Today we are concluding a four sermon series of sermons on Paul’s letter to the Romans, specifically focusing upon the assigned lectionary texts from chapters 7 and 8.  After three sermons bemoaning Paul’s rather rambling writing style we come at last to a much more eloquent expression of his deep and abiding faith.  In many of his letters his stream of consciousness theological style is punctuated by these sublime interludes which rival the 23^rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer in terms of being quoted and even memorized texts of scripture.  The "Love Chapter" in I Corinthians 13 is one example.  Our text for today is another.

It begins with a rather frank admission of our weakness.  Now we usually do not talk about our weaknesses.  No, we are much more inclined to promote our strong points while downplaying our weaknesses just like we dress to accentuate the positive while covering up the not-so-positive.  Sometimes we even fool ourselves into overlooking our weaknesses, which is a shame according to Paul because that prevents us from seeking and finding help—specifically spiritual help.

He begins: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Verse 26).  Sometimes when things are going in a bad way—as in this present economic downturn and our elected leader’s response to it, or lack thereof--we tend to say certain things like, "I can’t believe this is happening.  This makes me mad.  I don’t like this at all."  And if things are really going bad—as when we actually lose our jobs and income and benefits—our verbal responses might be condensed to a single word repeated over and over again: "Why, why, why."

But when things get even worse—and they can—there may be no words to express that kind of pain.  There may be only sighs and woeful groans.  There are no ways to deny or sugarcoat or hide from that depth of weakness.  But the redeeming thing about no longer hiding from our weakness is that we are open to being helped.  The spirit helps us in our weakness, Paul writes in our text.  And he wrote those words with the voice of experience as one who had been harassed, beaten, imprisoned and, in a word, persecuted for the cause of Christ.

But the more he was persecuted, the more effectively he spread the Gospel and built up the Church.  As we have seen, it wasn’t his talent as a wordsmith that made him so effective.  As he reminded the Church in Corinth: I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power (I Corinthians 2:3-5).

Paul’s most powerful sermons were not preached with words at all.  His best sermons were a living demonstration of the Spirit’s power and of God’s power and of Christ’s power that were made perfect in weakness.  When Paul could no longer hide from his weakness he prayed to the Lord to do something about it.  But, Paul writes, he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore, Paul concludes, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong (II Corinthians 12:9-10).

Every time Paul is persecuted, another church gets planted.  Every time his message is rejected by a few, it is accepted by a multitude.  Every time it looks like he is doomed for sure he ends up, "Duh, winning."  Whether or not it works out that way for Charlie Sheen depends upon whether or not he takes a page from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Indeed, the Charlie Sheen in all of us could learn a lesson from St. Paul in the practice of true humility which acknowledges personal weakness.  For when we are weak, then we are strong.  When we are weak, the spirit helps us in our weakness.

When even our weakness makes us strong, what is left to prevail against us?  The answer is: "Nothing."  Hence Paul continues: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Verse 28).  In all things, not just the things we want to happen.  No, sometimes God works most powerfully for our good most in the things we otherwise do not want to happen such as hardships, persecutions and difficulties.

I received a card this past week from Kathleen Horak’s Mother and Father that says: "Everything that happens in this life is a gift.  Even as you struggle through this difficult time, you are gaining strength and wisdom that will help you further down the road."  And maybe will not only help me but also help you.  As one church member wrote in an email, "Out of personal pain for your family will come enlightenment for your congregation."

Talk about speaking from the voice of experience.  The church member who wrote those words lost a child to cancer.  I think losing a child to anything must be as bad as it gets.  But the spirit, through the loving embrace of many loved ones, helped this person in the midst of great weakness.  This person responded by organizing our congregation’s Care Team Ministry, which is one way in this place that the Spirit embraces so many others in their weakness.

I believe the Spirit is helping me in my weakness to be a better pastor.  You might as well keep me around.  Why make the investment and then let somebody else reap the dividends?  There are other ways God is already redeeming this present difficulty.  Some I cannot talk about just yet, but some I can.  I can tell you that I sure married the right gal.  Sometimes you really don’t know what a marriage is made of until it is tested in the fiery furnace of affliction and all the dross is burned away and what remains is pure gold.  I pray that our relationship as pastor and people will likewise be refined and purified and proved genuine.

Speaking of relationships, Paul continues: For those God foreknew (which is another way of saying those with whom he has had a relationship--those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose) he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (and sisters).  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Verses 29-30).  The title of our message is "Predestined for Glory."  I will leave it to Reed Fuller to address things like justification in his message on Laity Sunday.

Those who love God and who have been called according to his purpose may face trials of many kinds just like Jesus and just like St. Paul after him and just like the prophets before him.  But just as Jesus was raised from the dead and into glory, so those who take up their crosses are "Predestined for Glory."  It may look like doom and gloom today, but the faithful do not lose heart.  They see beyond the overcast skies of the present day to a glorious new day and a brighter tomorrow.  And they know that nothing can keep that day from dawning.

What, then, shall we say in response to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us? (Verse 31).  I’ve got a buddy I’ve known since day one.  His name is Forrest, but I call him "Big" because that is what he is and what he has always been.  He was borrowing his Dad’s shoes in the third grade.  "Big" is also amazingly athletic for his size.  I always liked being with "Big" because I knew that nobody was going to mess with me as long as "Big Man" was around.  Paul feels the same way about having God in his corner.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Not even the Devil himself can contend with the Almighty.  If the Almighty has predestined us for glory, who or what is going to get in his way?  The answer is "nobody and no thing."

Paul emphasizes the point by asking a similar rhetorical question: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Verse 35).  To that I might add: shall front page news stories or TV broadcasts or internet blogs or Jay Leno’s opening monologue?  Paul’s eloquent answer to that question: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Verses 37-39).