Now that we are resuming services in our buildings, the resources below are a copy of what we will share in the planned services today. In future these service resources will be emailed out fortnightly to those who aren’t able to gather with us in the building.
Preparation
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing
with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm
Join in the words of Psalm 139:1-11,23,24.
Confession
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
All slow to anger and of great kindness.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
All nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
All so great is his mercy upon those who fear him.
All Holy God,
holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.
As far as the east is from the west,
All so far has he set our sins from us
As a father has compassion on his children,
All so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
All and all that is within me bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
All and forget not all his benefits.
cf Psalm 103
Song of Praise
All Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Readings
Our readings this week are Romans 8:12-25 and Matthew 13:24-30,36-43.
Reflection
Would you say you were an optimist or a pessimist? Is your anthem “things can only get better” or “raindrops keep falling on my head.” As we have our first services in person for about 4 months, our attitude to the future might be shaped by our personalities and expectations.
But what about the Christian life? Are we meant to be optimistic or pessimistic about our Christian experience now? Between Jesus’ first and second comings, in our individual stories, what should we expect?
Perhaps you expect struggle: a continual struggle in the slough of despair, the spiritual doldrums of battle with sin, awaiting a dramatic rescue to glory (a flat-line before a sudden peak).
Or do you expect victory: step-by-step progress in the Spirit, hope of freedom from today’s struggles and a progression onwards in joy towards God’s coming future (a bumpy but steadily upward line).
In these recent chapters of Romans we’ve heard threads of both answers. We know that in this life, we continue to struggle in the battle between our spiritual ‘inner beings’ and our fleshly ‘sinful natures’. We know that this battle will be lifelong until we are freed from our mortal bodies. We also know that, because we belong to Christ, we will have victory: “he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).
So are you a spiritual optimist or pessimist? If you’re struggling at the moment then perhaps, like me you’re tempted to be a spiritual pessimist too. Maybe you feel in a spiritual plateau, or this week has at times felt more than you can bear. This chapter of Romans will help us to be optimistic. Not a worldly optimism of hope despite the odds, but the godly optimism of Christian hope. A realistic optimism that knows the gritty reality of our battle and groans yet is full of assurance and hope: a spiritual realistic optimist.
Know you are adopted as royal heirs (v14-17)
Those who have God’s powerful indwelling Spirit have a powerful new identity. We are called to live as newly adopted members of God’s family.
Everyone who has begun trusting in Jesus has received his powerful Spirit. If we have the Spirit, we’re in the family.
We have a new identity as sons of God (v14) — that is sharing the honour, welcome and status of Jesus the Son.
We are adopted and welcomed into the family so that we have a secure and permanent place, not one of fear or insecurity (v15)
And if all this is true then we are heirs of all God’s promises and will inherit everything (God himself and all his gifts).
Imagine an adopted child in their new family. They are welcomed and accepted from the first day, but they need to learn they can trust their new parents. As days go by they will discover that they truly are welcomed, loved, accepted and included. They will grow in confidence that they will not be excluded, shamed or condemned. So with us, from our first moments of Christian new life we are adopted and welcomed into our new family. One of the joys of the Christian life is to increasingly discover the security of our Father’s love for us in Christ.
The assurance is to know we are his. The beautiful picture of verse 15 gives us confidence to come to our Father in intimate prayer. The word Abba (‘Father’ in Aramaic) shows us that we can approach God with the familiarity of those held dear within the family circle.
I’d like to add a work about our experience of human families too. None of us received perfect love from our human parents. I’m sure that there are some here who have been very hurt by family relationships in the past. I understand that it may be harder for you to find comfort in the idea of God as a loving Father. But I pray that you will continue to grow in trust of him. The flawed relationships of this world show us how much we long for and need the true parenting of God. We are offered to begin the journey of adoption with him and grow in increased trust of his love, care and welcome.
Secondly, as we join this new family, we are called to join in the family battle.
Royal heirs must suffer (v12-13, 17)
Following this pathway of the Spirit is joining in the family task. That’s what the end of verse 17 is showing. Literally “if we ‘co-suffer’ with Christ we will also be glorified with him.” Christ suffered to do away with sin, and so we join in the family’s battle against sin and so share in his glorious reunion. The realistic optimism for this age is that Christ’s people share in his suffering. We are led and empowered by the Spirit on this pathway.
One form this suffering takes is that the Spirit leads us into battle with sin. That is clear from our obligation to fight sin in verses 12-13. The writer and leader John Stott comments on verse 13, “There is a kind of life which leads to death, and there is a kind of death which leads to life.” We have been given insight through the gospel to know where each path leads and to know one from the other such that we take the extreme step of seeking to kill our sinful natures. Stott explains that we now have “a clear-sighted recognition of evil as evil, leading to such a decisive and radical repudiation of it that no imagery can do it justice except ‘putting to death’.” [1]
This realism (that suffering is certain) might seem a downcast message but its realism is wonderfully hope-filled.
Groan for the coming glory
The groaning in mind is not the groaning of despair or torment but of hope-filled struggle. Hope transforms suffering. Think on this comparison:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
In the midst of our struggles they can loom over us with such terrifying magnitude that they consume almost all our vision. But Paul invites us to look with eyes of faith and hope.
There are such riches in these verses, but let me briefly draw three implications from the groans of creation, of ourselves and of the Spirit.
Creation’s groans hint to us the scale of how glorious our future will be (v19-22). Things break, corrupt, decompose and fail. Every part of this world groans under a longing for re-creation. But if you’re in the hospital and hear a scream across the corridor, it makes a huge difference to know you’re in the maternity unit. The pains and brokenness of our world are birth pains leading to new life. When we feel the groaning of a creation under bondage, join in the groaning for a world to come. How glorious the scale of that future, that the entire universe currently longs for it.
Also we groan (verse 23). Our groaning leads us in deeper longing for our redemption. We need to feel the weight of verse 23 saying “not only the creation, but we ourselves.” John Piper explains, “even we, even we who have the Holy Spirit, even we who are united to Jesus, even we whose sins are forgiven, even we who will have eternal life, even we who are totally justified, even we who are so loved by God—he works absolutely everything for our good — even we groan waiting for the redemption of this thing. This old, wrinkled, glasses-needing, balding, aching thing called body, even we.”[2] Have realistic expectations that our experience now is full of hope-filled groaning.
The third groaning is from the Spirit (v26). The Spirit’s groaning in prayer assures us of our certain future. Prayer is the voice of faith in action. By it we ask for mercy and long for eternity. We pray “Thy kingdom come.” But what if we fail to persevere in prayer — my prayer is so weak and failing! Even our prayer is underwritten and empowered by the Spirit. He prays in ways we don’t understand at the Father’s throne for us. If the Spirit is praying for us when words fail, we are assured of our future.
Father, give us the godly optimism of Christian hope, that knowing we are adopted into your family we will consider our present sufferings as not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us, in the name of Jesus Christ, whose Spirit empowers our lives. Amen.
Hymn
In our services we will listen to the hymn Great is thy faithfulness.
Prayers
Heavenly Father, our ever-present help in trouble, our fortress and our God: calm the anxious fears of all who turn to you; give strength and healing to those who are sick, and courage and skill to those who care for them; grant wisdom and clarity to those in authority; and humble us all to call upon you that we may be saved not only in this life, but also for that which is to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Merciful God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as pass our understanding: pour into our hearts such love toward you that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
You may like to continue with your own prayers and the Lord’s Prayer.
Conclusion
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
