Romans 8:18 Comfort is not the goal

Sermon Outline

1. Scripture talks a lot about being comforted but never of being comfortable! (Mt 5:3, 2Cor 1:3-4, 7:6, 1Th 3:7)
   1. Suffering is part of the Christian life (Jn 16:33)
   2. Risk: The opposite of comfortable
2. Scriptural examples of Comfort not being the Goal
   1. Consider the life of David (1Sam).
   2. Consider the life of the Prophets (James 5:10)
      1. Jeremiah (Jer 1:7-8, 7:29, 11:9-10, 13:1-11, 15:10, 20:1-2, 26:8, 32:1ff, 38:6)
      2. Hosea (Hosea 1:3, 6, 9, 3:1)
      3. Daniel (Dan 1:8ff) & Jonah
3. God doesn’t want comfortable Christians, He wants Christians who risk obedience
   1. Notice how the Bible speaks about those who risk obedience
      1. The world is not worthy of them (Hebrews 11:32-38
      2. Secure in Christ (Jn 18:9)
      3. They are walking in the footsteps of Christ (John 15:30, 2Tim 2:3)
      4. They have a different perspective on life (Acts 5:41)
         1. No matter what you loose it will be okay (Rev 3:12, Jn 6:47, 10:28, 1Cor 15:53)
      5. They are looking forward to glory (Rom. 8:18, 2Cor 11:23-28)
      6. They are children of God (Rom. 8:16-17)
4. Ways of Risking for God’s Glory
   1. Grey-haired Missionaries
   2. Sharing the gospel with friends, neighbors and strangers is a risk of obedience
   3. Giving more to missions (Luke 16:9)
   4. Sacrificing your retirement (Ps 49:8)
   5. Becoming a generous giver
   6. Confessing your sin to another so that they can pray for you (James 5:16).
   7. Getting some new
   8. Volunteering with the downcast, distraught and needy.
   9. Confronting someone in your life who is sinning and helping them to grow.
5. The risk of obedience brings the hope of the gospel!