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 It's the cross.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 The cross is the place
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 where we take it
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 not just as empty words
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 but as the all-powerful God
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 who is unmatched
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 in his power
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 expressing an unmatched
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 love for you.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 It is God who has
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 everything at his disposal
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 choosing to express
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 his love to you
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 in a way that you
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 cannot ignore
00:26:32 --> 00:26:36 by sacrificing
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 the thing that
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 matters most to him
00:26:38 --> 00:26:41 so that even though
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 you may not know
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 how or why
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 God is doing
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 what he's doing
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 in your life,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 you can know
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 that it is
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 for your good.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 God
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 because
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 why would he
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 hold something
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 small like
00:26:56 --> 00:26:58 your temporary
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 health
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 or your job
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 or a few dollars
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 or a restored
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 friendship back
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 from you
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 when he's already
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 handed over
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 his precious
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 only son?
00:27:10 --> 00:27:19 the all-powerful
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 God
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 the all-powerful
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 father
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 holds nothing
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 back
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 in pursuing
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 your good
00:27:27 --> 00:27:30 that's his agenda
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 in transforming
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 you to be more
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 and more
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 like Jesus
00:27:33 --> 00:27:36 he's taken
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 condemnation
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 he's taken
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 the only thing
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 that could stop
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 you finishing
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 this path
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 that you're on
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 in heaven
00:27:41 --> 00:27:47 and now
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 instead of
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 judgment to fear
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 there's that
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 question in there
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 did you catch it?
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 verse 33
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 who will bring
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 a charge
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 against those
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 whom God
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 has chosen?
00:27:57 --> 00:28:01 and the answer
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 down halfway
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 through verse 34
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 no one
00:28:04 --> 00:28:08 Christ Jesus
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 who died
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 more than that
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 who was raised
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 to life
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 is at the right
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 hand of God
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 and intercedes
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 for us
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 so the one
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 who will judge
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 the one who
00:28:16 --> 00:28:16 will make a
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 decision about
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 whether you get
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 to that glorious
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 hope that you
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 want to get to
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 that hope that
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 has the power
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 to transform you
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 right now
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 and give you joy
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 even in difficult
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 circumstances
00:28:25 --> 00:28:29 the only one
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 who could say
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 no you're not
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 welcome
00:28:30 --> 00:28:33 says here
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 died and rose
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 again
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 and now
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 sits in heaven
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 at the father's
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 right hand
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 forever
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 Hebrews 7
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 says this is
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 his forever
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 job
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 he sits at
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 the right hand
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 of God
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 saying no no no
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 I love them
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 they're one of mine
00:28:49 --> 00:28:52 when you stuff up
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 Jesus is there
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 he's already
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 saying to the
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 father
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 in that moment
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 it's okay
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 I've paid for
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 that
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 he intercedes
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 the judge has
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 gotten off the
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 judgment seat
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 and is standing
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 as your defense
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 lawyer
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 there is no
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 judge left
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 and so your
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 hope is certain
00:29:06 --> 00:29:12 the hope you
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 need
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 to face
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 whatever you
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 are going
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 through right
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 now
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 is here
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 in Jesus
00:29:18 --> 00:29:22 if you
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 lack
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 eagerness
00:29:23 --> 00:29:25 if you've
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 lost sight
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 of how
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 good
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 heaven
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 is going
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 to be
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 then just
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 look at
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 Jesus
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 and see
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 how
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 kind of
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 sad
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 and pathetic
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 the things
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 that you are
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 looking forward
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 to are
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 in reference
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 to him
00:29:36 --> 00:29:38 even
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 even though
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 you don't
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 get it
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 completely
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 understand
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 that if
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 it cost
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 Jesus
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 death
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 on the
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 cross
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 to
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 purchase
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 it
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 for you
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 it's
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 going to
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 be
00:29:45 --> 00:29:45 better
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 come back
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 here and
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 begin to
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 dream
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 about what
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 God has
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 in store
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 for you
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 and begin
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 to live
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 in light
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 of that
00:29:54 --> 00:29:57 if it's
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 hard for
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 you to
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 see
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 how
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 God
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 could
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 be
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 being
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 good
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 to
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 you
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 right
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 now
00:30:02 --> 00:30:05 the
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 hope
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 you need
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 is in
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 Jesus
00:30:06 --> 00:30:09 won't
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 make the
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 pain
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 disappear
00:30:10 --> 00:30:14 but he
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 will walk
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 with you
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 in it
00:30:15 --> 00:30:18 and he
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 will guarantee
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 that there
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 will be a
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 good
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 outcome
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 in it
00:30:21 --> 00:30:24 it may
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 not be
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 the good
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 outcome
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 that you
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 want from
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 him right
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 now
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 but it
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 will be
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 the best
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 kind of
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 good outcome
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 there is
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 it will
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 be heaven
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 it will
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 be another
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 step in the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 journey of
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 preparing you
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 for eternity
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 in the
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 presence of
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 God
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 himself
00:30:39 --> 00:30:42 the hope
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 you need
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 is in
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 Jesus
00:30:43 --> 00:30:46 and lastly
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 if you're
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 not a
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 Christian
00:30:47 --> 00:30:50 if this
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 is your
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 first time
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 in this
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 room
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 or if
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 you've
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 been
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 coming
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 here
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 for 40
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 years
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 but you
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 know
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 you're
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 not a
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 Christian
00:30:54 --> 00:30:57 and you
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 feel that
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 discontent
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 that we
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 started
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 with
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 you feel
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 that desire
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 that something
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 would be
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 different
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 in your
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 life
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 in the
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 world
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 around
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 you
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 the hope
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 that you
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 need
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 is in
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 Jesus
00:31:08 --> 00:31:11 the power
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 to transform
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 your life
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 is in
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 Jesus
00:31:14 --> 00:31:17 the one
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 who loves
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 you even
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 though you
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 don't deserve
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 it
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 the one
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 who dies
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 in your
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 place
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 removes
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 condemnation
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 and invites
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 you into
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 his family
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 if you're
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 not a
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 Christian
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 the hope
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 you need
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 not just
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 for this
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 life
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 but for
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 eternity
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 is here
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 in Jesus
00:31:32 --> 00:31:34 who dies
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 in your
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 place
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 and forever
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 intercedes
00:31:38 --> 00:31:42 what
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 then shall
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 we say
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 in response
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 to these
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 things
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 if God
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 is for
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 us
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 who can
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 be against
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 us
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 he who
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 did not
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 spare
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 his own
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 son
00:31:52 --> 00:31:54 but gave
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 him up
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 for us
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 all
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 how will
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 he not
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 also
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 along
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 with him
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 graciously
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 give us
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 all things
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 who will
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 bring any
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 charge
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 against those
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 whom God
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 has chosen
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 it's God
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 who justifies
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 us
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 who then
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 is the
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 one who
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 condemns
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 no one
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 Christ
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 Jesus
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 who died
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 more than
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 that
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 who was
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 raised
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 to life
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 is at
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 the right
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 hand of
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 God
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 and is
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 also
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 interceding
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 for us
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 who shall
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 separate us
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 from the
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 love of
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 Christ
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 shall
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 trouble
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 or
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 hardship
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 or
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 persecution
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 or famine
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 or nakedness
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 or danger
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 or sword
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 as it's
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 written
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 for your
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 sake
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 we face
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 death
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 all day
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 long
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 considered
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 as sheep
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 to be
00:32:32 --> 00:32:34 slaughtered
00:32:34 --> 00:32:36 no in
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 all these
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 things
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 we are
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 more than
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 conquerors
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 through him
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 who loved
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 us
00:32:40 --> 00:32:42 for I'm
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 convinced
00:32:42 --> 00:32:45 that neither
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 death
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 nor life
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 neither
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 angels
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 nor demons
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 neither the
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 present
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 nor the
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 future
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 nor any
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 powers
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 neither
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 height
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 nor depth
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 nor anything
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 else in
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 all creation
00:32:57 --> 00:32:59 will be able
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 to separate
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 us
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 will be able
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 to separate
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 you
00:33:03 --> 00:33:05 from the
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 love of
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 God
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 that is in
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 Christ Jesus
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 our Lord
00:33:08 --> 00:33:11 Amen