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WHEN PROBLEMS GET YOU DOWN

August 11, 2024

Sunday Sermon

When Problems Get You Down

Romans 8:14-17


When life hits you with problems, you have a choice to make; you can either become bitter or you can become better. What kind of problems have you had to deal with? 

You may experience the tough stuff of betrayal when your spouse walked out the door and called it quits.

You may experience the tough stuff of sorrow when you stood by the grave of a loved one that had passed away.

You may experience the tough stuff of illness when you discovered you will need surgery.

You may experience the tough stuff of doubt when you felt like God had left you.

Every problem is an opportunity to prove God’s power. 

The Bible is filled with people who endured the tough stuff of life.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers.

Jeremiah was thrown into a well.

Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus.

Jesus was betrayed by His disciples: Judas turned Him over to the Jewish leaders, and the rest turned and ran to save themselves.

Peter and John were beaten for preaching the Gospel.

Paul was beaten and thrown into prison.

Problems are a continuous part of our lives, and sometimes our problems get us down.  In Job 5:7, It tells us we are born into trouble.

 

In this passage of Scripture, Paul is letting us know, “When Problems Get You Down!

 

I.               REMEMBER, THE DELIGHT OF OUR ADOPTION v. 14-15

 

A.   We have a new family – Paul is saying, believers became the “sons of God.” That is, we were removed from the family of Adam and were transplanted into the family of God.  We are literally God’s children.

 

Verse 14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”  It means that those who are in the family begin to act like the family.  For instance, there are certain people in Gospel Tabernacle who sound and act like their parents.  We all develop traits that are similar to the family to which we belong.

 

The same is true in the life of the believer.  If we are truly saved, we will develop traits that are like the father’s family.  The primary trait being that we will be led by the Spirit of God. Every child of God has the Holy Spirit living within him or her.  So, the Holy Spirit will change the life He inhabits.

B.    We have a new Father – Verse 15 says, we have been delivered from the bondage of fear, and that we have been adopted into the family of God.   

 

In ancient Rome being adopted was considered a great privilege.  When a child was adopted, three legal steps were taken.

1.    The adopted son was adopted permanently.  He became the son of the father---forever.

2.    The adopted son immediately had all the rights of a legitimate son in the new family.

3.    The adopted son completely lost all rights in his old family.

When we came to Jesus, we were taken out of Adam and adopted into Jesus.  We have a new father!

C.    We have a new freedom – We are no longer led about by Satan and the whims of the flesh.  Now, we are led by the Spirit of God.  We have been delivered from the bondage of fear that we used to live while we were in our old family.  Now, in Jesus, we are brought into a close relationship with our new Heavenly Father. We have a relationship so close that we are permitted to address Him as “Abba” or “Daddy.”

When problems get you down:

1.    Remember, the delight of our adoption v. 14-15

 

II.             REMEMBER, THE DELIGHT OF OUR ASSURANCE v. 16

 

Not only have we been adopted into the family of God, but we are given priceless assurance of that fact in our hearts, day by day.  “The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.” AMPC (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

A.   Our communion with the Spirit – The Spirit of God spends with the redeemed and this is a truth that the saint of God must not take for granted.  The Holy Spirit leads us and teaches us all we need to know about how to live for the glory of God in this world.

B.    Our confidence in the Spirit – “The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” AMPC

 

The Spirit of God has fellowship with those who are saved by grace and that is one of the surest ways to know that you have been born again.  Only through our spirit can we sense God, experience His presence, and be led by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the Divine Lover of our soul!

When problems get you down:

1.    Remember, the delight of our adoption v. 14-15

2.    Remember, the delight of our assurance v. 16

 

III.           REMEMBER, THE DELIGHT OF OUR AFFLUENCE v. 17

 

We are not only adopted into the family, and is given priceless assurance, but we are also wealthy!

A.   Our privilege 17b – This verse tells us we are the heirs of God.  Our God is wealthy beyond measure.  Psalm 50:10-12, reveals this fact.

B.    Our portion v.17c – Not only are we heirs of God, but we have been made joint-heirs with Jesus (equal heirs with Christ).  God has appointed His Son to be heir of all things.  Every adopted child will receive by divine grace the full inheritance Christ receives by divine right.  Under Jewish Law, the eldest son would be given a double portion of the father’s wealth.  However, under Roman Law, all sons were treated equally.  We are given the same standing before God as His Son Jesus Christ!  Also remember this, we will never be Him, but we are made like Him!  Thank God for this Divine Grace!  Hallelujah!

C.    Our promise 17d – We are conquerors over suffering!  “We suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”  If we suffer any kind of persecution, whether it comes as mockery, ridicule, or physical persecution, our glory in heaven increases.  Read Matthew 5:12a, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”

 

ILLUSTRATION:

One of the most misunderstood experiences in this life is why God allows suffering.  People are quick to accept the good from God but are just as quick to blame Him for their troubles.

 

“In the midst of the movie ‘The Hiding Place’, there is a scene set in the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany.  Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy, are there, along with ten thousand other women, in horrible, degrading, hideous conditions.  They are gathered with some of the women in the barracks in the midst of the beds, cold and hungry and lice-ridden, and Betsy is leading a Bible class.  One of the other women calls out derisively from her bunk and mocks their worship of God.  They fall into conversation, and this woman says what so frequently is flung at Christians: ‘If your God is such a good God, whydoes he allow this kind of suffering?’  Dramatically she tears off the bandages and old rags that binds her hands, displaying her broken, mangled fingers and says, ‘I’m the first violinist of the symphony orchestra.  Did your God will this?’

 

For a moment no one answers.  Then Corrie ten Boom steps to the side of her sister and says, ‘We can’t answer that question.  All we know is that our God came to this earth, and became one of us, and he suffered with us and was crucified and died.  And that he did it for love.

 

The next time you suffer for Christ, remember that…

·      He became one of us

·      He suffered with us

·      He was crucified and died for us

·      He did for love

And through Him you too can conquer suffering.

When problems get you down:

1.    Remember, the delight of our adoption v. 14

2.    Remember, the delight of our assurance v. 15-16

3.    Remember, the delight of our promise v. 17


Responsive Reading: Romans 8:12-17

 

 

 

 

 

 

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