Sermon Series = “Our Summer in Rome”
Romans 8:12-25 | “Children of God”
There are many things in life that you and I probably don’t understand. For some people it would be modern art.
A young woman goes to her first show at an art gallery. She studies the paintings carefully. One is a
huge canvas that has black with yellow blobs of paint splattered all over it. The next painting is a murky gray color that has drips of purple paint streaked across it. She walks over to the artist and says, “I don’t understand your paintings.”
“I paint what I feel inside me,” explained the artist. She looks at the painting once more and asks, “Have you ever tried Alka-Seltzer?”
Some of us may not understand modern art. Some of us may not understand some kinds of music. Opera, for example. Or maybe forms of rock music.
I read recently that termites eat through wood two times faster when listening to rock music. I didn’t realize that termites listened to music and I don’t know any particular significance to this fact or why I shared it, but I thought it was interesting. There are many things in life we don’t understand.
I also saw a list of the top ten things that men don’t understand about women. Beside each number the line was blank. [Could I get an “Amen” from one of you ladies?]
Once upon a time a couple came to their local police department, wanting to dispose of some ammunition. They handed the desk officer a wooden box and explained that it contained two bullets an uncle had given them as souvenirs from World War II. “We didn’t know what to do with them,” the woman explained. “So, all these years, we’ve kept the bullets in the bottom drawer of the china cabinet, away from our children.” The officer assured the couple he’d dispose of the bullets safely. But when he took one out of the box the top came off, revealing a strange black substance. His suspicions aroused, the officer removed the top of the other bullet and found a hard white substance. The officer was amused. The so-called bullets were in reality souvenir salt and pepper shakers.
This couple had been afraid all those years of a harmless pair of salt and pepper shakers. Of course, they didn’t know they were harmless. In their minds, they had imagined them to be much more sinister. They thought they might explode at any time.
It’s funny how our minds can cause us so much discomfort, so much distress. Sometimes the results can be disastrous.
Paul begins our lesson for this morning with this: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” [vs. 12-13].
The first thing I thought of when I read this was something that he had previously wrote: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 6:23]. That’s one of those verses that many have memorized. My next thought was probably, how does one put to death the misdeeds of the body? But if you keep reading, he answers that question. If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” [v. 14].
In their book, The Missing Messiah, authors Kyle Idelman and Mark Moore write: “The promise to bless the world through Abraham, the way Jesus saw it, was not about outsiders joining in but about insiders going out. Being part of God’s family is no longer based primarily on ethnicity. Those who share Abraham’s faith are adopted into his family tree.”
Paul uses the concept of adoption to illustrate the believer’s new relationship with God. In Roman culture, an adopted child lost all rights in his or her old family and gained all the rights of a legitimate child in his or her new family. Such a child became a full heir to his or her father’s estate. Likewise, when a person becomes a Christian, he or she gains all the privileges and responsibilities of a child in God’s family.
One of these outstanding privileges is being led by the Spirit. “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” [Galatians 4:6-7]. We may not always feel as though we belong to God, but the Holy Spirit becomes our witness. His inward presence reminds us of who we are and encourages us with God’s love.
We are no longer like fearful slaves; instead, we are the Master’s children. What a privilege! Because we are God’s children, we share in great treasure as co-heirs. God has already given us the best gifts: His Son, His Holy Spirit, forgiveness, and eternal life.
As sons and daughters we have the promise of life. As heirs, we have life. Christ is an heir of God, eternally sharing with Him. So, we share alongside Him—heir of what He is heir of.
We need to notice something interesting this morning. Romans 8 is not the resolution of Romans 7. Paul was struggling to do the things he knew he was supposed to do while doing the things he wasn’t supposed to. I think we probably all do that to some small degree. Paul’s, and our intentions are noble and good, but our actions don’t always measure up.
Both of these chapters contain a struggle of epic proportions, yet the struggles couldn’t be more different. Romans 7 is about our struggle with sin. Romans 8 is the struggle of redemption. Sin was waging the war in Romans 7. The Holy Spirit is waging the war of redemption here in Romans 8.
Paul writes: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” [v. 22]. Notice the word groaning.
When we finally make the move from the realm of the flesh to the realm of the Spirit, we cease to be part of the problem and instead become part of the solution to the redemption of the whole world. This shift begins with our heart, moves to our home, grows into our church, and spreads out into our village, town, state, nation, and yes, the world.
Most young children naturally trust their parents, even though parents sometimes fail to keep their promises. Our heavenly Father, however, never makes promises He won’t keep. He has given us hope, but His plan will unfold according to His timetable, and thus certain things may take longer than we expect. What are we waiting for? New bodies, a new heaven and a new earth, rest and rewards, our eternal family and home, the absence of sin and suffering, and being face-to-face with Jesus! Rather than acting like impatient children as we wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled, we should place our confidence in God’s current promises to bring good out of bad situations, to give us divine wisdom for daily living, and to encourage us with peace of heart and mind.
Tony Campolo told a wonderful story about a pastor friend of his who had a deacon in his church. The pastor tried to get the deacon to really open up and let the Spirit of God lead him. Finally, the Spirit led the deacon to conclude that there was one thing he could do in service to God and to others. He could take the youth group to the old folk’s home. Once a month the youth group of this church went to the old folk’s home and put on a little church service for the residents there.
Once this deacon went with the youth and stood in the back of the room. The young people were performing and this man in a wheelchair rolled his chair over to where the deacon was standing, took hold of his hand and held it all during the service. That was repeated the next month and the next month and the next month, etc. They went one Sunday afternoon and the man in the wheelchair wasn’t there. The deacon asked the nurse in charge, “What happened to that man?” “Oh,” she said, “He’s near death, He’s just down the hall, the third room. Maybe you should go in and visit him. He’s unconscious, though.”
The deacon walked down and went into the room. There were tubes. You know how people are when they are just about gone, and lying there was quite an ugly scene. The man went over and took hold of the hand of the gentleman in the bed. Instinctively, led by the Spirit, he said a prayer. And when he said, “Amen,” the old man squeezed his hand. The deacon was so moved by that squeeze of the hand that he began to weep. He shook a little. He tried to get out of the room and, as he was leaving, he bumped into a woman who was coming into the room. She said, “He’s been waiting for you. He said he did not want to die until Jesus came and held his hand, and I tried to tell him that after death he would have the chance to meet Jesus and talk to Jesus and hold His hand. But he said, ‘No. Once a month Jesus comes and holds my hand and I don’t want to leave until I have a chance to hold the hand of Jesus once more.’”
Hope is an essential characteristic of our salvation. In addition to its original contribution to salvation, hope also furnishes motivation and discipline—the very factors that strengthen and stabilize Christian character and devotion. Paul closes our lesson today with this: “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” [vs. 24-25].
Bishop Leah Gregory has been our Bishop since we became a Global Methodist Church and because of Episcopal elections coming up and the realigning of our world-wide mission, las week’s Annual Conference was likely the last time she will be our leader. Bishop Gregory ordained me. It’s her signature on my orders hanging on my office wall. And it’s her signature on this note that was in my ordination packet last year. In her ordination message a week ago this past Friday she reminded us: “Always expect God to show up.”
One morning during Conference Dan Harrell and I had breakfast with Buddy Cooper. In our former denomination Buddy was a District Superintendent and many of us referred to him as “Uncle Buddy.” He was also mentioned at one time as a possible Episcopal candidate.
Buddy shared with us one of his educational tours he led to Rome. He said they reserved this beautiful garden to share Holy Communion and a devotion. As they were wrapping up some gardeners came in to tidy up and Buddy said to them, “Thank you for allowing us to use this beautiful space.” And one of the gardeners said, “This is the Pope’s garden.” Buddy mentioned that the Pope must really enjoy spending time in his garden and the gardener said, “He’s never been here.” Buddy asked, “Do you expect him?” And the gardener said, “Yes, every day.” That’s our hope, my friends. To expect God to show up.
Eastman First Methodist Church 