Eric Schroeder

Romans 8:11-19

The Spirit Leads us

from slavery to sonship (vv. 12-16)
from suffering to glory (vv. 11, 17-19)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

TEXT: Romans 8:11-19 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. ¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ¹³For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

Introduction: Two of the most well-known military leaders in this country's history are Ulysses S. Grant and George Custer. Of course, if you know much American history at all, you know that the two leaders are remembered for different reasons. One became the 18^th president of the United States and now appears on the face of the $50 bill. The other is remembered for leading about 200 soldiers against a band of 7000 Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. General Grant takes the credit for winning the Civil War; Lt. Col. Custer takes the blame for the death of all 200 of those soldiers, including himself. Obviously, leadership is important. The leader can make a big difference in the outcome of a battle.

In the book of Romans, Paul describes the daily battle that each believer fights. In this daily battle, we are confident because we don't have to fight all by ourselves. Instead, we find comfort in the fact that we have the best possible leader. THE SPIRIT LEADS US: From slavery to sonship, and from suffering to glory.

Of course, at the time we are born, we don't stand a chance in this battle. Paul says we are spiritually dead in sin. We don't even want to fight it. Every thought, every word, every deed is enslaved by sin. By nature all you can do is smother everything that is sacred and praise what is perverted. That's what you were born into. You were all alone, with no hope, no future to look forward to. But the Holy Spirit changed all that. You see, even though you were dead in sin, the Spirit led you to a new life in Christ. The Spirit created a new free man where there was only flesh enslaved in sin. In an amazing turnaround, the Spirit led you from slavery to sonship!

Paul describes the contrast between the old and new ways of life. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Again, notice what would have happened without the Spirit to lead you. If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die! Living without the Spirit has only one result: eternal death in hell, completely cut off from God's love and his blessings. But that is not our fate! No, because the Spirit Leads us! Because you have the Holy Spirit leading you, you are able to live: you have new life as God's own child. This new life means a new attitude, an attitude of gratitude for the sacrifice Jesus made in our place. Jesus, the Son of God, perfectly pleased his Father, with the result that we have been adopted as God's own sons and daughters.

Would any child willingly leave his or her family for a life of slavery? I don't think so. But that is what Paul warns us about here. God calls you his son, his daughter! Don't abandon the Spirit's lead and turn back into that slavery!

But sometimes it seems like we can't help ourselves, can we? The Old sinful flesh in us keeps trying to lead us back into slavery and fear. In a sense, we are all like people recovering from addiction. We have a sinful nature that makes every attempt to trigger a lapse back into that addiction to sin. Our flesh demands the satisfaction that only disobedience can bring. Temptation taunts us every day to quit worrying about the "little" sins (it can't be that bad to want the things God hasn't given us, can it?): a little greed here or there, a lustful desire every now and then, an uncaring word to a family member, a disrespectful attitude toward our employer or teacher. Dear friends, there is no such thing as a "little" sin. Each sinful thought, word, and deed has the potential to lead us away from our Father. If you ignore the seriousness of your sin, you may soon feel all too comfortable living as a slave to sin. But remember, The Spirit leads us from slavery to sonship! No, you can't recover on your own, but you have a leader who gives you the reason and the power to live a new and holy life.

By that Spirit we cry, "Abba, Father!" What makes you so special that you can call a Holy God your Father? In other words, how do you know that you are God's son or daughter? Listen to Paul's words from Galatians chapter 3: ²⁶You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit worked in water and Word to assure you of one thing: God sees you in the robe of righteousness Jesus earned for you. The Spirit made you a child of God by planting a saving faith in you. That same Spirit strengthens your faith every time you hear the gospel of Christ. The Spirit leads us by reminding us how Christ came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for each one of us. He poured out his blood as the only price that could free us from slavery. He broke the chains of the grave to guarantee your freedom from death. The Spirit leads us to grow as God's children every time we come to the table of the Lord's Supper. This meal refreshes our burdened souls and guarantees life and forgiveness to all who eat and drink Christ's body and blood. In Word and Sacrament, the Spirit leads us from slavery to sonship, and produces fruit in our lives. As beloved sons and daughters, we want to show our appreciation with fruits like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You are no longer a slave to sin; you are God's son/daughter. All because The Spirit leads us.

It's a great comfort to know that we are God's children. At any time, we have the benefit of being able to approach our Father in prayer. Especially when we hurt, when we fall, when we struggle against the pains of this world, we look to our Father for answers. And what does he give us? He gives us his Spirit to lead us onward. We know that the Spirit leads us from slavery to sonship, and now God promises to us that his Spirit will also lead us from suffering to glory.

Paul writes, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Notice how Paul puts the icing on the cake here. He already told us how God loved us so much that he adopted us as his very own; now he adds the fact that we are heirs of glory. Yes, for a time we will suffer in this sinful world, but look at how Paul compares this suffering with the future glory. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." In other words, there is no comparison whatsoever! If you try to put suffering on one side of the scale and glory on the other, it's not even close to balancing out! Paul is almost saying that you can't speak about both in the same breath! Do you think the ridicule you may take now for being a Christian will matter at all when you are in heaven forever? Don't you think the discomfort of sharing Law and Gospel with relatives is worth spending an eternity with your loved ones? Do you think that spending a little more time or money for the spread of the Gospel will in any way be a burden when you are living in a mansion Jesus himself prepared for you? Absolutely not! Paul is saying, "Suffer for just a little while, because this isn't even close to how good it's going to be in heaven." The Spirit is leading us from suffering to glory.

That glory is guaranteed. It's our sure inheritance. Paul says that each one of you has your name printed as a beneficiary in God's will. This legal document, signed in the blood of Christ, assures you that no matter how poor you may feel now, no matter how lonely you feel at times, no matter how devoid of glory your life is in this world, it's going to get a whole lot brighter. Since the Spirit leads us from suffering to glory, we always have something to look forward to. We always have an eternal life with God's Son on the horizon. Yes, Paul puts it in terms of spiritual dollars and cents in his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, chapter 8: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. You have a glorious inheritance. Never lose sight of that. When your health fails, when your job stinks, when people let you down, when loved ones pass away, you feel like you have nothing left. But remember, as God's children, you are rich!

Sure, for a little while, we will suffer. We still live in a sinful world. We still have an Old Adam that we struggle against every day. We as Christians will still be the minority, the ones people call strict, or brainwashed, or insensitive, or worse. But we aren't suffering alone. No, we have the Spirit leading us from this temporary suffering to eternal glory. Unless Jesus comes back in our lifetime, which he certainly could, the Spirit will raise our dead bodies and all those who have already fallen asleep in Christ. And Jesus will take us, in our glorified bodies, to see our Father face to face.

One of my favorite hymn stanzas is the last verse of "Amazing Grace." I love how it captures the concept of an eternity of glory. These words make our suffering seem all the more temporary when compared with the lasting joy of heaven. I'm sure many of you know it already, but it goes like this:

When we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.

The Holy Spirit has led us from slavery to sonship. May he continue leading us through our present sufferings until we enjoy the eternal glory that Christ has won for us. AMEN.

Votum: (Rom. 15:13) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.