Romans (Youth) 8C

God Made Us His Children Forever!

Scripture: Romans 8:26-39

Exposure to Exposition & Exploring the Scriptures: (15-20 mins)

• Bible Drills (Memorization of OT & NT Book order)

• Guide the children to Romans 8:26-39 in the Bible. (Help them as needed, NT vs OT)

• Say: We are going to continue through Paul's letter to the church of Rome.

• We will learn that the gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes, and we should never be ashamed of Jesus.

• Read aloud. (Ask kids to start their pointer fingers on V39 and follow along)

Opening Question

When you’re having a really hard day, who do you go to for help—and why?” → God gives us the Holy Spirit who helps us every day, even in our weaknesses.

Notes:
The second half of Romans 8, where Paul talks about another big question: If God loves us and we belong to Him, why do we still suffer?  vv23-25 is about our personal suffering in our bodies.

Sometimes people think that only “bad people” should have hard times and “good people” should always have good things. But that’s not how God works. So we might wonder:

• Does suffering mean God is upset with me?

• Does it mean my salvation isn’t secure?

• Why do Christians still face pain and problems?

Paul wants us to understand that suffering does not mean we’ve lost God’s love. Instead, he begins to explain God’s bigger plan — not just for us, but for all of Creation. Suffering for a little while is not comparable to what waits for us in the future. A new perfect sinless body, with Jesus!

Continuing in the rest of the chapter, Paul shows us why God allows suffering and what it tells us about our eternal security. Suffering brings spiritual growth, dependence on God, v28 tells us it’s for our good. But how?

REMINDER: God allows suffering- even for his own Son.

IS. 53:10  But the Lord was pleased 
To crush Him, putting Him to grief; 
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, 
He will see His offspring, 
He will prolong His days, 
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

However, suffering is not done alone!!!!

Romans 8:26-39 NLT
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• V26-27 The Holy Spirit Helps Us When We’re Weak

  • Paul is telling believers that the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak

  • The Holy Spirit prays for us to God directly even when we have no prayer to give or when we dont know what to pray for ourselves.

  • God the Father searches our hearts—He knows what we’re feeling.

  • His prayers are always right, always good, and always loving.

    • Even when we pray for the wrong things (like “God make everything easy”), the Spirit prays for what will actually help us grow.

  • The Spirit & God are always working for His children!

  • Kid Point: God never lets us struggle alone—when we’re weak, confused, or don’t even know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us perfectly while we wait to join Jesus in Heaven.

Notes:
Paul summarizes this in one of the best-known passages in the New Testament: 

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[m] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

• V28 God is at Work for Me!

  • Believers can know (with confidence) that God uses every circumstance—good or bad—for their eternal good.

  • God Himself is actively working in our lives; nothing is random.

  • This promise applies only to believers (“those who love Him… called according to His purpose”).

    • Unbelievers do not receive this guarantee because they cannot benefit eternally from God’s good purposes.

  • Sometimes hard or confusing moments are the Spirit helping us grow—teaching us, correcting us, and strengthening our faith.

  • Nothing we go through can stop God’s good plan for us. No trial, suffering, or attack can take away the future glory He promised.

  • Kid Point: God uses everything in a Christian’s life—even the hard stuff—for good, because He loves us and is always in control.

Notes:
The chain of salvation. God started the work of saving before any of us were ever born and therefore, he will complete the saving. God chooses, God holds us secure, God will one day Glorify us.

Romans 8:29-30 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

• V29-30 God planned our whole salvation from the very beginning—and He promises to finish what He started.

  • God knew every Christian before the world even began. (v.29)

  • God Has a Perfect Plan (v.29)

    • To be “conformed to Jesus” means:

    • To follow Him,

    • To suffer like He did,

    • And one day to share His glory.

  • God’s Unbreakable Chain (v.30)

    • Paul shows us a chain that cannot be broken:

    • God chose us

    • God called us

    • God made us right with Him (justified)

    • God will glorify us (give us new, perfect bodies)

  • If God starts the chain, He always finishes it.

  • Every Christian already has part of this chain in their past—

    • we were chosen,

    • called,

    • and made right with God.

  • Only one step is left: glorified—and God promises it will happen!

  • Why does this chain matter? This chain proves Christians are safe forever in God’s hands.

  • Kid Point: God’s going to finish what He started. He is the one doing the Saving- not us! (Ephesians: 1:3-6)

Notes:
Paul draws our attention to where we sit on the chain today, and he leads us to the conclusion that if God has taken us this far, by His power and not because of anything we’ve done, then how can we doubt He will bring us to the final link: Glory with God.

Romans 8:31-32 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

• V31-32 If God gave us His Son & saved us through HIM, then nothing and no one can stop His plan for us.

  • Paul asks: If God is on our side, who could ever beat Him? The answer: No one!

  • God already decided to bring us to glory—no power in the universe can change His plan.

  • God gave us His most precious gift—His only Son. (v.32)

  • It would make no sense for God to do the hardest thing (giving His Son) but then fail to finish His plan.

    • Jesus Himself said He will never lose anyone the Father gives Him. (John 6:37-39)

  • Kid Point: If God chose you, called you, saved you, and gave you Jesus, then NOTHING can stop Him from bringing you safely to glory.

Romans 8:33-39 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• V33-39 Nothing—not sin, people, suffering, or any power—can ever separate God’s children from His love.

  • No One Can Accuse Us (v.33–34)

    • Paul asks: Who can accuse God’s children and make God change His mind about us?

    • Satan loves to accuse Christians, but God is the Judge, and He already said we are forgiven.

    • Jesus died for us, rose again, and now defends us at God’s right hand.

• SKIP V36- explained below

  • Nothing Hard in Life Can Separate Us (v.35–37)

    • Paul asks: Can suffering pull us away from Jesus? Trouble? Stress? Being treated badly? Being hungry?Feeling ashamed? Danger? Even death? No!

    • Jesus went through all these things on His way to the cross—He understands our pain.

    • Because we are credited with His victory, we “overwhelmingly conquer” through Him.

    • Even if we fail sometimes, Jesus’ perfect life covers our failures.

  • NOTHING in All Creation Can Separate Us (v.38–39)

    • Paul makes the strongest promise of all: Not death, Not life, Not angels, Not demons, Not today, Not the future, Not any power, Nothing high, Nothing deep, Nothing God made……can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

  • Kid Point: God will never stop loving His children—nothing in the whole universe is strong enough to pull us away from Him.

Notes: (Paul adds this unusual verse here) v36
Paul suddenly quotes Psalm 44—a psalm where Israel cries out in suffering, feeling abandoned and attacked by enemies.
At first, this seems strange because Paul is teaching that nothing can separate us from God’s love. So why bring up a verse where God’s people feel rejected?

Romans 8:36 The Holy Writings say, “Because of belonging to Jesus, we are in danger of being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed.”

• V36 Paul wants the Jews in the audience to ask a big question—“What about Israel?”

  • Psalm 44 shows Israel suffering, attacked, and feeling abandoned for rejecting God and Jesus.

  • But Paul’s point is that even when God’s people suffer—even terribly—God’s plan for them is never destroyed.

  • By using this verse, Paul prepares the crowd to wonder:

    • If Israel suffered and rejected Jesus, did God forget His promises?

    • And if Israel looks rejected, could God reject us too?

  • This sets up Romans 9–11, where Paul answers:

    • What is God doing with Israel?

    • Has He abandoned them?

    • Will He keep His covenants?

  • Psalm 44 ends with hope—Israel looked rejected, but God wasn’t done with them.

  • Just like our suffering doesn’t separate us from God, Israel’s suffering doesn’t cancel God’s promises either.

  • Kid Point: Paul quotes Psalm 44 to remind us that God’s people may suffer deeply—but suffering never means God has abandoned them. God always keeps His promises.

Observation Questions (What did it say?)

1. Who helps us pray when we don’t know what to say? (The Holy Spirit helps us vv. 26-27)

2. Who is working all things together for the good of God’s people? (God is working all things together for good. v.28)

3. What can separate us from Christ’s love? (Nothing in all creation. vv.38-39)

Understanding Questions (What does it mean?)

1. Why does the Spirit pray for us when we are weak? (Because the Spirit knows God’s heart and prays for us exactly the way we need. v.27)

2. What does it mean that God works everything for good? (It means even hard things can be used by God to grow us and help us because He loves us. v.28)

3. Why can nothing separate us from Christ’s love? (Because Jesus died for us, rose again, and now stands in our place, so His love is forever. v.34)

Application Questions (What should I do?)

1. When you feel sad or confused, how can you remember the Spirit is helping you? (I can pray, “Holy Spirit, help me,” knowing He understands my heart even when I don’t have the words. v.26)

2. When something hard happens, how should you think about it? (I can trust that God is using everything—even hard stuff—for my good and His plan. v.28)

3. When you feel alone or afraid, what truth can you remind yourself of? (Jesus will never stop loving me, and nothing can pull me away from Him. v.38-39)

Activities

Teaching Conversation While They Work:
Help kids understand “chain of salvation” — God’s unbreakable plan from eternity past to eternity future. God is responsible for our Salvation and all of those around us.

Explain as they build:“See how they link together?

• God’s plan is like a chain — NO link breaks!

• If God begins the chain with you… He finishes it with glory!”

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For Older Kids

Romans (Youth) — Romans (Youth) 8C

Remind them: What is the Gospel?

Jesus’ perfect life paid for the sins of all who believe. Jesus died on the cross as the punishment for sin. But Jesus did not stay dead, three days later He rose to life (resurrection) defeating the power of death. Believe, and you will be saved!

• We are all sinful. We all deserve the consequence of sin- death.

• Jesus is what saves us from the sin we all have in our bodies. And one day, he’ll even give us a new body.

Supporting Truths Kids Can Grasp:

• When we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26).

• When we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26).

• God chose us, called us, saved us, and promises to glorify us (Romans 8:29-30).

• Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love (Romans 8:35-39).

• Even when things feel scary or too hard, Jesus has already won the victory (Romans 8:37).

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.