Unlocking Romans Block 4 Session 2

Father God, please help us to uh study Romans well and also shape our understanding and our way to articulate the truth, our way of teaching to be more biblical uh so that we can uh know your truth precisely and we can teach your doctrine precisely uh to guard your the flock you've entrusted us and to feed them and nurture their souls. In the name of Jesus Christ we prayed. Amen. uh Romans 8 uh walk through. Uh I think the audio summary I somehow gave a quite good summary of Romans chapter 8. Uh in Romans chapter 8, how many times did the word Holy Spirit came out? 18 times, right? glorification. Uh so Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 7. Uh so Romans chapter 8. Uh Romans chapter 8. has to be connected with Romans chapter 7 verse 25 the second half and so there is a therefore therefore right so therefore usually this word therefore as a connection to make certain conclusion at a turning point also oh that's why we need to connect this conducted with Romans chapter 7 verse 25 second half. Yeah, just now you raised a good question without Romans chapter 7 verse 25 this or without chapter 8 we may conclude in a very gnostic way also now I know my heart love loves the lord but but my bodies doesn't so that's it uh god knows my heart but this is not what Romans chapter 8 is about Romans chapter 8 is about the redemption of the body. Uh so what is glory and uh redemption of the body? Even if this this statement didn't come out first, but this is actually quite uh central idea of the whole idea of glory, right? And this is related to the material world literally the earth all the creation we say creation. Oh so what's the purpose of creation? Should the earth uh be just burnt and disappear? Well, the way we understand the end of time and the picture we paint is highly related to resurrection. How do we understand resurrection? How do we understand the redemption? Bodily redemption, right? So, so this is a this is also related um related to resurrection. You can try to sort it out by yourself within yourself later. So how resurrection links with the esquetological image and and this is how you understand body right body how you understand how do you understand body if you approach it in a gnostic way then you think this will be gone it's not important uh and and in the same way you will think the material world is not that important it's station uh it's a transition uh it will pass uh but what what Bible really picture is body is not something to be passed but body is to be redeemed and transformed and that's the whole idea of resurrection and body is not uh to be gone but to be redeemed and transformed. So in the same way the earth right the the earth is not to be destroyed but to be re redeemed and renewed. So that's the image painted in revelation. He made everything new. So the renewer, transformation, redemption, uh that's the whole picture of glory. So this bodily redemption because when we talk about redemption it's very easy to think about the spiritual side which is true because in Romans chapter 3 verse 24 it talks about the spiritual redemption uh that the the the heavy price Christ has paid to purchase us so we can be redeemed. So we're no longer a slave displayed on a slave market by a free person and we're no longer the unclean animal, but we're redeemed, right? Uh by the donkey was redeemed by the lamb and to be offered by God. So the one who couldn't be offered by to God can be offered to God because of the redemptive salvation. Uh so that's the meaning of spiritual redemption. But chapter eight is about the bodily redemption because we look at chapter six and chapter seven and we clearly see the struggle inside of man and the sinful habit our body carries and how how should we deal with this body um and u Romans chapter 8 starts in a way there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ and this is a very powerful declaration it's not Paul is saying something he said already in Romans chapter 3. But this is talking to those who still carry the sinful habit in the body and struggle. There is no condemnation. So, so, so if I want to make it um more vivid, it's like God is talking to us. I know I know your heart. You love me and I know your struggle. You want to love me with your whole self, but you can't do it in your body. I will help you. There's no condemnation to you. Uh so no condemnation to the sin we committed in our body. Um and and how did God deal with our body? So how did how does God deal with our body? Our bodies. He sent his son, right? in chapter 8 verse um verse 3 to 4. For what the law was powerless to do because he was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who do not live according to the flesh but according to the spirit. We will do ex Jesus on this passage in the afternoon but let me just make it simple. Uh he sent his son right to have the body have the form of the flesh. So Jesus sent Jesus. So this is the if we want to go and mark second person in trinity. And then moreover how how does God deal with our bodies? Uh he sense the Holy Spirit. I call sense the Holy Spirit. This is the third person in trinity. So that's verse 3 to 4 and this is verse four. And let's do a brief summary. What's the work of the Holy Spirit? The work of the Holy Spirit. What is the work of the Holy Spirit described in Romans chapter 8? Could you do a summary? The spirit helps us. >> Yeah, that's the later part. Yeah. Help us >> intercession. intercede for us. >> Yeah, spirit intercede for us. That's one point. Um but but there are more before that. So it describe Holy Spirit as the spirit of life, right? Life give peace and life. Spirit of peace and life and peace. life and peace and which is related to the resurrection. And this is in verse um six and uh verse 11 and also spirit help you to put your misdeeds of the body to death. That's verse 13. This is actually related is this because holy spirit is spirit of life and then holy spirit become a seal of adoption. The spirit himself testifies with our spirit uh that we are God's children. Let's use the testing device about of our adoption and then spirit intercede for us with uh the grow. Spirit help us in our weakness. This is verse 26. In what way? Intercession. He he prays and he prays for he intercedes for God's people in accordance with God's will. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. And inside of chapter eight, uh he also touched the part of cosmic salvation uh the redemption of all the creation and he also talks about uh the victory the ultimate victory I would say it's part of the glory the victory the victory oh we see more than conqueror I think this is more This is usually described as the person here person of the saints. It's not that we endure to the end but um God God's love is inseparable. The love not of God nothing can It's a very brief uh cosmic summation. Cosmic salvation redemption creation in verse 19 to to 22. This afternoon we are going to uh do aetical exercise on Romans chapter 8 uh verse um verse 3 to 4 just two verses. is to demonstrate how to uh analyze the text and to understand the word of God better. Um then last time you listened to a podcast on Romans chapter 9 to 111 right about how God tell them to Israel his people and they did not fall beyond recovery and a passage about uh oh sorry I forgot one important thing procrastination predestin nation. Which verse is it? Destination 28 to 30. So the concept of glory glorification is wow that's that's your semi I shouldn't say too much it's very massive but not just in Romans chapter 8 it actually you need to find it in the whole Romans but chapter 8 covers quite uh a massive idea of glory and chapter 9 to together. Uh, I want to know how how do you teach chapter 9 to 11 is wrong? And how do you teach chapter 9 to 11? Not so easy to teach and people have a lot of question about predestination. How do you teach Yeah. Not not just about predestination. The whole Romans chapter 9 to 11. >> Yeah. Normally, how do you teach? Do you just read through the text or or do you find it relevant or does the Bible still don't find it better to to their life or easy to understand Okay. only the first person that I saw. I think I think So connecting today about sorry the Holy Spirit helping us. But I think understanding I never really had this vast understand and they gave this example of the guy think about God's history at the moon and the main charact was preparing and everything on the set was preparing and everything was ready when they wanted to start filming and reached the fin of the movie then the main character just couldn't go to to to act anymore. So what will God do? Will God stop the movie? So God is the producer. So will the producer stop the movie after everything? No. The producer has to look for a different meaning. And so we turn to the to the people in the background. acted like in the movie select them to act like the main character. So the the movie was completed >> but the main character lost position as >> so I think the relevance that I find is that at first truly I used to I I was conflicted. God, I I never knew that like I thought God chose the Israelites >> shouldn't fail >> because no because he loved them >> and they're these people because they say, "Oh, Israelites are God's people. The good people are God's people. So what about us? Who are we?" Like, >> you know, what's our point? I question that if the Israelites are his people, right? And I didn't see until I listened to one sermon and the sermon said the Israelites were actually chosen to lead the Gentiles to know God, but they failed that purpose. >> So I saw I saw my brother. It's not that the second character created it just to occupy the earth or something. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. from that analogy and from your explanation and in chapter 9 where from this chapter 9 to 11 he talks about the remnants and it also incorporates you know the Israelites or God's people and not just the people just from this particular area or from this particular bloodline but the ones who believe in God I believe in the faith of Abraham >> so I think it's very relevant because I find my sort of like meaning and purpose. >> So those who believe >> they are the usual. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So I I I think this part is because it it was written in the form of history and deeply uh deeply addressed addressing to Paul's own theological struggle. So at the first glance people may not be able to find the relevance uh and for Jews maybe it's there is a big question in them already and this answer to their question so Paul celebrates about this answer but for those who uh imagine if this letter was read in Romans uh in in in to the Romans u to the Rome Rome believe the sorry the believers in Rome many of them were Gentiles and they may have the same concern oh what's the relevance to me but actually if you dig into the text you will find a lot of relevance right so this is something we need to uh look into relevance of Romans uh chapter 9 to 11 so Romans chapter 2 is relevant because we approach it in the uh typological way and Romans chapter 4 is relevant because it reveal this unchanging nature of the grace right And Romans chapter 9 to 111 is relevant because historically uh it's linked in in this way. Uh so first I think Ki just now shared quite a lot of points already Jews were chosen to save to be the messenger for the whole earth. So in other word, the whole earth need to return to the Lord including us, including all the Gentiles. Everyone needs to worship the law and Jews were chosen to play this important role. And uh the second relevance is the true Israel. So it's by faith not by works which makes the relevance to with of with all the people in Christ. So if we are in Christ if we have faith um we we are Abraham's descendants. So not just the physical Jews. So it's uh beyond the physical And uh the uh relevance can be found in um knowing God's grace of including the Gentiles who don't deserve right. They they they did not know God but God make it the grace to them. So to know the nature of grace in a historic setting nature of grace. and also to call the Gentiles to be humble and grateful not just to God but to to the root to God and to the uh Israel. uh this is the pastoral function direct pastoral function in the first context because there is the conflicts between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jewish believers and the gentile believers and and the Gentiles are the strong one the strong one felt the the weak one had so many so many things to concern. So what's their attitude is uh the the the weak one say the word despise. So the the strong the weak one judge the strong one despise but the weak one judge because they have so many so many concerns and rules and standards. So they pass the judgment to the strong one saying that you're not holy. You're breaking a lot of things. But the strong one despise. They they have this despise. They feel annoyed. Annoyed. Literally. Why I eat with you? I can't eat meat. Why you eat with me? You can't be same as me. I need to be same as you. Right? So literally when I eat together with you, I cannot eat meat. Why can't be in the other way? Why can't you just eat the meat to be same as me? Why I need to be same as you? So that's the heart feeling annoyed, despise. Uh so so there is this despise uh and arrogant image inside of the Gentiles. But Paul urged them to be humble and grateful to God and to the Israel. And and chapter 11 actually came back to this same essence of the gospel but teaching people about the gospel uh that everybody's bound in disobedience and um so that God show mercy on us all. So these are the relevance and how does the predestination of God revealed in Romans chapter 9 to 11. Uh so first thing we need to look at is what is unchanging right predestination preset destination it's something unchanged no matter what happened in the middle. So what is the unchanging part? >> What is unchanging will in what? So make it specific. So firstly is God from the beginning he wants to save everyone. Right? This is first unchangeable thing. God wants to save all the nations. And secondly, uh uh the people the the election is uh by grace from the beginning and should be received by faith. So it's related to the concept of Israel. or Abraham's descendants. So it was not God realized now the physical Jews, the national juice didn't work well. So let me extend idea to include a spiritual Jews. No, it's not a um uh supplementary solution. It is the the will from the beginning. From the very beginning, God's choose election is by grace. And from the beginning, the faithful one inherits the history. From the beginning, this idea of Israel is not is never done just mere physical national but but by faith. >> So So this is what's from the beginning. Uh, what else? What else? Unchange. God's love for Israel, right? It's unchanged from the beginning to the end. So they didn't fall beyond recovery. Even if they fail their commission, they failed to be the messengers of the nations. And God himself make his voice be heard and and and but God still loved them and used the Gentiles to provoke them to repent and to know that uh salvation is never gained by works but by God's grace. So God's love for the Israel never changed. And also there's one more thing which is related to this one. I want to write this God's voice be heard by the nations. This is related. Um but but I want to make it a separate point because uh because it was stated specifically in in Romans that he's voice is resounding in the universe, right? Uh the um let me just yeah uh verse 18 chapter 10 verse 18 but I ask delay not hear of course they did their voice has gone out into all the earth their words to the ends of the the world. So the words from the prophet uh is actually going to the whole earth. So even even if the messenger fail, the Israel, the national Israel fell, um God's voice is still heard by the nations, gone to the end of the earth. Um so uh this is something unchanging. It's not a reaction to the situation. uh and if we want to uh make the uh conclusion is his love is never changed. This is the predestination of love. His love and his grace never changed. And the more evil human beings are, the more miserably human beings fail. God revealed even greater love or we will say the greater grace is revealed. It's not God use greater thing but but the grace is revealed in a even greater form all the more. So it's not just in a personal setting. In a personal setting, yes, where sin increases, the grace increases all the more. But in a historic setting, it's the same. When Israel fails, uh the Gentiles who don't deserve to receive the grace receive the grace just like the one who came late and didn't work receive one uh silver coins, the the wage uh not the wage, the pay. uh that reveal the grace even more. It's not God gave the master gave the late the one come later more money the one come first less the same amount but because they didn't work they work for only one hour uh so so it became the grace so it's revealed revealed even more greatly so going against the failure of man god's grace reveals even more also in a historic setting Historic setting uh is when the scene of oh okay that I will just write this way when Israel Israel failed uh the great greater grace of God reveals even All the more when the when the evilness when the sin of Israel increases the grace of God reveals all the more through through the Gentiles through the salvation going to the Gentiles. It's up to chapter 11. Okay, then let's end here and after the lunch break, we'll come back at 2:00 p.m. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the time we can have to study your word, to study this very deep and profound book of Romans. Uh father we pray the word uh can be relevant to our hearts to our life and to our ministry and we can really see your grace and your love which help us to be the conqueror more than to be more than conquerors. In the name of Jesus Christ we prayed. Amen. Our father who are in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.