Crisis In The Real World Series

The Crisis in the real World; Message preached at Midway Community Church Oct 31st

Two weeks ago; Christianity for the real World; a belief system that features “life in the Spirit”, and offers: a. Permanent Freedom and no Probation; b. solutions for the Problems we face; c. a Power that never fails, (the Holy Spirit); Last week we looked at the Christian for the real world; “God has given us everything we need for life and godliness”; a. A new Identity; b. a new Indwelling; c. a new involvement; 1. Involved in a real battle; 2. Involved in RESSURECTION LIFE; 3. Involved in a role reversal; 4. Involved in a new relationship;

With this new belief system called Christianity, and with this new believer who has embraced this new belief system, what about the real world? Will I be able to survive and not only survive but to thrive? WHAT ABOUT THE CRISIS WE FACE IN THE REAL WORLD? A WORD HERE TO CLEAR UP MISUNDERSTANDING; Some believe Christianity spares them from suffering and heartache. But the Bible is very clear her. Jesus said;" In this world you will have tribulations” there is no question about it. In fact let us look at some things He told his disciples before He left. Matt. 24:3-22; Paul had a thing or two to say about the issue of conflict for us in the real world; 2 Cor. 4:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:10-12; Peter writes; 1 Peter 1:6; and James 1:1 WHEN not if you encounter various trials; So it is very clear that suffering, trial, troubles will be ours as believers. And it rains on the unjust as well. Many are confused on this issue and it leads them to discouragement, and they become dishearten. The storms will either blow us away or bring us into DEPENDENCY upon Him. Paul helps us put them into perspective. There are three things from 8:18-39 that will help us to weather the storms, and bring us into a deeper dependency upon God.

1. Facing the crisis of the real world; 18-25

2. Our condition and God’s control; 26-30

3. God’ commitment are we convinced? 31-39

Facing the crisis of the real world

How do I face them? Romans 8:18-25

a. V19 CONSIDER AND COMPARE THE PRESENT WITH THE FUTURE; OUR GROANS WILL BE REPLACED BY GLORY; Reference 2 Cor. 4:17. This term he uses tells us a lot about what he did when the conflict came. He would weigh them on a scale, on one side would be the trial and the time, and then on the other side would be the glory and the time of that glory that awaited him. The glory always outweighed the groan. Illustrate the game of football; how they groan getting ready; how they groan getting to score; how they groan when they are hit by the defense, but when they get into the end-zone, when they get home all that they went through before fades THERE IN THE ENDZONE. They don’t talk about the groaning but the glory. One day we are going to make it to the end zone. We are going to be greeted there by the Lord Himself, and with Love and Pride he will say come inside you are home. All of the pain will be forgotten all of the groaning will be replaced with glory. Incomprehensible and incomparable glory. IN YOUR SUFFERING RIGHT NOW JUST TAKE SOME TIME TO CONSIDER THAT OUR GROAN WILL BE TURNED INTO GLORY. SOME DAY WE WILL BE IN THE ENDZONE.

b. V19-22; THE CURSE WILL COME TO A CONCLUSION; Paul uses an analogy here to show us some truth and to give us hope in our agony. The first analogy he gives is in v19, the analogy of adoption. The Roman emperor had no sons and he adopted a son and called him Nero. The whole world was waiting with anticipation on this adoption. It took three years to take place, and there was a tremendous celebration at the finalization of this adoption. Everyone was waiting eagerly for the fuitition of this act. Paul paints this picture with the creation as waiting eagerly for our revealing as God’s son. One day even in the creation the curse will come to a conclusion. No longer will it be suffering under the curse where animals hate each other and the survival of the species takes over common sense. The earth itself will be freed from its cruse. And so will we. The second analogy Paul gives is that of slavery; the book Huckleberry Finn tells of Joe who is a slave and he wants to be free. He hears about a place called Cairo. This is a place where he can live as a free man. His whole life becomes consumed with getting to Cairo. Nothing can deter him; nothing can keep him from getting to Cairo. A slave will not be subject to slavery anymore, so he makes it there. The curse of slavery will not bind us forever. We will be set free from the pain of corruption. And the third analogy he offers is the analogy of childbirth. Pain will give way to joy; our pain will someday be like a mother who once she has given birth to her child almost immediately forgets the pain for the joy of the birth. THE CURSE WILL SOME DAY COME TO A CONCLUSION, WE WILL NOT ALWAYS SUFFER. ONE DAY THERE WILL BE NO PAIN, NO BROKEN RELATIOSHIPS; NO BARREN TIMES BECAUSE WE WILL BE HOME IN GLORY WITH OUR FATHER. ALL OF THIS IS TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE WHAT ABOUT THE MEANTIME WE SEE THIS IN OUR THIRD POINT.