It is no secret that the wildly popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why has recently connected with teenagers and young adults in a powerful way.  Many of the themes within the show have resonated with those who, like the fictional character Hannah Baker, have experienced loneliness, bullying, shame, anxiety, depression, sexual assault, or suicidal thoughts.  There have been at least two teenage suicides just in the last month in Central Arkansas, and as always there is a need for a true and sure hope that goes beyond difficulties and circumstances we may face in this broken world.

So for the last four weeks, I preached through Romans 8 and did a series with our student ministry on 13 Reasons why we have hope according to this particular chapter.  Romans 8 is chock-full of the Good News of the Gospel that is reflected in many different aspects, and so as we walked through that chapter, I outlined the various reasons I believe we can clearly find hope in this glorious chapter of the Bible.  I share this with you in hopes that it would be an encouragement to your soul as well.  Not because I have anything particularly insightful or brilliant to say, but because the hope of the Gospel meets us in the darkest moments of life.  So I encourage you to read Romans 8 alongside this list, and see how this hope is true for you as well.

13 Reasons Why We Have Hope from Romans 8

1. Your identity is in Christ. Romans 8:1-13
   • This is the first and most important reason.  This is the foundation for all the others.  If this one is true, if you have placed your faith in Christ alone, then all the others are true.
2. You are free from all guilt. Romans 8:1-13
   • All your sins past, present, and future.
3. You are free from all shame. Romans 8:1-13
   • Jesus does not shame us into holiness.
4. You are free from all sin. Romans 8:1-13
   • Not just the sin you commit, but the sin committed against you. You can forgive those who have hurt you most because you know that God is just and will punish all sin in hell or on the Cross of Christ.
5. You are a child of God. Romans 8:14-17
   • Adopted sons of God is the strongest language Paul could use for our relationship with Christ because in the Roman culture biological children might be disinherited for various reasons, but it was illegal to do so with adopted children, no matter what.
6. You are a co-heir with Christ. Romans 8:17
   • Everything Jesus gets, you get.  You don’t have to compare yourselves to others because in Christ you have everything you could ever need.
7. You are not alone in your suffering. Romans 8:17
   • Jesus is with you in the midst of it.  Not only that, everything in this passage is in the 1st person plural – “WE”. God has given us the Church so that when we share our joys with one another they are doubled & when we share our sufferings with one another, they are cut in half.
8. God has better things in store for you than you can imagine. Romans 8:18-25
   • For Christians, this world is as close to hell as we get.  But for the non-Christian, this world is as close to heaven as they get.
9. God wants what is best for you even more than you do. Romans 8:26-27
   • “God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything he knows.” – Tim Keller
10. God works everything together for your good. Romans 8:28-30
    • God is more concerned for your eternal character than your temporary happiness.
11. God fights for you out of love. Romans 8:31, 33-34
    • We are able to face all of life – both sin & suffering – with a towering and unfailing confidence in the Lord.
12. God provides for you in love. Romans 8:32
    • Suffering is not what robs us of joy.  Idolatry is.  We have to see that God is more than enough.
13. God holds onto you by love. Romans 8:35-39
    • The Good News of the Gospel is not how well you hang onto Jesus, but how well Jesus hangs onto you!

 

Works Cited

• Romans 8-16 For You by Timothy Keller
• Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free by Tullian Tchividjian
• ESV Study Bible