God's unquestionable love

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 8:31‭-‬39 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

We are a deeply fearful and fear driven people. This is the nature of our sinful hearts. Even in this modern age with modern medicine, peacetime, food, and shelter, we are still fearful in this nation. With limited access to information via our personal devices, it can exacerbate rather than assuage our fears.

Why do we fear so much? Because we fear God so little.

Fear of sufficient provision

Paul addresses this fear by speaking of greater needs being met. God gave us his son graciously. This is such a difficult and hard thing, how then can God withhold anything else from his people? If God would not spare his own son, God would do anything for his people. God paid an unimaginable price for his rebellious and sinful people. This is our security. God will withhold no good thing from us.

Fear of others

Will other people judge us? There is no condemnation in Christ. It is repeated over and over again in the word. Many people will condemn us for our sins. This is not those who reveal our sins, but those who accuse us as unacceptable. That God finds us lacking. But God is the ultimate and final judge. No one can overrule Him. He declares us righteous by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is our defender and advocate. God is the one justifies and he has done so. There is no one to overturn God's verdict.

Fear of separation from God

Is there anything that will make Christians fall away from God? Is there anything that makes God lose his grip on us? This list by Paul is not something we understand here in America. This is literal for Christians around the world. Not small inconveniences, but real affliction for the sake of Jesus. What does it mean to be more than conquerers? In Christ, all our enemies and their efforts to destroy us bring about our good and glory. Satan attempts to separate us from God. But he can only grow us in holiness. He cannot destroy or condemn those in Christ.

All Things For Your Good

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. - Romans 8:28‭-‬30 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

What does salvation look like?

Those who love God. It is that we desire God above all other things. There is no qualifying amount or maturity of our love for God. It is only that we desire Him and wish to grow closer to Him.

For what purpose?

We are saved for our salvation and glorification. And what does that mean? It means we will be like Jesus.

What is promised?

God is absolutely sovereign. He works all things.  Matthew 10:29-30 Job 2:9-10

God is absolutely good.

God ordains all things, both the best and worse things, only for your ultimate good. It is not to say that we redefining good and bad. Sin is evil. A crime committed against you is still a sin. Your sins against others are still evil. 

The best example of this is the cross. Jesus, the perfect innocent son of God, died a horrific death for crimes he did not commit. God ordained it. And it was for our ultimate good. The sins and messups in our lives are not something to our shame. It isn't like we are on God's plan B or C. God uses even these things for our good. God may purposely let us struggle with sin. He may let us fall into some sins over and over again. Why? It is so that we can understand grace. Not just an intellectual understanding, but to understand in our hearts.

All Things For Your Good

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. - Romans 8:28‭-‬30 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

What does salvation look like?

Those who love God. It is that we desire God above all other things. There is no qualifying amount or maturity of our love for God. It is only that we desire Him and wish to grow closer to Him.

For what purpose?

We are saved for our salvation and glorification. And what does that mean? It means we will be like Jesus.

What is promised?

God is absolutely sovereign. He works all things.  Matthew 10:29-30 Job 2:9-10

God is absolutely good.

God ordains all things, both the best and worse things, only for your ultimate good. It is not to say that we redefining good and bad. Sin is evil. A crime committed against you is still a sin. Your sins against others are still evil. 

The best example of this is the cross. Jesus, the perfect innocent son of God, died a horrific death for crimes he did not commit. God ordained it. And it was for our ultimate good. The sins and messups in our lives are not something to our shame. It isn't like we are on God's plan B or C. God uses even these things for our good. God may purposely let us struggle with sin. He may let us fall into some sins over and over again. Why? It is so that we can understand grace. Not just an intellectual understanding, but to understand in our hearts.

The Spirit of Adoption

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.- Romans 8:14‭-‬17 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

God is our true, perfect heavenly Father. All that we do is in response to our father. We are empowered by the Spirit to fight sin. Paul brings us our status with God to encourage us. It is to assure us. Paul brings up adoption as the picture of fatherhood.

Christianity is about being brought into a family. This brings along privileges as children in God's family.

The certainty of our adoption

If you are being led by the Spirit to fight sin, then you are children of God. This is the leading of the Spirit. We learn to dispise sin and kill it. It is not looking for making the best decision for careers, dating, marriage, buying a house, etc. It is the desire to fight sin in our lives.

We are sure of our adoption because of the great cost. Our adoption was paid for by the blood of Jesus. It doesn't matter what we've done or who we are. The cross tells us that we are God's children. No doubt.

The characteristics of our adoption

There are two spirits. The spirit of slavery makes us fearful. But adoption gives a sense of intimacy, discipline and family resemblance. The call to God is not a quiet recitation, but the cry of a child to their father.

Does your spiritual walk today lack joy? Then cry out to God. God will happily answer your prayer for joy in following God.

Parents discipline their kids. Fathers will place their kids in challenging situations and help us to grow. Only illegitimate children are left to their own devices. God will sometimes place is into difficult situations to help us avoid more painful situations later. This is God's love for us.

The pain of discipline is not pointless. God does this to purify us and make us holy. This is so that we begin to resemble God more and more in our life. This is the long direction of the Christian's life.

The confirmation of our adoption

The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are children of God. Not only do we witness ourselves to God's love, but the Holy Spirit testifies as well. So when we are discouraged, God's Spirit pushes us to remember our status. We are children of God.

Not only this, but we will suffer. We will suffer along with Christ. Not First World Problems, but suffering for Christ. Insults, shame, and even threats of death. That is guaranteed. Are we too comfortable? Do we exhibit the light of Christ to the world?

In addition to this suffering, we also inherit glory. We will be perfect and have a place in heaven with Jesus. The riches of God are ours. A place where we will be fully accepted and welcomed forever.

Minding the Things of the Spirit

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.- Romans 8:5‭-‬11 ESV

Pastor Paul Kim

Those who live according to something will set their minds on it. Paul contrasts living by the Spirit and by the flesh. This isn't a call to be more moral. It is entirely different.

What it means to set our mind on the flesh

The word flesh does not mean just the physical body, but all of human nature. It refers to the corruption of not only the body, but also our hearts and minds. Our entire nature has an anti-God bent. We seek to oppress the truth of God. We wish to rebel against God, against the word of God. Our minds are filled with shame and worry that show our lack of trust in God. It is a selfish focus that says the Christ is not sufficient. Vulnerability and transparency is something we talk about but never do. We have to put on a good front. We fear the loss of our comfort and safety. We protect these things at all costs rather than trusting in God's provision and protection.

To focus on these things means death. Not physical death, but a hopelessness. We will lose a sense of hope.

What it means to set our mind on the Spirit

To focus on the things of the Spirit results in life and peace. We don't grasp the Spirit, but it works on us. This is given to us by the grace of God, not something we can produce on our own.

What does this new life look like? We learn what pleases God. We learn what is sin and what is not sin. We begin to hate sin and things that displease God. Not only do we know what sin is, but we begin to hate them. But we don't hate them because they are wrong, but rather we hate them because they grieve God. Not only do we hate sin, but we grow in love. We grow in our love for God and other people. Love of God is seen in our delight in His law. Love of others is seen in how we love those who are difficult to love.

We move from selfish focus to looking to the glory of God. We become kingdom focused. Christianity is not about getting a ticket to heaven. It is about living for a king, the king of Kings. It is seeking discomfort for the benefit of another. That is the gospel. We are out to seek to make others flourish. That is what it means to live for the things of God.

The grace found in the Spirit of God

We will still find ourselves in sin. But the Spirit is working, there is daily struggle, but there is a progressive turning. The struggling is in itself a sign that we are in the Spirit. There is nothing in  fallen human nature to incite us turn to God. That is the work of the Spirit. So what then? Try harder? No, Paul makes no such command. Instead he speaks of a change in authority, in loyalties, in allegiances. "You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit" He makes a declaration that our identity is belonging in Christ. All this change will come eventually through the struggle, but we are in Christ. That is not something we become or earn.

No Condemnation

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:1‭-‬4 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

This passage is considered the most hopeful of the entire Bible. There are no commands or imperatives. It gives the clearest picture of sin and God's grace.

Our innocence

Christ's delivery of us from death gives us great security. By faith, we are once and for all declared righteous. Before Christ, there was the law and the sacrifice of animals for sin. Now, in Christ, salvation has finally come.

Our freedom

The law of Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. The spirit has released us from the law of following commands and reaping death for our sinfulness. Jesus came in flesh so that God could condemn sin via Jesus. So sin is condemned, but we find freedom and life. Jesus takes on the sin of all believers for all time. He is condemned and forsaken by the heavenly Father. The innocent one becomes mired into raw liquid sin. So we will never be forsaken or condemned. Justification and sanctification always go hand in hand.

Our growth

What do you love now? Jesus, the one who's saved you through the cross? Or the greed, envy, anger, lust, & selfishness that put Him there?

So how do we kill sin?

1. Hate your sin. (What it does to you and those around you... Don't become desensitized to what sin is doing)
2. Starve it. (Don't feed your indulgences)
3. Quarter it. (Sin has allies. There are some conditions give sin an advantage over us. So keep away from circumstances like that)
4. Lean on God. (He is always fighting with us to kill sin. He does not give up on us.)

I have kept the faith

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. - 2 Timothy 4:1‭-‬18 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

The Bible charges us to finish well. Not only that, but we are given promises to empower us. We are not Paul and we are not like him, but we can strive to be like him in spirit.

Remember what our finish line is

Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead. There is two judgements coming. One in the ultimate judgement given to those who do not have faith in Jesus. Another is for the believers who will have to give an account of how they lived their lives. Paul considers his life to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. Not to waste his time on things that have no impact.

When Jesus comes back, those who yearn for Him will be rewarded with a crown of righteousness. What does this mean? It means that we are to desire Jesus' return rather than anything of this world. We want Him more than whatever we have in this life.

What should we focus on?

Preach the word, in season or out. We are to share the word in word and deed. This is more than just reading and knowing the word. It is to make His word known. We can set aside hours for quiet time, study, and learning. But above that, we are to live out the word in our lives. We are to prepare to share the word with our friends and neighbors.

Stay away from becoming intoxicated by worldly desires. We need to focus on what God desires. Not to say that we need to avoid all worldly pleasure, but that we keep in mind God's mission for us.

Remember that Jesus stands by our side

Paul spoke about how some believers deserted him during his trials. Trial and desertion is normal. When you want to serve, you will often find that people will check out or not support you. Paul isn't just saying Jesus is trustworthy. Paul was strengthened by Jesus. He knows our needs and intimately understands temptation.