Hello everybody, and welcome in to episode 144 of the Bible 2021 podcast. We are reading Romans 8 today and our focus is on  Two of the Most Hopeful Bible Verses There Are – Both in the Same Chapter! We are a daily 10 minute podcast, where we will dig in to the truth of the Word of God by reading one Bible chapter a day and discussing it. Welcome to new listeners in .  Thanks for listening!  Our goal is to encourage DAILY Bible reading, so you can jump in at any time and join with us. We want to invite as many people as possible to join us in daily Bible reading, so help spread the word and share the podcast Don’t forget about our web-page, Bible2021.com – contact page, show notes, transcript and more– Click here for our Bible 2021 reading plan\

I find Romans 8 to be among the most hope-filled passages in the entire Bible. Just before the Holy Spirit through Paul leads us into one of the most controversial Bible chapters that exists – Romans 9 on election and predestination – we are absolutely filled with hope in Romans 8. As an honest confession, this episode began as a reflection on ONE of the most hopeful passages in Scripture. Then, as I read deeper into Romans 9, it became TWO of the most hopeful verses in Scripture, and then, you guessed, as I kept reading and re-reading, it grew to THREE of the most hopeful verses in the Bible, and then – after I had written that whole preceding paragraph, it finally grew into FOUR, and I realized that ‘four of the most hopeful verses in the Bible was a dumb title for a podcast, so I had to change it to, “the most hopeful Bible chapter there is?” Yes, I’ve changed the title of this podcast four different times, and my final title might be pretty bad too, but you have to admit that this chapter is amazingly and unusually full of hopeful Bible verses and soul stirring truths. Without even going into our four main highlight verses, let’s look at some of the other hope-filled verses in today’s chapter:

• vs. 15 ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”
• vs. 16-17a ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ
• ²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.
• vs 32 ³² He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
• vs. 34 ³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us

If I keep going, I’ll just read the whole chapter.

And, here are our four verses that couldn’t be any more filled with hope: (These are like nuggets of Rhodium in a field of pure gold….and if that doesn’t make sense, then go look up the value of Rhodium. Nah, don’t do that – I’ll do it for you: $27,250 per OUNCE)

1. Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,”
   Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” and a Christian is someone who lives a “no condemnation” life.
   Nothing can charge you. Your record is clean. Now do you know what that means? The Bible calls it peace with God. Romans 5:1 says, “… since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God …” That’s not the same thing as the peace of God. The peace of God is a feeling. It’s a wonderful feeling. It’s great to feel the peace of God, but we’re talking about peace with God. This is an objective thing. This means the hostilities are gone. This means because of what Jesus Christ did God is for you. His wrath and his love blaze for you and not against you. He is your ally. He is your protector. He is your friend. He is your Father.Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).
2. Romans 8:28, “²⁸ We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.“‘We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). This is a most precious Scripture, pregnant with its consolation, to all believers in all conditions, a pillar of comfort to all distressed saints. Let us look a little nearer to it.
   “ ‘We know.’ Mark the certainty and evidence of the proposition, which is not built upon a guess or remote probability, but upon the knowledge of the saints; we know it, and that partly by divine revelation, God has told us so; and partly by our own experience, we find it so.
   “ ‘That all things.’ Not only things that lie in a natural and direct tendency to our good; as ordinances, promises, blessings, etc., but even such things as have no natural fitness and tendency to such an end; as afflictions, temptations, corruptions, desertions, etc., all these help onward. They—
   “ ‘Work together.’ Not all of them directly, and of their own nature and inclination; but by being over-ruled and determined to such an issue by the gracious hand of God: nor yet do they work out such good to the saints singly and apart, but as adjuvant causes or helps, standing under and working in subordination to the supreme and principal cause of their happiness. … Afflictions and desertions seem to work against us; but being once put into the rank and order of causes, they work together with such blessed instruments as the Word and prayer to a happy issue. And though the faces of these things, that so agree and work together, look contrary ways; yet there are, as it were, secret chains and connexions of providence betwixt them, to unite them in their issue. There may be many instruments employed about one work, and yet not communicate counsels, or hold intelligence with each other. …Even so it is here, Christian; there are more instruments at work for thine eternal good than thou art aware of.C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors’ College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 117.
3. Romans 8:31, “³¹ What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? “
4. Romans 8:35-39, “³⁵ Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“ (I know that I just read four verses – they can’t be separated, in the same way that Jesus answered the question of what the first and greatest commandment was by quoting two commandments.

So, let’s read our passage, and then discuss these four hope-filled Bible passages!

Bible Memory verses for the month of May: Matthew 28:18-20 ¹⁸ Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”   

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