What Are You Praying For? | Enduring Hope

Are you holding onto hope for someone you love?
 Do you ever feel like giving up when nothing seems to change?
 Where do you find strength when life feels like a spiritual battle?
 
 In the middle of real struggle, Jesus meets you with good news. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he sets you free from sin and brings you into the family of God. This gospel is a foundation that holds when everything else feels uncertain. The Holy Spirit reminds you that you belong to God, not as a distant idea but as a deeply loved child, and that truth steadies your heart with enduring hope.
 
 You are not alone in the fight for hope. When discouragement whispers that nothing will change, the Spirit speaks a better word over your life. You are a child of God, an heir with Christ, and your story is not finished. Whether you are praying for a wayward child, healing in your family, or strength to keep going, God invites you to hold on. Even in suffering, there is a future filled with glory, and that promise gives you courage to keep praying, keep trusting, and keep hoping in Jesus.
 
 Scripture: Romans 8:16 to 18
 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16
 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
 
 Belong at First Pres by taking the first step: join us for worship on Sundays in person. https://firstprescos.org/belong

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the First Press Sermon Podcast, where each week we dive into scripture, wrestle with truth, and discover how faith intersects our lives. God's word meets us where we are, challenging, shaping, and calling us into something greater. No matter where you are on your journey, you belong here. And we're praying that this sermon might help you take a next step in faith towards Jesus. Hey, let's dive into today's message together.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Well, hey, good morning, church. It's good to be here filling up the house. I think uh there's gonna be some space. Uh there's some people standing at the door. Do you guys need seats? Come on in. Squeeze in, make room for others, would you, Church? And we are in uh Romans 8. I didn't see any squeezing in. Let's squeeze in, make room for others. And uh thank you. There's a couple spaces here, is the confirmation class. Some of them are getting ready to be baptized a little bit later. Uh, we are in Romans 8. We're in Romans 8, and you will be blessed and helped to have your Bible open in front of you. Romans can be a challenge to understand, to follow, but we're in Romans 8, verses 12 to 21 today. So I encourage you to have your Bibles open. And as we do that, let's pray. Lord Jesus, we know this is your scripture, your holy writ. We know, Holy Spirit, that you inspired the writing of these words, but still it's the case that as we open up the Bible in front of us, it's easy for us to get trapped in a dead letter. We're sitting in silence unless you speak. And so, Jesus, would you speak by your word, through your word, would you open our hearts and our minds to hear your voice so that we can hear and believe. In Jesus' name we pray. And the church said, Amen. We're at Romans 8, 12 to 21. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. Rather, the spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God's children. 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. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits an eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed, for the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. This is the word of the Lord. Amen. Well, happy Mother's Day. Motherhood is uh is kind of it's kind of the heights and the depths. It's kind of that uh Dickensian twin cities. Motherhood sort of, it's the best of times. It's the worst of times. It is, isn't it? It gives you the whole range. Like if it's going well, if it's going great, if our kids are doing great parents, we feel like kings and queens. We could run through a wall. And when our kids are suffering, we feel it, don't we? We feel it. Augustine of Hippo, a famous Christian figure, uh, he's known as like one of the brightest lights of Christian theology. He helped us to understand things. You know, he he talked about the Trinity, uh, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Jesus who Jesus is, uh, the authority of Scripture, the role of the church, how to be a citizen in the world and be a citizen of heaven at the same time. He's one of the most deep thinkers. He wrote beautiful literature about the Christian faith. John Calvin called him the capstone of the church fathers. He said, You this guy is the one who summarizes all the others who came before him. This Augustine, Saint Augustine of Hippo. You might know him, Saint Augustine. His mother Monica knew him as a different guy. If you don't know the story, Augustine did not, he didn't like start out just walking with the Lord. No, his mother Monica knew him as a selfish, self-destructive, drunken, womanizing young man who dragged his heart, her heart, through the gutter. Like only a son can with a mother. But what did she do? You know what she did? She kept praying for him. She prayed for him and prayed for him and prayed for him. And when he was 31 years old, God grabbed a hold of him. And when God grabbed a hold of a man like that, wow. I mean, if you're the mother, like, can we can we hit it at 10? Like, can we get do we need to go to 31? Come on. She held on to hope, enduring hope. Hope is what we need, and hope is exactly where we get attacked. I think uh motherhood and and hope are almost synonymous. They're almost the same word. Motherhood, hope. You know, we hope for children, and then when the children come, we hope for survival. We hope for sanity. We hope. Women, thank you. Everyone in the house, women, we just we just thank you for being people of enduring hope and care for us in our lives. There were some gifts that went out, and uh, hope that you feel loved and cherished today. What are you praying for? Romans 8 is asking us, what are you praying for? We started this series. We're in a walk of prayer for 40 days. We want to get close to the heart of Christ through disciplines of prayer. We're getting daily texts, and on Pentecost Sunday, May 24th, we're gonna circle the whole church up, hold hands, we're gonna pray for this mission of the church that's called First President, Colorado Springs. And so we've been at Romans 8 is asking us, okay, so what are you praying for? The first week we talked about, we are praying for inner peace. If I can have inner peace, if I can know peace that surpasses understanding directly from Christ, I'm gonna live a different life. I want inner peace. Last week, Pastor Greg led us, we're praying for resurrection power. The same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in you. And so we're praying for power that brings life out of death. Well, today we're praying for enduring hope. Not just optimism, not just a positive outlook, enduring hope. How can we have it? Hope is what we need, hope is what we're praying for. And listen, church, hope is exactly where we are getting attacked. It's exactly where you are under attack. I've had conversations the past few weeks with many of you in the church, and the reason I mention it is that they're different. Like I'm used to conversations that start with, hey, Pastor Tim, this is really hard, this is really unexpected. But I want to tell you that the conversations I've been having the last few weeks are different from that. I've had people sit down with me and say, Pastor Tim, listen, this feels like Satan is after me. This feels like there's there's dark forces that are that are piled up against me. This feels like there are demons that are trying to get me to believe lies that are trying to pull me off track. There's a spiritual warfare. And we're naive not to pay attention to it. When we're devoted to getting close to the heart of Christ in prayer as a church, listen, God starts to build beautiful eternal things of his kingdom. Did you see these people up here proclaiming their faith in Christ, naming themselves as sons and daughters, saying, Lord, I believe in you, I trust in you, I'm gonna walk with you all of my life. Did you hear that? Those are the beautiful things that we're watching happen. There are dark forces availed against us that do not want to see that come about. And the place where they attack is right at this place of hope. Can a wayward son one day turn and become a kingdom warrior? The devil says, no, let go of hope. Can this season of illness that threatened my life someday turn into a testimony of God's overwhelming faithfulness? Devil says, no, give up hope. Can a historic church of 150 something years be a place of new faith, new life in Christ, of the rising generation to stand for Jesus in this world? Devil says, no, give up hope. But the Spirit of God says something else. Amen? Who are we listening to today? Who are we listening to today? Amen. That's okay if you clap. That'll just get me going. Woo. Amen. Amen. So what are you praying for? What are you praying for? Listen, we're at verse 12. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh to live according to it, for if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. We have an obligation. What does this mean? We have an obligation. This is a this is on the back of a long argument. And if you're just dipping in, if you go back and read, Paul has been explaining to the Roman church that you've been set free by something Christ has done for you. You've been set free. You've been set free from what? You've been set free from slavery. Slavery had you bound, it was sitting on your chest. It had you bound, and now you've been set free from that. You've also been set free from your obligation to save yourself by trying to keep the law of God, by trying to keep every rule that's in the scriptures. You can't do it. And so you God Christ has set you free from that. You've been set free, but you have an obligation. You've been set free. You're no longer slaves, but you have an obligation. Where are you still bound? Just click on that. Pause there. Where where do you still feel the chains? Where do you still feel the strictures? Where do you still feel caged in, boxed in, imprisoned, enslaved? Where is it? Is it work? Is it a relationship? Is it an addiction that you're still struggling with, you're still fighting with? Is it high school? You know? High school students say it feels like a prison going to high school. You know, I feel like I'm I'm in a prison. I'm in a prison. Let me tell you, high schoolers, you're kind of in a prison. It's kind of what it is, okay? Yeah, right. But here's the thing. It it all it's May. It always feels like a prison in May, okay? And here's the other thing. It's also a prison to the teachers. So where are you bound? Where are you bound? Where are you tied? Where are you stuck? Uh what's been said here is that Jesus Christ has set you free. He set you free from slavery to sin, from slavery to an obligation to prove your worth before God. You're free from those things. But what it says right here is but there is an obligation. You have a new obligation. You're set free from that, but now, as and you are not a slave to that, but now what are you? Here's the thing. Now you're a slave to Christ. A slave to Christ. Go back all the way to Romans 1.1, the very beginning of the letter, and you see Paul saying, Paul, 1-1, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. Let me tell you what that says. That says, Paulas Dulas. The word doulas, those are the first two words of this letter. Paulas Dulas, Paul the slave. What Paul is saying is doulas means slave. He's putting slave on his name tag as he opens this letter to the Romans. He's saying, I'm not, I'm a slave to Christ Jesus. And we kind of we translate it servant. It's a little bit easier to take. What it means is slave. And then Paul says, and if you're getting this letter and you're reading it, you're reading it because guess what? God intends for you to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Verse 6, and you also are among those Gentiles who are called to what? That means belong to Jesus Christ. Yes, we're free, but now we're slaves to Christ. And here's the thing this is a different kind of slavery because Jesus Christ is the only master before whom to bend the knee actually sets you free. When you say I'm a slave to you, Jesus, you're actually free to become everything that God ever made you to be. We leave this to join into this slavery. We have an obligation, an obligation. But Paul says, Romans says, it is not an obligation to the flesh. The Bible talks about the body and the flesh, two different things. And the body is not evil just because it's a body. God loves the body. God made the body. Jesus took on a body. When he was resurrected, his body ascended into heaven into the eternal realms. And as you believe in him, your body also will go into eternal places with Jesus. God loves bodies. God loves your body. Quote that out of context. Just take that. Tim says, God loves your body. God loves your body. It's true. God loves your body. Flesh is different. A definition of flesh, how it's used in the Bible, it's not just skin and blood and body and uh sinew and bone. When when the Bible says flesh, what it's talking about, it's talking about the disobedient habits formed in your body through routines that lead you away from God. That's what flesh means when you read it. It's not meat, it's it's it's this tendency for your body to take up habits that are actually going to push you out of your relationship with God. Flesh. You don't need the flesh. Here's an illustration. So you wake up and you say, I think I'll go to church. Your body says, All right, I'll go with you. Right? I mean, kind of has to, right? Hard to do otherwise. So the body says, I'll go with you. But here's what's more. And if you go a few times, I'll tell you what, I'll actually make it comfortable for you. I'll I'll make it normalized for you. I'll do that for you. That's what your body says. Your flesh is different. You get up and say, I think I'll go to church. Your flesh says, No, we don't do that. That is not what we do. Oh, really? Well what do we do? It's Sunday. We lie in bed, we stay inside, we stream YouTube videos for three hours. We we eat cold pizza and donuts and we hide from people. That's what we do. Amen. Hey, that's your flesh. That's your flesh. It's your flesh. And listen, what Romans is saying is this you don't owe your flesh anything. Look at this. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh. No, it's not to the flesh to live according to it. Because why? If you live according to the flesh, you'll die. These habits that push you away from God, your flesh will kill you. It's trying to kill you spiritually, it's trying to kill you physically, it'll take life away. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you'll live. You know, your body can actually learn different rhythms. All right, so what is this obligation? It's not to the flesh. We're not slaves to sin. We're not slaves to pleasing God through the law. It's not any of that. So what is it? Believers, if you believe in Jesus Christ today, then within you, inside you, is the Spirit of the living God, the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is at work inside of you. The main difference between Romans 7, as we're studying along, Romans 7, I don't do what I want to do, what I don't want to do, I do. I don't understand why I'm enslaved to all of this. The main difference between Romans 7 is Romans 7, you're just talking about your struggles. Romans 8, you're talking about the power of the Holy Spirit. When Romans 8, you're talking about, well, what is the Spirit of God doing? What possibilities emerge when the Spirit of God is within my heart as a believer in Jesus Christ? What has Jesus Christ won for me that I can live into because now the Spirit of God is within me, and the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is exercising resurrection power inside my life. What happens now? Look at verse 14. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are what, church? Children of God. Now there's something new happening. You see that? God is leading you forward in a new way. And it's not like a slave master, it's not like a driver, but the spirit is loving you, lovingly pulling you forward. Look at this. The spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. It's not that kind of obligation, it's not that kind of bondage to the Lord, it's not that kind of slave to him. It's a free giving. What does it come from? It's not a fear, it's not a driving fear. God does not intend to push your life with a driving fear. What does God intend? He intends to pull you forward with an enduring love. He names you children. The spirit you received does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again. Rather, the spirit he received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry Abba Father. Our own spirit says it. It says, You're my God. You're my father. It's not fear, it's love. Love casts out fear. But it is a real binding, it is a real obligation. The Spirit of God is inside you saying, Whispering something in your ear, because if he didn't keep whispering it, you'd forget it. What's he whispering? You know, when Roman generals came home from war when they conquered abroad, they'd come back to Rome in a big parade called a triumph. And they'd ride in on chariots and they're dressed in their finest with a laurel wreath on their head, and everyone would be cheering, cheering, cheering all of their exploits that they're bringing home to Rome. And you know what they would do? They would appoint a servant to ride in the chariot with the general. Do you know this? He couldn't see the servant. The servant was hiding down in front of the general, and the servant is saying something. He's saying something, he's repeating something again and again, so only the general can hear it, who's riding in and saying again and again. He's saying, Memento mori. Memento mori. Remember that you're mortal. Remember that you're gonna die. Remember you're gonna draw a last breath. Memento mori. Listen, if you know Jesus today, the Holy Spirit of God is riding with you wherever you go. And he's whispering. He's whispering. He's whispering. Because if he didn't keep whispering, you'd forget it. You'd lose track of it. And he's whispering. He's not whispering. Don't forget you're gonna die. That's not what he's whispering. What is he whispering? Spirit of God is whispering. You're a child of the living God. You're a named daughter of the Father, the King. You are a son. You have been adopted into the family of God for sonship. Women, that's not a mistake. Sonship. Why does it say that? Because the son would receive the inheritance. And you, whoever you are, as a believer in Christ, you are now heirs with Christ. You are co-heirs of the kingdom of God. You and the Spirit whispers, you are a child of God. You are a child of God. You are a child of God. Look at verse 17. 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. You're a child of God. As a tradition, and whenever someone was leaving the house, walking out the front door, whenever a kid was leaving the house, a parent or a grandparent would never fail to say, as they left, don't do something dumb. Or if there were strangers, you know, strangers in the in the house like I was at one point, then they would use they would just use the initials. DDSD! And everybody knew what we were talking about. Don't do something dumb. It's good advice. It's really good advice. And it was just a way of saying, hey, don't forget who you are. Don't forget whose you are. Come back home. The Spirit of God is whispering in your heart because you can't fathom it, you can't understand it, you can hardly believe it, and you lose track of it. Don't forget who you are. You're a son, you're a daughter, you're a co-heir with Christ of all the kingdom of God that is coming. And so, what do you have? You have a basis for enduring hope. Time to get to the hope. Because, as it says, if you suffer with him, you'll share in his glory. We come to the place of hope. Look at verse 18. Church, would you say this with me? I want to say this with one voice before the Lord. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Do you hear that? We're co-heirs with Christ if we share in his suffering. And it says the Bible says, look, but suffering and glory, they're so different, they don't even belong on the same chart. They can't even go on the same graph. You can't compare them with one another. The suffering that we go through and the glory that Christ has won. But I've got these sufferings. I can't get the seat heater and my SUV to work right. They got my coffee order wrong. I got these sufferings. My sprinkler system got destroyed by the freeze. That's a true story, by the way. I got these problems, right? These sufferings. And we squeal about this stuff, don't we? When we have just been told you are an heir of the eternal kingdom of God. Everything that has been won by Christ is yours by birthright because you've been named a child of God. And still we squeal about these sufferings before us. Or, or, church, or we're fighting cancer. Or we're trying to make it another day through this medical diagnosis, or the marriage is dissolving, or the job was lost, or suffering's real. Or you're part of the church in Egypt and you're just wondering when the next attack is coming from radical Islam, or you're part of the church in North Korea living underground, or you're part of the underground church in Iran, or or suffering is real, isn't it, church? We don't dismiss that. Jesus said, I've told you these things so that you can have peace. So that you can have peace. In this world, you will have what? Suffering, pain, trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world. Amen. Well, what's the basis for that? You want me just to whistle in the dark? You want me just to whistle past the graveyard? You want me to have just blind optimism, keep a good perspective on things, chin up, carry on? No. The basis of this is something that Christ has won for you. You do not have a basis for blind optimism. You have a foundation for enduring hope, because there is a kingdom of God that is won by him and granted to you by birthright. And it cannot be taken from you, and it cannot rust, and it will not go away, and you will never be wrenched from his loving care. For Christ has named you a brother, a sister, and has pulled you into the family of God. And that is why you have enduring hope. Amen. Amen. You'll never lose it, it'll never go away. Which spirit are you listening to? The rest of the passage is about creation. We'll talk about it next week. The creation itself is frustrated. The creatures of this world, they're waiting for you to take your place as a child of God. We'll talk about it next week. But today, which spirit are you listening to? Because there's a spirit that's speaking to you and saying you have no hope. Give up. There's no basis. What grounds have you for saying such things? That the kingdom of God is emerging. Are you gonna listen to that spirit? Or are you gonna hear the Spirit of God? I know a mother whose son got into drugs at a young age, despite, listen, plenty of church, plenty of love, plenty of everything, got into drugs, got addicted to drugs. Turned 16, got a driver's license, got in the car, crashed the car, almost died. Got in the next car, crashed the car, almost died. Six times. Crashed the car. Almost died. The insurance company called the family. Guys, we can't do this anymore. That's six. You're done. The mother kept praying. She kept hoping. Son met Jesus. He met the Lord. And he married. He's raising a family. It's a believing wife. Pastors, you get to hear these stories. I know a mother whose daughter kept falling in with drug dealers because she was an addict. She was an addict. And they got her into rehab. And this is a great celebration. She's in rehab. She got out of rehab. She immediately came to the house, stole all the family jewelry, sold it for drugs. Gone. They got her back in rehab a second time. She kept praying. And she met the Lord. And the Lord opened up a whole new life for her. She's a therapist right now. I know a mother whose son hopped in the car and ran away from home cross-country. On the night before, this mother had to go in for a surgery, a huge surgery. She couldn't do anything about it. She kept praying. One day that young man met the Lord. He's leading a family, a glorious family. I'm not telling you it always works out that way, church. You know better than that, don't you? I'm not telling you that these stories are Disney princess happily ever after stories. These are stories. These are real stories. These are real lives. But what I'm telling you is this there was a moment for each of those mothers where she had to decide which voice am I listening to? Am I listening to the voice that wants to tell me there's no hope? Which voice am I listening to? And that mother, she chose to pray with enduring hope. And what I want you to know, church, is that every one of you is facing that very same thing. When you're in the crisis, when you're in the fire, which voice are you going to listen to? The spirit that comes at you and says, give up. There's no hope. It's all over. Let it go. Let the death set in, let the destruction take over, let the chaos reign. Let that dark voice that says, You're alone, there's nothing for you here, there's no future. Your son is lost. Your child is gone. That voice that's saying to you, you can't get there from here. You're stuck. You're never going to move forward. You're never going to get out of this. You're going to have to just dwell in this for the rest of your life. Are you going to listen to that voice? Are you going to listen to the voice of the Spirit of the Living God who says to you, you have been named a child of the Father. You have been named a daughter of the living God. And you have as an inheritance the entire kingdom of God. What can you imagine? You don't even know what it is, but it's yours because Christ has won it for you. You have a basis not for optimism. You have a grounds for an enduring hope. Because whatever the suffering, whatever the pain, no matter how deep the cuts go, you are headed toward the glory. The glory is part of the suffering, and the suffering is part of the glory, and you are headed for the glory. And when you get there in Jesus Christ, you will look back and say, that suffering doesn't even compare to the glory that Christ has won. Amen. How many years of pain? How deep the struggle. How hard the hits. The glory. And the suffering. Hold on to the glory. What I want to do with you, church, is I hope there's some pens around. There's some pens around. Do you see some pens where you got one in your pocket? You can steal one from your neighbor. I want you to get pen and paper. Okay? Pull whatever is in the seat pocket in front of you. Pull it out. Reach in deep. There's probably some stuff down there from last Easter. Pull it out. Pull it out. I want you to have pen and paper. Because here's what I want you to do. Pen and paper in your hand. I want you to write down. This is for you. You're not turning this in. This is between you and the Lord. I want you to write down on that paper where you need to choose enduring hope. Is it a name? Is it a diagnosis? Is it a situation? Where do you need to choose enduring hope in Christ? Write it down before the Lord. Just bow your heads. Let's spend this time before Jesus. This is you and Jesus here. Where do you need to choose enduring hope? Jesus, you see every one of these. If we thought that what you were offering was just a chance that it might work out, if you were just offering us a shot in the dark, if you were only offering a 50-50 shot. Jesus, I don't know. I don't know if I could hold on. I don't know if we could hold on. But Lord, you've won a kingdom of eternal life in heaven for all that you've claimed as your own. You've won the fulfillment of all things, all things put right. You've won a place for us in the household of God. You've made us children of the living God. I am a child of God. A child of God. Because of what you've done, Jesus. So I have a grounds for enduring hope because I know that no matter how deep this suffering goes, no matter how hard or how long, you have already won heaven for me. You have already won the kingdom for me. You have already won that all things will be put right in your name and to your glory. You have already won the glory, and so we lay the sufferings down at your feet. Give us hope. Give us hope. Help us. In Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_00 35:11

Amen. Hearing God's word is just the beginning. What connected with you? What challenged you today? Maybe it's surrendering something, stepping into community, or simply trusting Him more deeply. Whatever it is, don't leave it for later. Act on it today. We're praying that this message moves you closer to Jesus. And we'd love to walk with you in that journey and answer any questions you've got. Connect with us by visiting firstprints.org. If today's message encouraged you, take a moment and subscribe so you never miss an episode. And share it with someone who needs to hear it. Check in next week and we'll continue to grow in our faith together. See you next time.