Look at the Book
Romans 8: The Greatest Chapter
In this session of Look at the Book, I want to give a brief introduction to the 30-part series of sessions of Look at the Book on Romans 8, the greatest chapter in the Bible. To do that I'd like to provide you with just a few thoughts about method, so that's what we'll do first, the method and your expectations of what's coming and how to best expectations of what's coming and then secondly to give reasons for why I think this is the greatest of all chapters in the Bible and then third I'd like to pray with you and maybe even say a word about why prayer figures into these sessions. So first, a word about method. I think it's important for you to think of what I'm doing as illustration and what you do with it as adaptation. Rather than thinking of what I do as demonstration and what you do with it as replication. That's going to disappoint you and it won't be fruitful. So think of me as illustrating and you adapting to different texts, lots of them, rather than me as demonstrating and then you trying to replicate what I do on that or another text. Think of me as a botanist and I'm looking at a daisy and then you're going to look at a rose and I'm looking at the daisy and I say oh look it has petals around the outside, they're protruding pretty much straight out and they're white and they're elongated and if you look really closely they have little lines, I think two lines, down the petals and dividing the petals into three parts you can barely see and then they're all attached distinctly and you can see where they're attached to this yellow center and I could go on and on and you take that way of observing a flower and you go over to the rose and instead of replicating and say this rose has white petals and they're protruding and they're elongated, no you say oh look it's got petals but they're red and they're not attached at the center the same way and they're all folding up around each other and they're not elongated, I don't see any little lines, rather I see these little protrusions on the edge and I don't see any yellow center at all, maybe it's in there, maybe the petals have to die and fall off, in fact I noticed that on the stem it's got thorns and the daisy didn't and so you're seeing different kinds of things than I did, in other words what I'm trying to do is, maybe these four things, one would be to illustrate a way of asking questions and secondly I'm trying to illustrate a way of seeing relationships and I mean relationships between words and relationships between phrases and relationships between clauses and sentences and third I'm trying to illustrate a way to ponder words and to get to their deepest meaning, I don't dig in and not just take the word as it stands but probe in there and try to replace it with other words and get to the root of what an author is really saying and then fourth I'm trying to illustrate a way to get through the details of a text to the vision, the big picture of meaning that releases worship and obedience. So that's enough on method, to just set your expectations properly for seeing illustration and you doing adaptation rather than seeing demonstration and you doing replication. Second question now, why do I think Romans 8 is the greatest chapter in the Bible and I've got seven reasons and here they are, I'll just read them to you and make a brief comment on each one, there is no other chapter in that more deeply or fully deals with the brokenness of the physical universe and how it got that way and what will become of it like Romans 8. So it's a really big picture chapter, number two, there's no chapter that expresses with more clarity or power, the infallible and unbreakable linkages of our salvation from predestination to glorification, that great verse 30 especially where it says, those of me predestined, he called and those of me called, he justified and those of me justified, he glorified what an unbreakable chain of security. Third, there is no other chapter that combines the intercession of the Holy Spirit in us with the intercession of the Son for us in the service of the never failing love of God over us. It is simply stunning how the Trinity conspires together in this chapter to keep us for himself. Fourth, there is no other chapter that more explicitly or repeatedly juxtaposes puts together the necessary horrors of our suffering with the utterly assured grander of our glory that moves with such force through suffering to a crescendo of unshakeable hope. It is remarkable. You wouldn't expect in certain places that he would describe the suffering as terrible as it is like in verse 35 and 36 as he's trying to build hope into our lives but that makes it all the more powerful. Number five, there is no chapter that deals more directly and tenderly with our struggle to know that we are the children of God, a struggle for assurance and to have the witness of the Holy Spirit. How precious these verses are especially here and then at the end, that amazing firmness of God's love for us. Number six, there is no chapter with a more sustained litany of privileges, securities and assurances, privileges, securities, assurances to hold us firmly in the keeping love of God. And then number seven, there is no other chapter in which so many glorious truths are marshaled to help us obey only one implied command, any live by the Spirit, not the flesh and so fulfill the whole law, that is love one another. It is amazing that the magnificence of this chapter should all stand in the service of the here and now and help you love your enemy, love your friends, love the church in a radical risk taking sacrificial way that glorifies God, which leaves us just simply to pray. And the reason for prayer is that in Ephesians 6, 17 to 18, it says, take the sword of the Spirit, praying. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying. The Father, I pray over this whole series that you would do what I cannot do and what those who are watching cannot do. We cannot change our own hearts. We cannot open our blind eyes. We cannot cause ourselves to feel wonder. Only you can do that. You can produce obedience. You can produce worship, which is what we long for in Jesus' name, amen. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]
Pastor John introduces a new series focused on Romans 8. First, he spends a couple minutes helping you make the most of Look at the Book. Then, he gives you seven reasons why Romans 8 is the greatest chapter in all the Bible.