Lawson Romans 8

No Separation – Romans 8:38-39

OnePassion Ministries January 24, 2019

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Romans chapter 8, the last two verses, and I just hate to let Romans 8 go because this has been arguably the greatest chapter in the entire Bible. But just to let you know this, and we’ll be meeting next week, we have Romans 9 teed up and coming, and it’s going to be big boy football, okay? So, you are going to want to wear your shoulder pads as you come next week. So, I want to start by reading the last two verses of Romans 8. We are going to look at verses 38 and 39. So, here they are: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those two verses have to be among the greatest verses in the entire Bible. And they really form the capstone to Romans chapter 8. I mean, this is the pinnacle, this is the height of Mount Everest, and this chapter began with a declaration of no condemnation in verse 1, and it now concludes with a declaration of no separation in verses 38 and 39. So, these two pronouncements are really the bookends around Romans chapter 8, “no condemnation” and “no separation.” And these fit together in that all those whom God declares “no condemnation,” it will never be reversed. It will never be revoked. There will never be a “no separation” from “no condemnation.” So, it is the eternal security of the believer, which means that we are as certain for heaven this moment as if we have already been there because we are declared “no condemnation in Christ Jesus.” Now, these last two verses are arguably among the most beautiful pieces of literature ever to be written. And so, it’s not just what they say, but how they say it is so appealing to us. It is one sentence and there are ten designations that all begin with the negative either “neither” or the word “nor,” and Paul uses the negative so that it has a certain sharp edge about it. He could have put it in the positive, but he puts it in the negative, so that it has a strong impact as it hits us. Now, these ten designations, neither death, life, angels, principalities, etc., they lay out this way. There are four pairs of two, four pairs of two, and then there are two single items that are standalone items. So, eight of these match up in pairs of two, four pairs of two. And then there are two single items. And when they match up in two’s, they are intentionally what we would call “contrasting pairs.” They are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. I mean it is almost like saying the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast, and it is just the opposite ends of the continent of North America. So, he goes “death, life,” I mean those are opposite extremes. “Height, depth,” opposite extremes. “Things present, things to come.” And what he is communicating here is that these are all inclusive, all encompassing, statements that he is making. There is nothing outside of them. So, this covers the span of anything and everything that could possibly remove us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. And it is a powerful argument, and I think we will understand the thrust of the argument and how irrefutable it is as Paul makes his case. But just be looking for these opposite extremes that are at juxtaposition. So, let’s begin. I’ve got three main headings I want to set before you. I want to break out these two verses, and the first thing that I want you to note is the strong conviction, the strong conviction. And that is at the beginning of verse 38, Paul begins, “For I am convinced.” The word “for” indicates to us it’s a continuation of thought from the previous verses, and it’s really he is now giving us an extended explanation that we are eternally secure in Christ. So, when he says, “I am convinced,” it is a very strong Greek word, the verb there, and it is translated in the ESV, “I am sure.” It’s translated in the King James, “I am persuaded.” And the idea is that “I am absolutely convinced of this.” Paul has deep roots of conviction about this. And this is very important for us to see this because you need to be able to say the very same thing, that “I am convinced.” Strong Christians have strong convictions. Weak Christians have weak convictions. And we do live in a day and time in which convictions are very rare as it relates to the Bible. And if we are to be strong believers with a strong walk and to have a strong witness and to give a strong testimony, then we’re going to have to have strong convictions. And as I’ve said before we are not just dogmatic about this; we are bull dogmatic about this, okay? So, where Paul is convinced, you and I must be convinced. So, it’s in a verb tense that may not mean anything to you, but I’m going to tell it to you anyway. It’s what we call the perfect tense. And the idea is Paul is saying, “I have become convinced and I remain convinced.” So, the idea is this isn’t just a mere passing emotion of the moment. This isn’t just a temporal feeling that he has about this. No. Paul is saying, “I have been anchored to this. I remain anchored to this, and I’m not moving from this.” Now, you will note at the beginning of verse 28 he expresses really similar-type conviction. He goes, “And we know,” and he uses “we” to include all the rest of us. So, this isn’t just that Paul has this. Each and every one of us must have this strong conviction regarding these truths. And they are not hard to understand. They may be hard for some to swallow, but they are not hard to understand. These are very clear, and it all deals with a strong conviction that there will be no separation from the love of God toward me now that I am in Christ. So, this is where this begins; the strong conviction. May God give you strong convictions in the truth. May you have concrete poured into your backbone spiritually, and may you know what it is to stand strong in the truth. Alright, second, I want you to see the specific details, and I want to begin now to walk through this and peel this back a layer at a time. There is going to be six layers here and there are ten designations, ten details, but they fall out in six layers. And we are just going to peel these back one at a time. So, the first pair is in the middle of verse 38, “For I am convinced that,” and here’s the first pair, “that neither death nor life,” neither death nor life, “shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.” Now, just understand, this is an all-inclusive statement. There is nothing outside of life or death for you, okay? That covers your present, your future. That covers time. That covers eternity. That covers everything in your life. There is nothing outside of life and death. Now, Paul begins with death because he has just been talking about death. And you will note in verse 36, he says, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” And the reference there is martyrdom. The reference there is paying the ultimate price for your testimony and for the confession of your faith in Christ Jesus. And just to remind us all, the church in Rome was not in the buckle of the Bible belt, okay? This isn’t Atlanta or Charlotte or something like that. They are in Rome. That’s where Caesar is. That’s where the marching armies of Rome are. That’s where the Roman senate is. That’s where they will be throwing Christians to the lions in the Roman colosseum. That’s where they will be taking Christians and literally shish kebabing them and using them as human torches to light the emperor’s gardens as he has his evening parties. So, this isn’t something hypothetical. And in the face of such persecution and tribulation, Paul begins with death and rightly so, and at the beginning of verse 35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” And at the end of verse 35, he says, “Sword?” And it is a rhetorical question, the answer of which is “No.” Not even the sword can sever us from the love of Christ or from the love of God, which is in Christ. Now, that is the worst-case scenario that could ever happen to you is for you to have your head severed by a sword because of your testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. Even that will not separate the love of God from you. In fact, it will usher you into the very presence of God and His love for you. Now, just think about this: death separates us from a lot of things. Death separates us from family, right? Death separates us from our body. Our body is put into the grave but our soul and spirit is separated from the body by death. Death separates us from locations here on the earth. Death separates us from business. It separates us from earthly pleasures. So, death separates us from just about everything except the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. And that is a synonymous expression for our salvation. The love of God which is in Christ Jesus is synonymous with the saving grace of God that is poured out upon us motivated by the love of God. So, let me just give you some cross-references just to drive this nail into the board a little bit deeper. Psalm 23 verse 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and then I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” So, even death is not going to circumvent the love of God towards us even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It will only lead into a fuller realization of the love of God. Let me give you another one, Psalm 116 verse 15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His godly ones.” And it is precious because the death of one of His godly ones brings that godly one into the very presence of God and His loving arms. Luke 23 verse 42 (not you Luke, but in the Bible, Luke), Luke 23:42, thief on the cross, the thief said, “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And what did Jesus say? “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” There was no separation from the love of God in Christ for that thief upon the cross, and he put his foot into the ocean of God’s grace at the last second and there was no separation whatsoever for him. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 8 is another cross-reference we need to be reminded of. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” I mean, the moment you die you graduate to glory. The moment you die, you close your eyes in death, you open them in the very presence of God, coram Deo, face to face with God. In the beatific vision, you will see God. And then Philippians 1:21, Paul writes, “For me, to live is Christ and to die,” is what? Is gain. So, even death cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ. Here is a question for our Roman Catholic friends. They teach that suicide by a Christian sends to purgatory or to hell. Not according to the Bible. Even if a believer takes his own life, which is a gross sin against God, but there have been believers who have taken their own life, succumbing to depression, even suicide by a Christian cannot separate that one from the eternal love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. So, death cannot separate us from the love of God, neither can life. He goes “nor life.” That’s the other part of this tandem. And life just covers everything else, I mean, every life experience on this side of death. So, from this we can easily surmise no sin that we could ever commit would ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No denial of Christ in a weak moment, like Peter who said, “I don’t know the man.” No immorality, like committed by David. No murder, act of murder like committed by David, at least the plot of it, would separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Not even trying to run away from the will of God, like Jonah, could separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. I mean, it is an irrevocable, unbreakable bond that we have with God as He has set His love upon us, and we will talk about it at the end of this study, that is exclusively in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, if you think about it, life does separate us from a lot of things. Life separates us from parents by their death. Life can separate us in marriage, relationships, business, health, wealth. There are a lot of separations that occur within life, but one separation that will never occur within your life, no matter what you do or how you live is the love that God has for those who are in Christ Jesus. We need to understand. It is an unconditional love that is not caused by anything in us. It is not forfeited by anything in us. So, that is the first pair. We could stop the study right there. Paul could have stopped the verse right there. I mean what else is there? Life or death. But he is the master teacher, right? And so, he is going to stack up further convincing arguments. So, the second pair, the second pair he now says, “Nor angels nor principalities.” Now, this covers the entire invisible world of spirit beings, small “s.” It covers good angels. That would be the designation “angels.” Those are elect angels, good angels. But it also covers principalities. Now, principalities refer to the third of the angels that fell with Lucifer when he sinned and became demon spirits, disembodied spirits that are demons, who are opposed to believers, who persecute the church, who try to thwart every advancement of the gospel. Nothing that a demon can do can separate the love of God in Christ from us. So, no deception that a demon can create, no temptation that a demon can incite or send, no false doctrine, no persecution, no pressure that a demon can bring to bear upon our life can ever drive a wedge between the love of God and us. Now, let me give you the classic example, Job. Job chapter 1 and 2. “There was a day when the sons of men,” referring to angels, Job 1 verse 6, “came before the throne of God, and there came Satan.” And you may ask me, “How is it that Satan has access to the throne of God?” And the answer is, “I don’t know. You don’t know. No one knows.” But there it is in the Bible. And God initiates the conversation. “Have you considered My servant Job? There is no one like him. He is fearless and upright, turning away from evil, blameless.” It’s God that throws Job’s name into the ring. And the devil who is so shrewd answers back and in essence says in so many words, “Well, no wonder he worships You. You’ve been so good to him. You’ve bought his worship. If You pull back your goodness to him, he will not worship You.” And so, God says, “Alright, have at him.” And you know the story how in one day God took away all of his possessions, God took away his house, God took away…Satan (I say God. God ultimately, but it is Satan given the permission to do this) takes away all seven sons and all three daughters in a moment, just wipes out his family. And the only thing that he leaves is a wife who nags him at this. “Why don’t you just curse God and you can vamoose as well? And Job says, “The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” “In all of this,” Job 1:23, “Job did not sin.” Well, guess what? Satan comes back before the throne of God and says, “If you would just let me touch him and cast greater affliction upon him, he’ll turn his back on you.” And God says, “You may do that.” And God removed the hedge of protection around Job, and the devil was able to inflict boils and all kinds of painful inflictions upon Job. And Job refused to curse God. In all of that, God continued to focus His love upon Job. Job will not turn his back on God, but God will not turn his back on Job, no matter what. And so, that is the classic example, and we too find ourselves boxing in the same arena. Ephesians 6 verse 12: “For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities,” the very word here, “and powers and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places” in Christ Jesus. And so, the point that Paul is making here is not even good angels hypothetically (Galatians 1:8) or non-elect angels that are fallen angels that are demon spirits can cause us to be severed from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. So, he comes now to the third pair. And what is next at the end of verse 38, he says, “Nor things present, nor things to come.” You see how those match up together, those form a pair which are opposite extremes, “things present, nor things to come?” What he is saying is nothing in this life and nothing in the life to come. Nothing today, nothing tomorrow, nothing forever. Nothing in time and nothing in eternity. I mean, that covers the whole gambit. And the reason he doesn’t mention the past is because obviously nothing in the past has separated us from the love of God that in Christ Jesus, the mere fact that we as believers presently are in the love of God. So, he just begins with the present but extends it into things to come. There is no end to that. That goes next week, next month, next year all the way down to the time of your death, but that doesn’t even stop it. It goes through death into eternity future. There is nothing on the radar screen that will ever be able to separate the love of God from us. No difficulty, no danger, no loss, no traumatic experience, no adversity, no tragedy, no trial, no tribulation, zero, can ever separate the love of God from us that is in Christ Jesus. If that were not enough, Paul just keeps adding layers to the argument such that there is so much weight being brought to bear upon this, you would almost have to pity someone who ever thinks you could lose your salvation because obviously their eyes are not working, brain cells are not touching. They’re not able to comprehend the clear teaching of Scripture itself. So, the next layer, which is the fourth layer, is a single detail or a single word. He adds, “nor powers.” Now, there is some discussion as to what “powers” refers to and I’ll admit it is difficult to be absolutely certain. Some feel that it points back to angels and principalities. I think not. I think it would have been clustered there, but it breaks even the rhythm to have a triad. I think this is a standalone, and I think the powers here refer to earthly powers and specifically to government authorities, government powers that are hostile towards a believer’s faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s remember to whom Paul is writing and where they live. They are in Rome, literally under the thumb and under the shadow of Caesar himself, who can give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to anyone he wants and can throw anyone into the Roman colosseum and have their life taken. I think the powers here refer to Caesar with all of the tyrannical powers that he possessed and exercised. And what Paul is saying is no matter how heated the persecution that will come against you, and it is surely coming, it hasn’t totally hit the fan yet but it is on the way, the tsunami is on the way. No matter how intense the persecution, even that will not be able to weaken the grip that God has upon you. And no matter how traumatized you will be and no matter how weak you may become, it will not loosen the grip of God’s love upon your life. And even when the world rejects you, God stands with you. And even when the world rises up to take your life, God holds your life and God will preserve you in His love. This leads now to the next layer, which is the fourth pair, which is really the fifth layer of this. And in verse 39, the sentence continues, you will note. And Paul is like on a run here, and he just continues to add another layer and he says, “Nor height, nor depth.” And again, these are polar opposites and it could be argued that this is a literary device called inclusio, sometimes called “inclusion,” which are like bookends, and it implies not only these extremes, but everything in between. It would be like for us to say, “From New York to Los Angeles.” Well, that implies Topeka, Kansas, and Wichita and St. Louis and everything in between.” That’s the thrust here with this literary device. And so, when he says “heights,” he is referring to heaven. And when he says “depth,” he is referring to hell. Well, when he says “heights,” number one, that is where God is. Number two, that is where elect angels base. Number three, that is where believers now glorified are. And four, that is where Satan is allowed to bring his accusation against us as the accuser of the brethren. But nothing in heaven, with God, elect angels, glorified believers, or even Satan, can separate us from the love of God. Well, then Paul wants us to get in the elevator and go all the way down to the basement. And there we are in the depths of hell. And there are already some demons that are consigned to hell already. The rest are loose here upon the earth. There are already damned souls in hell being tormented. Nothing down there can separate us from the love of God, nothing in the heights of heaven or in the depths of hell and nothing in between, on the earth. So, nothing above the earth, nothing on the earth, nothing under the earth can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. And this is almost like saying north, south, east, or west, no matter which way you look and no matter what the terrain or the territory, there is nothing going on that could intervene to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. If that were not enough, Paul now comes to the last thing that he will say, which is the final single. It is the sixth level and it is a standalone. It’s not matched up with another pair, and he just adds “nor any created thing.” That’s kind of like a catch all for anything else that would come into your mind. And it’s also inclusive of you, because I know how some people think. And they think, “Well, God would never remove His love from us, but you could remove yourself from the love of God. You could remove yourself from the grip that God has on your life.” Of course, we know that is impossible. That’s silly talk. But let’s just play with that for a moment. Could you pull yourself out of the circle of God’s love? Let’s just think about this. The only uncreated being in the universe is God Himself. Everything else is created, right? So, this covers everything. This covers the universe. This covers heaven, hell, earth, planets, people, animals, weather, circumstances, anything and everything, which would include you, last time I looked. That would include you in the universe as a created being. And this says that no created thing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. The fallacy of that argument implodes in its own logic as Paul even adds this. So, when you put a bow around all ten of these designations, there is nothing that can enter, intervene, to put up a barrier, a firewall, between the love of God and us as those who are believers in Jesus Christ. Now, we could meet from now on until the Lord comes back going Genesis through Revelation on why you can never lose your salvation, okay? It would be a long study and especially with me doing it. Yeah, I hear that laugh. There are so many verses. It would be easier to prove this than some of the major doctrines in the Bible. We have so many verses at our disposal. But having said that, just these two verses alone is all we need. This is a slam-dunk case for “Once saved, always saved.” It is a slam-dunk case for the eternal security of the believer. So, this leads us now to the end of verse 39. I don’t want to get this all out on the table. So, we’ve looked at the strong conviction, and we’ve looked at the specific details, right? And now, third, I want you to see the steadfast love because as we come to the end of verse 39 there is still some more meat on the bone here. Notice how he concludes. I’m going to read it and then we will go through it phrase by phrase or word by word, “will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, I looked up this verb “will be able.” I just thought, I wonder how strong this disability is, I wonder how strong this word is, and I was surprised when I saw it. It comes into the English language as the word “dynamite,” a powerful explosion. And the idea all of these things put together that we just looked at, yeah, there was a lot of TNT in that, but none of those is a strong enough force to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Now, this word “separate” means “to divide, to sever.” It’s used in the Bible to refer to divorce, the breaking of a relationship. It literally means to place room between two things so that there is now a chasm or a gap between two things. That’s what this word “separate” means. And he is saying all the things that he just discussed will not create a gap between God and us. I mean we are bound. There is union between us and God and His love, and nothing can separate the love of God toward us. And again, that is synonymous with our salvation. Now, the next word is “us.” That’s a big word, very important word. Please note it doesn’t say “everybody.” It says “us.” So, the million-dollar question once again is who is the “us” because you’re going to be one of the “us.” Well, this stream began to flow, I mean we can go all the way back to Romans 1 verse 1, I guess, in a sense. But it is in verse 29. It is those whom He foreknew and those whom He predestined, and in verse 30 the “us” is those whom He called and those whom He justified and those who are already as good as glorified. The “us” in verse 31 is those whom God is for. The “us” in verse 32 is those for whom Christ died. It’s those for whom God gave the Son to die in his place. The “us” in verse 32 are those to whom God gives everything that is needed in the will of God. The “us” in verse 28 is those for whom all things are working together for good. The “us” in verse 28 are those who love God and those who are called according to His purpose. The “us” in verse 33 is those whom God justifies, and the “us” in verse 33 are those who are God’s elect. The “us” in verse 34 are those for whom Christ is presently interceding at the right hand of God the Father and praying for. The “us” in verse 35 is those whom Christ loves. “Who will separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus?” I think you’re getting the point. The “us” in verse 37 are those whom He loved, pointing back to the cross. We know exactly who the “us” is. It’s those who are believers in Jesus Christ. And the reason they are believers in Jesus Christ is because God chose them and fore-loved them before time began and predestined them, and they will be with the Father glorified in heaven one day at the end of verse 30. These are the ones who will never be separated from the love of God. In fact, God loved them in eternity past. Ephesians 1 verse 4: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love,” now verse 5, “He predestined us according to adoption as sons, according to the kind intention of His will.” This refers to you and me as believers, and this is not a love that God has for the world. There is a general love that God has for the world, but there is only a saving love that will never be breached and will never be extinguished that God has for His own elect who are in Christ Jesus. So, that’s a major point for us to make in that little two-letter word in English, “us.” So, nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God. And when he says “the love of God” here, I want to make crystal clear we understand this. This is not the general common love that God has for everybody. “He causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” He allows even unbelievers to enjoy marriage, to have children, to be intellectually stimulated when they go to college. He allows even unbelievers as an expression of His general love to appreciate music and architecture and hunting and fishing. And this is all that God is good to all. But this love is a far more specific narrow love that is exclusively for those for whom He predestined to be adopted into His family. And really, it is covered in the word “foreknew” in verse 29, which just simply means “those whom He previously loved.” Now, I’ve got to finish this. Notice how this verse continues, “which…” The “which” refers to the love of God. It’s not “whom;” it is “which.” It’s an important distinction. “Which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The entirety of God’s special saving love toward us is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In other words, there is not one drop of saving love for us outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. Outside of His sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, present enthronement, there is no saving love outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, if you are to know and experience this love of God, you must come to Christ. And you must believe in Christ, and you must step into Christ, and you must be found in Christ in order to experience this saving love that God has because the totality of it is exclusively, this text says, in Christ Jesus our Lord. So, if you are not a believer in Christ Jesus you are under the wrath of God, and God is angry with the wicked every day, and God is full of vengeance for you. And in a sense, even the elect before they are regenerated are under the wrath of God, Ephesians 2:2 and 3. We must be in Christ experientially in order to be the object of God’s saving love experientially. Now, let me just comment on the order of these three designations for Christ, Christ Jesus the Lord. I always say Jesus Christ. Paul goes “Christ Jesus” most often and then “Our Lord.” Each of these three names means something. He begins with “Christ” because “Christ” means “The Anointed One,” which is synonymous in Hebrew with the “Messiah, the mashiach, the long-promised One who will come and deliver His people from their sins. So, “Christ” really has an Old Testament feel, the prophesied One who will come from God and be the Redeemer of Israel, be the deliverer of His people. So, that is why He begins with “Christ.” And Jesus, when He was baptized in the River Jordan, not just with water, but with the Holy Spirit, that was the fulfillment of this long-awaited promise. Isaiah 61 verse 1: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to preach.” That was the fulfillment that He would be endued with power from on high to carry out His saving enterprise here upon the earth. Then “Jesus,” really it means “Jehovah saves,” and the idea is that He is the divine Savior. He is God in human flesh come to save us from our sins, and that speaks of His sinless life and His substitutionary death. So, “Christ” speaks of the fact that He is a powerful Redeemer, a promised Redeemer. “Jesus,” He is a divine Savior. And then “Lord,” He is sovereign ruler, kurios, that means He is the supreme One with all authority. He is the sovereign One of heaven and earth. Now, in order to believe in Jesus Christ, to be a believer and enter into the fullness of this, I mean, you must believe that He is God in human flesh come to save, but you must also submit to His lordship in your life that He now is the ruler who has all authority over every dimension and every area of your life. So, there is a certain finality to the chapter and a summation to the chapter by even giving all three names. It just brings this to a climactic conclusion. Christ Jesus, our Lord. Now, even that word “our” is important because it matches up with “us.” Everyone who is a believer in Jesus has Him as their Lord. And sometimes you will hear some very bad teaching that says, “Well, you can have Jesus as Savior, but then five years later or ten years later you need to recognize Him as Lord.” That is bogus teaching. If Jesus is your Savior, He must be your Lord. It’s a package deal. If I came and knocked at your door. And you said, “Who’s there?” And I said, “Steve Lawson.” And you said, “Steve come in. Lawson, you stay out.” Well, I can’t come in. It’s all of me or none of me, hopefully. It’s the same with Jesus. You receive Him as Christ Jesus our Lord or you do not receive Him. It’s all of Him or none of Him. And the word “our” designates that everyone who has Christ as Jesus also has Him as Lord. So, please don’t miss even that little detail in this text. Let me restate that. When you come to Christ, true saving faith has in it submission to the sovereignty of Christ over your life, and there is an element of surrender of your life to Christ. And I would refer you to Luke 14:30 to 32 to document that. So, you remember when we started this we saw the video of Felipe over in Lebanon, and he said he likes the “so what” at the end? Okay, so Felipe this is for you, okay, all the way across the Atlantic. I want to give you three “so what’s”. So, how should this affect your life? Number one, live in humility. That such a holy God would love such unholy creatures as you and me, that ought to drive out every drop of arrogance and pride within us though there is still remaining taints of it, no doubt. Just think about this, that the infinitely perfect holy God has set His love upon such filthy rotten sinners like you and me that one so great would love one so dirty. What humility! When we get up and walk out of here, not one of us should leave strutting. I mean, we should all be overwhelmed that God would love one so unlovely as me and you. So, humility is the first “so what” to this. And there is a sense we could just stop right there because humility has a way of taking care of everything else. Humility is the leading virtue of the true believer in Jesus Christ. I would put it “a humble love for God.” No one struts through the narrow gate when they enter the kingdom of heaven. We all come with a lowly humility into the kingdom of heaven. So, number one, humility. Second is certainty. We should live with certainly because this passage gives us assurance of our eternal acceptance with God forever and ever. And I grew up in a church that did not teach this, and I can remember being in high school and just thinking, you know, “I know that I’m a believer right now and I know a lot of my classmates are not. I just hope on the last day this thing isn’t reversed.” I mean, I would want them to be a believer, but I don’t want on the last day then to find myself on the outside and now they are on the inside. And it wasn’t in a sense of selfishness towards them. It was in a sense of despair about me. And then, as I began to read my Bible in college, I came to see this certainty that as I’m a believer in Jesus Christ now, nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. And it like unplugged all the pressure from me that I’ve got to live so perfect now for the rest of my life just to keep myself in the love of God when I realized that I’m sailing on the good ship “Grace,” and this ship’s never going down. So, I’m enjoying the cruise a whole lot better than like being up all night just wondering like when are we hitting the iceberg and going down, that I’m good for heaven this very moment. So, what certainty this passage brings to us, and it ought to just take bricks off your shoulder of worry about being accepted with God on the last day. You will be accepted by God on the last day if you are accepted by God this very moment. And then the third thing that I would say is “victory.” This should put a triumphant note in our witnessing and in our testimony with others. There should be a confident victorious spirit within us as we live our Christian lives. And no wonder he said in verse 37, just to remind you of this, that “we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” And then verse 38 starts with “For.” That’s just an explanation of that “we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” And so, there is this inseparable connection between verse 37 and verses 38 and 39. So, it is victory. So, no matter what happens in your life, no matter what you’re thrown into, verse 28, He’s causing “all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose,” and then the rest of this chapter, nothing will ever separate the love of God in Christ from you. That’s pretty victorious to me. That’s awesome. And it is not because of us; it is because of Him. It’s not because we are holding onto Him; it’s because He’s holding onto us, and He will never let go. And He is orchestrating everything for His glory and for our good. So, guys, herein lies Romans 8, this phenomenal chapter. And in these last two verses, 38 and 39, I hope that you just savor these two verses. This has your name written on it. This is for you and me who are in Christ Jesus. This is as good as it gets. Your bottom line has been taken care of, so enjoy the rest of the year.  No matter how the sales go, your bottom line is already taken care of, your bottom line to get into heaven. So, just enjoy the cruise, enjoy the Christian life, because this ship is glory bound and you’re on it and it is not going down and you’re not falling overboard. And God holds you in the palm of His hand.

Seven Unanswerable Questions – Romans 8:31-37

OnePassion Ministries January 17, 2019

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Romans 8, I want to begin reading in verse 31. These are phenomenal verses. So, Paul writes, “What shall we say to these things?” And I want you to pay attention to the question marks, give attention to the questions as I read this. The title of this is “Seven Unanswerable Questions.” “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (question mark) Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? (question mark) God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? (question mark) Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? (question mark) Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (question mark). There is a penetrating power in asking questions. Great teachers ask questions. Great preachers raise questions because questions cause people to think. Rather than giving you the answer, the raising of the question forces you to come up with the answer. Some questions are intended to gain information like, “What time did you arrive? When did you leave home?” That’s to secure information. But other questions known as a rhetorical question are really a statement intended to give the answer in the form of a question. And that is exactly what Paul is doing in these verses. He raises seven questions in these seven verses. So, there is a heavy use of questions. And this is not unusual for Paul. And I want to draw this to your attention. I, actually yesterday, as I was flying back from Los Angeles sat on the plane and started in Romans 1 and brought it forward to Romans 8. And I thought, “You know, I’m just going to add up the questions.” So, in Romans 7, there are seven questions. That’s a lot of questions in just one chapter in the Bible. In Romans 3, are you ready for this? There are fifteen questions that Paul asks in Romans chapter 3. And in Romans 4, there are five questions. In Romans 6, there are seven questions. Romans 7, there are five questions. And here in Romans 8, there are eight questions. So, when you add all this up, it’s a total of forty-seven questions that Paul raises as he writes to the church in Rome. And they are all intended to teach doctrine, to teach theology, and also to make application to our lives. The most boring preachers are those who preach like this: statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts, statement of facts. They’re just wearing people out. Effective teachers and preachers know statement of facts, statement of fact, then come in with a question, and cause the listener to put their pen down, look up, and process so that the wheels will turn, then go back to statement of fact, but then ask probing penetrating questions. That is very effective communication, and that is exactly what Paul is doing here. And so, just to give you the overview of verses 31 to 37, he asked two questions in verse 31. He asked one question each in verse 32 and 33 and 34, and then two questions in verse 35. So, there is a rapidity and staccato form of questions. So, we’re going to track with Paul, and they all deal with the eternal security of the believer. And when I say “eternal security,” I mean that the one who believes in Jesus Christ can never slip through His grasp, can never fall away, can never be lost. So, once the Lord has a hold of you, He will never let go. Ultimately, it’s not a matter of you holding on to God; it’s a matter of God holding onto you. So, that is the focus, and it’s immediately following the last word of verse 30, “glorified,” which is a believer in heaven. You’ll note it is in the past tense, which means in the mind and the will of God you are already glorified. You are already as certain for heaven as if you’ve already been there ten thousand years. So, these questions really come spinning out of God’s golden chain of salvation that we were looking at in verses 29 and 30. Now, I’m going to put a label on each of these questions, a one-word label to help us to distinguish one question from the other because these questions are not repetitive in the sense asking the same question. They all ask a different question. So, it’s Paul’s way to probe. So, the first question is at the beginning of verse 31, and it’s the summation question. The summation question, he begins, “What then shall we say to these things?” And he is referring to several things. One, what he has just taught in verses 28 to 29, the sovereignty of God in providence in verse 28, and in salvation, verses 29 and 30. So, “What shall we say to these things?” Paul, knowing the profundity of what he just taught, but it also refers to the entire larger section which would be in Romans 5 through 8, as Paul begins really elaborating further on justification by faith. But the best commentators that I have read recently say it really points back to the whole book of Romans to this point, “What shall we say to these things?” That it reaches all the way back to really chapter 1 verse 17, the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel. So, “What shall we say to these things?” The answer to this question will be found in the next six answers. So, Paul is very Jewish in this sense. He answers a question with a question. So, “What shall we say to these things?” He will now ask six questions, alright? So, that leads us now to the second question, which is the second half of verse 31. It’s the opposition question. So, he says in verse 31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Now, what raises this question is what he will say in verse 35 and 36, where he will talk about what faces the believer, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, which is the result of the persecution, nakedness, which is the result of the persecution, sword, which is martyrdom, which is the result of the persecution in verse 35. Verse 36 quotes from the Old Testament and spells out the martyrdom where, “We are being put to death all day long. We are like sheep being led to the slaughter.” That’s who’s opposing the believers in the first century, it was who was opposing the believers in the Old Testament, and it’s who is opposing believers even to this very day. So, believers are still facing what we see in verses 35 and 36 depending upon where you live in the world. Trust me. I’ve just been with some Chinese workers and pastors. They are facing big time persecution in China. Preachers are just suddenly disappearing, just like it was in Russia. So, when he says in verse 31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” he is not talking about, “Hey, someone took your parking place, and they’re really against you,” and like you’re really having to bear your cross. I mean, he’s talking about real persecution and real tribulation, which we may very well be facing here in the near future the way our culture and our country is headed. So, this is a very legitimate question. And when he says, “If God is for us, who is against us?” what he is saying is in the midst of the persecution and tribulation that you will be facing as believers, if God is for you it doesn’t matter a hill of beans who is against you or what pressures are being brought upon you. Even if you die as a martyr, it will simply usher you into the immediate presence of Jesus Christ. That is a huge gain for any believer. I think of Philippians 1 verse 21, “For me to live is Christ and to die is,” what? It’s “gain.” It’s a far greater gain. So, in verse 31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” it implies the negative answer, “No one can be against us if God is for us,” in the sense of preventing us from the greatest good that could come in our life. And that greatest good in verse 28 and 29 is to be made in the image of Christ. Even the greatest opposition that could ever come against you is only worked by God for your greater good. That’s what this is saying. Even the most difficult days you will ever face is being used by God for your spiritual good. James 1 verse 2, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” I mean, God works it all for good. That’s what verse 28 said, remember? “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” That bleeds down into verse 31. Now, I want to point this out. It says, “If God is for us.” That is not up in the air. “He might be. He might not be.” “If God is for us.” Let me give you the correct grammatical exegetical translation of that. “Since God is for you,” “Because God is for us.” There is nothing hypothetical about it. It is a statement of rock-ribbed absolute certainty, “God is for you.” And it doesn’t matter what is crashing against your life. God is causing it to work together for good and it will never remove your salvation. So, that’s the opposition question. No one can successfully oppose us and thwart the eternal purposes of God. No enemy, no persecutor, no demon, no devil. All that matters in your life is that God is for you. And even if the entire world was against you, and you are the only believer on planet Earth, which is not the case but for argument’s sake, if the whole world rose up against you it could not thwart what God’s purpose is for your life, which is to make you like Jesus Christ and one day when you die to go immediately into the presence of Christ. And even the sword and martyrdom cannot circumvent the eternal purpose of God in your life. And even the day that you would be strapped to the stake and burned for your faith is the very day that God appointed that you would leave this world and go to be with Him in the world above. So, that’s what Paul is digging at here. It’s really the overriding sovereignty of God over life’s circumstances, even death itself. So, that’s the separation question. Now, number three, the provision question, and this is in verse 32. And it really answers the questions in people’s minds that would come up as a result of the question at the end of verse 31. If so many people are opposing me and against me, and if God is for me, so how is God going to take care of me if like in verse 35 there is famine, there is nakedness, which is the result of the persecution. In other words, you have lost your job, you have lost all access even to clothing and food. So, how are you going to get by? So, verse 32 answers this question. So, he says, “He,” and that refers to God the Father, and I want to re-emphasize with us it is God the Father who is sovereignly in control of this whole process, and it is God the Father who is driving us. The “He” in verse 32 is the “He” of verses 29 and 30. It’s He who foreknew us, He who predestined us, He who called us, He who justified us, He who glorified us. It’s the same “He” in verse 32. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not all with Him freely give us all things?” Now, let me unpack this. It’s an argument from the greater to the lesser. If God has given to us the greater provision, will He not logically give us the lesser provision? And what was the greater provision that God has already supplied? He delivered over His own Son unto death upon the cross. He gave us the infinite riches of His grace in the Person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And let me just make a few comments on the first part of verse 32, and then I am going to get to the lesser provision. When he says, “He did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over,” that’s referring to the cross. This verb “delivered over” is a compound Greek word, paradidomi, which means “to be delivered over to judgment.” It’s used of Jesus being delivered over to Pilate. God the Father delivered over His Son to the severe judgment of the cross. And please note who delivered Him over. Ultimately, it was not the Romans. It was not the Jews. Ultimately, it was God the Father. Jesus was the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world. This was the eternal decree of God the Father, that He sent His Son into this world to go to the cross and to die for us. The situation did not get out of hand and God had to make lemonade out of lemons. No, this was God’s pre-designed, pre-scripted purpose for His Son to be delivered over unto judgment, the judgment of the cross. And the physical was nothing compared to the spiritual. Thousands of people were crucified on crosses. It was that upon that cross He bore our sins in His body, and when He became sin for us God the Father brought down the full curse of the law upon His Son and literally crushed His Son with a severe blow of His vengeance and fury upon our sins. So, He delivered Him over to judgment “for,” that little preposition, it could be argued the entirety of the gospel is found in those three little words “for,” F-O-R, which means “for the benefit of,” or “for the sake of.” It’s substitution. And if you had to define the cross in only one word, which is hard to do, I would go for the word “substitution,” that Jesus died in our place. It says here “for us all.” Now, I’ve got to ask the million-dollar question. Are you ready? You see, great teachers use questions, okay? So, I’m modeling the message right now. So, the million-dollar question is, “Who is the “us,” which answers this question: “For whom did Christ die?” For whom did Christ die? Now, there is essentially two answers. One is wrong; the other is right. So, we will begin with the wrong answer, that He died for the whole world, that upon the cross He bore the sin of every person who would ever live. And that’s what most people believe. Probably 90% of Christendom have a wrong understanding of the death of Christ upon the cross. I don’t even have time to go into all this. But if Jesus died for people who die in unbelief, then God is unjust because there will be a double payment for their sin. One, Jesus would have paid for their sin upon the cross, which should be sufficient with equity and justice. But they would then also pay for the very same sins that Jesus has already paid for in hell throughout eternity. That is what you called double jeopardy, where you pay twice for one sin. God would be unjust. But further, let me ask this question: Did Jesus die for the sin of unbelief for those who die in unbelief? Did He or did He not? If you say He died for every single person who ever lived in the history of the world, did Jesus die for the sin of unbelief of unbelievers who die in unbelief? Because if He did, they are released from the sin of unbelief and they would never go to hell. No, the correct answer is that Jesus died for everyone who will receive the benefit of His death. Jesus died for everyone who will put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In other words, not one drop of blood was shed in vain upon the cross. Every drop that Jesus shed upon the cross actually accomplished its purpose. It was a triumphant death. It was a victorious death. And this is critically important how you see the cross and how you understand what Jesus did. The intent of the cross defines the extent of the cross. Just write that one down. You can tweet that if you want. The intent of the cross defines the extent of the cross. So, why did Jesus die? What was His mission? Well, He came to lay down His life for His sheep. He came to die for those whom the Father chose in eternity past and gave to the Son in eternity past. That’s whom Jesus came into this world to save. “He will save,” Matthew 1:21, “His people from their sins.” So, that leads us in this verse 32, who is the “us?” “He did not spare His own Son but delivered Him over for us all.” The “us” refers to verse 29 “those whom He foreknew.” Context, context, context is king in interpretation, just like location, location, location in real estate, Kent. Context, context, context! So, verse 29, the “us” is those whom He foreknew, those whom He predestined, verse 30, those whom He called, those whom He justified, those whom He glorified. Look at verse 31, “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us.” Who is God for? He is not for the persecutors and those inflicting the tribulation. He is not for those who are putting the sword to believers. God is against them. God is angry with the wicked every day. God has bent His bow and put His arrow into His bow, and it is aimed at their soul. And as Spurgeon says, God will never miss the target. God is not for them; God is against them. He is against the wicked, but He is for His elect. So, in verse 31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Who is the “us?” A blind man could see this. The “us” is a smaller concentric circle within all humanity. It is those who are foreknown and predestined and called, justified, and glorified. It’s all who believe in Jesus Christ. Hello! So, we come down to verse 32. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us,” who is the “us?” Any consistent Bible study observation and interpretation can only come to one conclusion, that the “us” refers to the elect of God. It was a definite atonement that Jesus made upon Calvary’s cross for the sins of those who had been given to Him by the Father from before the foundation of the world. And also, would you please note in verse 32 we could ask this question, “For whom did the Father deliver over the Son?” That’s a question that is never asked. For whom did God the Father deliver over God the Son unto death? Well, you have the answer in verse 32, crystal clear. It is lucid. It is “for us all.” And by adding the word “all,” it really emphasizes the “us.” It’s not all humanity; it’s all “us.” So, what I want you to understand is that there is an inseparable unity within the Godhead in matters of salvation. Those whom the Father chose are those for whom the Son died, are those whom the Spirit calls, and it’s an unbreakable union within the Trinity in this matter of salvation. They work as one Savior. That is why, and I said this a couple of weeks ago but I’m going to say it again, that is why when we baptize someone we baptize them…can you find it, Kent? Hashtag, #benicetoKent, I know, I know. That’s why when we baptize someone we baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, principally because all three Persons were active in our salvation. The Father chose us. The Son died for us. The Spirit convicted us, called us, and regenerated us. So, come back to verse 32 now. “He (God the Father) who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He (God the Father) not all with Him (God the Son) freely give us all things.” Now, these “all things” are the lesser provision. The greater provision is “delivering over His Son for us all.” The lesser provision is the “all things.” Now, the “all things” are not to be mistaken as a health, wealth prosperity gospel, okay? The “all things” refer to all things necessary for you to fulfill the will of God for your life, whatever is necessary. And in fulfilling the will of God for your life, verse 35 tells us there will be times you will go without food, and there will be times you may go without clothing and the necessities of life. There may even ultimately come a time when you will go without your life’s blood by the sword and martyrdom. But all of that is under the sovereignty of God, and whatever it is you need to stay alive and to move forward in the will of God for your life and to accomplish the work of God that He has prepared for you to do, God will provide all things that are necessary for you to carry out the preordained, foreordained work that God has prescribed for you. Now, this doesn’t mean we all get Lamborghinis, okay?  This does not mean that. It just means, whatever you need to keep you alive and to keep you moving forward to carry out what God has foreordained for you to do while you’re alive, God will provide that. And it’s a brilliant logical presentation that Paul is making to us, that if God has delivered over His Son, don’t you think He will give you a shirt? I mean, it’s bizarre. I have two sons here at this Bible study right now. If I loved you enough to give my two sons to you right now so that you would escape the death penalty, and then you came over to my house and knocked on my door, after I just gave my two sons to die in the electric chair so you could go free, and you said, “Say, by the way do you have any socks? Could you give me their socks?” I would go, “My goodness! I just gave you my sons. Of course, I’ll give you a pair of socks. That’s nothing.” That’s the argument that Paul is making from the greater to the lesser. Once He gave over His Son at the cross, that is a documentation that God will pick up the tab on everything else. He will cover everything else. Now, you are still going to have to work. You are still going to have to pray, and you are still going to have to put your shoulder to the plow and you are going to have to move forward by faith. You still bear enormous responsibility, but as you move forward, trust God. “Trust the Lord with all your heart,” Proverbs 3:5, “and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” So, that’s what Paul is arguing in this context. And please understand, verse 35 and verse 36 is critically important to understanding verses 31 and 32. So, this answers the provision question. So, what comfort there should be to all of our hearts as we live in the rat race, as we live in a stressful society that is always pushing to get ahead! And not all of that is bad. I mean, we should all be working hard and be productive. As we are facing all kinds of difficulties, just know God has already given you His Son. And as you work hard and are responsible, God providentially will provide all things that you need to stay alive and do His will and carry out His service. That’s an extraordinary verse we just looked at. So, let’s keep moving forward. Verse 33 is the prosecution question. In verse 33, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?” You will notice it’s in the future tense verb, who will bring a charge, not who is bringing a charge. “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?” And I believe the verb tense there indicates the last day, when you stand before the Lord on the last day and God has already declared you to be righteous before Him. He did that the moment you were converted. On the last day, who could ever dig up some evidence? Who could ever bring a skeleton out of one of your closets? Who could ever say, “Well, yeah I knew him in high school,” and do one of these Supreme Court judge things and just dig up dirt from the past and just come out at right field out of nowhere? Who could ever bring a charge, a prosecution against you, on the last day that would circumvent the justification that God has pronounced upon you? That is a pretty good question. And notice he says “against God’s elect.” That again defines what we were talking about in verse 32 on the death of Christ. That again narrowly defines the “us” in verse 31 and 32. It was referring only to the elect of God. Also, it is only the elect who will stand before God on the last day acquitted. Who will bring a charge, a prosecuting charge against God’s elect? And again, verse 35 and 36 would tell us that there are a lot of people who would love the opportunity to step forward with information that would damn you because they don’t want to go to hell by themselves. I mean, they want to drag everyone down into the pit with them. Who could stand that day? And the answer at the end of verse 33, God answers it. God is the One who justifies. It doesn’t matter anything what anybody else has to say. God is the supreme Judge of heaven and earth. God is the One who has the gavel. God is the One who is sitting behind the judge’s bench. God is the One who justifies. God is the One who takes the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and credits it to your account. It would take someone greater than God to reverse what God has done. It would take someone with greater sovereignty and greater supreme authority to override the verdict that God has declared upon you as a believer in Jesus Christ. And let me just tell you, there is no one even in God’s category. He is the Most High God, and what God has declared shall stand forever. On the last day, no one can ever enter any piece of evidence that would circumvent or overturn God’s declaration of your righteousness in Jesus Christ. And that is very important, given verse 35 and verse 36, because there are a lot of people who would like to bring an accusation against us on the last day, whether it be a fabricated charge or whether it be based in reality. God is the One who justifies. So, that’s the prosecution question that Paul is addressing. Do you see how eternally secure you are in Christ? Do you see how settled and certain and sure your eternal destiny is? Now, number five, the condemnation question. That is in verse 34. “Who is the one who condemns?” This is very closely aligned to the previous question, but it’s in the present tense, you will note. So, right now, who could successfully bring a charge that would result in your condemnation? People you work with, people you live with, people who know you, people you went to school with, people you have had association with, people who know the worst about you, people who could dig up dirt on you right now. “Who is the one who condemns?” And he will now answer that. The answer is, “No one.” And he will answer by telling us what Jesus Christ has done for us, and he will tell us four things about what Christ has done. Number one, Christ Jesus is He who died, and that’s pointing to the cross and it’s pointing to His sin-bearing substitutionary death upon the cross by which He bore our sins in His body, He suffered under the wrath of God, and He took our sins away as our scapegoat. He is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. So, He died our place. So, how do we know, how do we know that that death upon the cross is sufficient to clear all charges before the Father? How do we know that? The second truth about Christ is the verification. “Yes, rather was raised.” And the purpose of the resurrection of Christ is to validate the success of His sin-bearing death upon the cross. We are saved by His death upon the cross. It is His resurrection that is God’s stamp of approval that the death of the cross was all sufficient to take away all of our sins. So, the resurrection is very important because it is proof positive that Christ’s death clears us of all charges. Now, the third truth about Christ, it says, “who is at the right hand of God.” So, Jesus has ascended back to heaven, right? Acts 1:9 through 11, and He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, which is the highest position of authority in the entire universe. He now has equal authority with God the Father. And at the right hand of God the Father, Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto Me.” So, whatever Jesus does and whatever Jesus says is the trump card on everything. So, that leads us now to number four, the fourth truth about Jesus, “who also intercedes for us.” And what Jesus is doing at the right hand of God the Father is continually interceding for us. “Intercedes” is in the present tense, you will note. It is an ongoing continual intercession, day by day, moment by moment. And in this intercession, He is pleading with the Father the merit of His own death on our behalf. So, whenever Satan would bring charges against us in heaven, he is the accuser of the brethren, Revelation 12:9 and 10. When Satan brings charges against us, you have a defense attorney at the right hand of God the Father who will successfully defeat all accusations that the devil would bring against you in the presence of God in the courtroom of heaven. I don’t totally understand how all this works. None of us do. But when we read Job 1 and Job 2, we see that Satan is allowed to come before the throne of God and to bring accusation against Job who was the single most righteous man on the earth. And it was God who initiated the conversation. “Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on the earth.” And Satan brings accusation, “Well, no wonder he worships You and loves You. You are so good to him. You’ve bought his worship. You’ve spoilt…You’ve indulged him. Anyone would worship a God like that.” And so, God says, “Okay, have at him. He will still worship Me. He will still praise Me.” All I know is, is that Satan is the accuser of the brethren, and he is bringing accusation against you and against me every day. And you don’t have anyone to defend you except the One who has never lost a case, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He is interceding with the Father at your right hand to repel and defeat any charge or accusation that Satan could bring up against you.  He is your defense attorney, and He will successfully defend you in the courtroom of heaven with the Father. So, again, I mean how secure can secure be? I mean, how safe are we in the economy of God, in the will of God? The answer is we couldn’t be any more secure. Now, there is one last thing that I want you to see and then we will wrap this up. The last question is in verse 35. It’s really two questions in verse 35. The first question in verse 35 is the separation question. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Who can pry us out of Christ’s saving hand? Who can drive a wedge between Christ and us? Who can break up our relationship, our personal saving relationship, with Jesus Christ? Who can turn Christ away from us? Who could cause Christ to turn His back on us and walk away from us? That’s the separation question. And Paul will answer that question with a question. And so, this sixth question is really the sixth and the seventh question in that he will answer the question with a question. And the answer will be, “No one. Nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ.” And so, he goes through this list beginning in the middle of verse 35. And this is not a hypothetical list. This is what the early believers were facing and were ready to face in the near future in an escalating fashion. It is what believers have faced down through the centuries. I mean, the fact is we are living on Easy Street right now in Dallas, Texas. We are living in posh good times to be a believer, but it’s not this way around the world. And there are people even watching on the livestream right now nodding their head, “Yes, if you only knew what it was like to live in my zip code.” This becomes far more relevant. So, let me just walk through this list, and they all deal with forces of evil, forces of darkness that would try to separate us from the love of Christ. “Will tribulation?” And the word “tribulation” literally means “to be squeezed under pressure.” It’s almost like taking a grape and just crushing it with the palm your hand. So, will the tribulation of this world, will that separate us from the love of Christ? And the thought there is, will that turn us away from Christ? Will that cause us to go, “This isn’t what I signed up for. This is hard being a Christian.” There is a cost of discipleship. Will that turn us away and separate us from the love of Christ in that way? Then “distress” is a compound word that combines the two words for “narrow” and “space.” And the idea is like being put in a vice grip and then you tighten both sides of the vice grip until it just clamps down. That’s the idea of “distress,” like there is no escape, that there is no way out, like you are going down a narrow hallway, but the sides of that hallway somehow were able to be narrowed down and you can’t get out of this tribulation and distress. And then the word “persecution,” we understand what that means. That refers to afflictions suffered for the sake of Christ. Then “famine” is actually referring to the result of these first three, that you are so persecuted that you have no food. And the reason you have no food is you have been run out of town, you have lost your job, everyone hates you, no one is going to take care of you, even your family has ostracized you because you now are a believer following this dead Jewish carpenter named Jesus of Nazareth. You can’t even afford to buy food. That’s the sense of the “famine” here. And then “nakedness” is also the result of the first three. You don’t even have money to buy clothes. You just have inadequate provisions to survive. And then the word “peril” means you are exposed to danger constantly, threats to your life. And it can escalate and mount to the pinnacle. And the crescendo on this list of seven is the sword, and we understand what the sword would mean. That would be martyrdom, paying the ultimate price to seal your testimony and your confession of Christ with your own blood unto death. Even all of that will not separate us from the love of Christ. If anything, it will elicit greater measures of the love of Christ to be poured out upon us. And as the world rejects us, Christ embraces us. And as the world takes away from us, Christ will give to us. He will stick with us and stay with us through thick and thin, no matter what. There can never be a breach in our relationship with Jesus Christ. And not only will He stand with us, He will provide for us, whatever it is we need as long as we are alive and as long as we are maintaining a trust in the Father and in prayer looking to Him and working hard, then He will provide for us. So, just march on in faith, fly your colors high. You are a believer in Jesus Christ. Nothing the world can do to you will prevent the purposes of God being fulfilled in your life. Then finally, verse 36, “Just as it is written.” Now, he quotes Psalm 44 verse 22 to further explain the “sword” at the end of verse 35. “For your sake,” referring to “for God’s sake,” meaning for the sake of the cross, for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the kingdom. “We,” the “we” refers to the “us,” it refers to the elect, it refers to all those predestined and foreknown. “For we are being put to death,” and that’s the martyrdom, the sword at the end of verse 35, “all day long.” And the idea is they are coming after some of you in the morning. They are coming after others of you in the afternoon. They are just kidnapping you at night, and your family never sees you again. “All day long; we are considered as sheep.” Sheep are defenseless, sheep are weak. “We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” That’s the martyrdom and that’s the reality. But even that can’t separate us from the love of Christ. In fact, that only propels us into the very presence of Christ and into His gracious arms to receive us in heaven. So, verse 37, “But in all these things,” all this persecution and tribulation, martyrdom, that’s “all these things,” we overwhelmingly conquer. We are not whining. We are not complaining. We are not saying, “Woe is me!” We are triumphant. We are robust. We are dynamic in our faith because we know if God is for us who can be against us because God has given us Christ at the cross. He will give us whatever we need, all these lesser things. “We overwhelmingly conquer.” He could have just said, “We conquer,” but he adds, “We superabundantly conquer.” I mean, we walk triumphantly in this world. I mean, when people ask us how are things going, we don’t say, “Well, the best under the circumstances.” You know, “Best as it could be.” Or like that woman had put on her tombstone, “I told you I was sick.” I mean, we go through life victorious, giving praise to God and giving a testimony of faith in Jesus Christ no matter what is thrown in our face because of our faith. “We overwhelmingly conquer through Him,” the “Him” refers to God the Father, “who loved us.” Please note the verb tense. There is only one verse in the entire New Testament that says He loves us present tense. It’s always in the past tense. Think about it! Why? It’s pointing back to the cross. That’s where God demonstrated His love towards you, at Calvary’s cross. Anything present would be a lesser expression of love. He is always pointing us back, past tense. He loved us when He gave us His Son at the cross. And I can even say it goes back to eternity past because in verse 29 when it says, “Those whom He foreknew,” we talked about that means those whom He previously loved. He loved us before the foundation of the world when He chose us in Christ. This is why we should be confident even in our most difficult circumstances. Whatever hand providence deals us to play, we overwhelmingly conquer because God is causing all things to work together for our good. Even the tribulation, the persecution, the peril, nakedness, famine, sword, God’s causing it all to work together for our good. And what is that good? It is to conform us into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the greatest good, not for us to live on Easy Street. It is for us to become more and more like His Son. So, He is using these other things just as a chisel to shape us and mold us into the image of Christ. And He is for us, and He is with us, and He is providing for us. So, I can’t believe I got it in. We just did seven verses. We will have T-shirts next time that say, “I was there when SJL covered seven verses.” We really don’t even have time at the moment. I know I need to just close in a word of prayer. But let me just say this, and I’m really thinking also about people who are watching us on livestream right now. Do you see how great it is to be a believer in Jesus Christ? You are the object of God’s care, constant care and love, and if you are on the outside of Christ, you are the object of His wrath. So, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of your sins. Put your trust in the One whom God the Father delivered over to bear the sin of those who would put their trust in Him. And if you have never committed your life to Jesus Christ, there is no greater time than this very moment for you to turn from the world, to turn from your sin, and to entrust your soul to Jesus Christ, who this text says died, was raised, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and makes intercession for those who believe in Him. It is the greatest decision you would ever make in your life, and I would encourage you to do so. And if you put your faith and trust in Christ now, I would urge you to even send us an email and let us know how God has worked in your life.

God’s Golden Chain of Salvation, Part 4 – Romans 8:29

OnePassion Ministries January 3, 2019

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I want to begin reading in verse 29, the title of this again, is “God’s Golden Chain of Salvation, Part 4.” “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His son, so that He would be the first born among many brethren, and these whom He predestined He also called, and these whom He called He also justified. And these whom He justified, He also glorified.” What we see very clearly here is that in matters of salvation God always finishes what He starts. In a work of grace, God never instigates and starts a work of salvation, but that He does not finish it all the way to the end. God never walks away from the project. He never walks off site. God never saves someone initially, but that he doesn’t always save them ultimately. So, that is the focus as we come to the end of verse 30. This is really what we would call the eternal security of the believer, that a true believer who is justified will never become unjustified. A true believer who is saved will never return again to be lost. And that is crystal clear from this passage. Here are the last two links now in this golden chain of salvation. And let me just give you five words about this golden chain of salvation by way of introduction. First of all is the word “divine.” This is all God. This is not God and man. This is pure divine saving work. I mean, you can see that where he says “He foreknew,” “He predestined,” “He called,” “He justified,” “He glorifies.” It’s not we; it’s He. So, first is “divine.” It’s a hundred and ten percent God. Second is “eternal.” It starts in eternity past. It consummates in eternity future. It spans the horizon of time, and so this is an eternal chain from eternity past to eternity future. Third is the word “saving.” This all deals with God’s saving grace. It has nothing to do with service. It has nothing to do with ministry. There will be application for service and application for ministry, but this deals with matters of our having a right standing before God. Fourth is the word “exclusive.” This deals with a very exclusive group of people within the larger mass of humanity. There is a smaller concentric circle inside the larger circle, and it is those whom He foreknew, those whom He predestined. It’s an exclusive work of God’s grace. And the last word is “irrevocable.” This chain has been forged upon the anvil of the sovereign will of God, and it cannot be broken. Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined, and whom He predestined He also called, etc. So, we should take great comfort in knowing that this is an unbreakable chain. So, as I said, to this point we’ve looked at foreknowledge, which does not mean foresight, which means those whom God previously chose to love with a distinguishing saving love, those whom God chose to set His heart upon with electing love. Then the word “predestined,” which means to “mark out on the horizon.” It’s out ahead of you in the journey, and it really means the destination is determined before the journey begins. Those whom He foreknew, He marked out their final destiny in eternity future. Then the word “called;” and this is where it intersects with time. Those whom He foreknew and predestined, He now calls into fellowship with His Son within time. And for me, it was at one particular time. For you, it was at a different particular time, but for all of us it has become reality, all of us who know Christ. We all were going astray. Each of us went to his own way. God had to call us out of the world and call us out of our sin into relationship with Christ. So now, we come to the word “justified.” And so, beginning in the middle of verse 30, this chain continues to extend with the same group. And in verse 30, we read, “And these whom He called, He also justified,” just to remind us that He is God the Father. Everything in salvation is flowing out of the fountain of God the Father. It is God the Father who justifies. Jesus does not justify us. It is God the Father who justifies us by imputing the perfect righteousness that was achieved by Jesus Christ in a sinless life and a substitutionary death. It is God the Father who takes that righteousness that was earned by Christ in His active and passive obedience. And it is God the Father who justifies us, God the Father who declares us to be the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Verse 33 makes it very clear, which is where we will soon be, but verse 33, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.” So, let us be very clear. Within the Trinity, it is God the Father who justifies us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. So, we see the trinitarian nature of salvation, and it’s made real in our lives when we exercise faith in Christ. And that’s the work of God the Holy Spirit. So, all three persons of the Trinity are at work in our salvation. That’s why when we baptize, we don’t just baptize in the name of Jesus Christ; we baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit because all three are a Savior. All three are actively involved in our salvation. And in the act of baptism, that is testified and confessed, that it’s the Father who foreknew me and predestined me. It was the Son who secured my perfect righteousness, and it is the Holy Spirit who called me and converted me, really regenerated me and gave me saving faith. So, as we will see, verse 30 he says, “these whom He called, He also justified.” And with that word “justified,” we come back to what is the core doctrine really in the first eleven chapters of the book of Romans. It is the doctrine of justification by faith alone, also known as sola fide, and it’s the central truth. And the core verse in the book of Romans we all know is Romans 1:16 and 17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; just as it is written, ‘The righteous man shall live by faith.'” So, this righteousness that is charged to our account, that is deposited into our account, that is declared to be ours, comes to us in this act of justification. Now, before I move on, I want to just park here for a moment on justification because some of you weren’t with us a year ago when we were looking at Romans 3 and Romans 4. So, I see some smiles on some faces. It may have been more than a year ago. But I want to give you some words just to hang our convictions on regarding justification because it’s the core doctrine in this book of Romans regarding salvation. First of all is the word “immediately.” When you’re justified, you’re justified immediately, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It’s an immediate transaction, an immediate declaration that God makes. Sanctification is progressive; justification is sudden. It is immediate. You sit down lost; you stand up justified. You come to church lost; you leave justified, based upon faith alone in Christ alone. Second word is “fully.” When God justifies someone, He justifies them fully, and no one around this table is more justified than anyone else. Now, some of us may be more sanctified experientially, but none of us is more justified than anyone else. We all have the same equal standing before God. So, it’s a glorious truth. Third is the word “freely.” We are justified freely without cost. There is nothing that we can do to contribute to our salvation or to our justification. It is freely given by God, and it is freely received by us by faith alone. The fourth word is “undeservedly.” God does not justify good people. God justifies bad people. God justifies wretches. God justifies rebels who come to the end of themself and bow the knee and put their trust in Christ. God justifies thieves on the cross, on their deathbed when they put their faith in Jesus Christ. Fifth is the word “vicariously.” We are justified because of the perfect obedience of someone else who stood in our shoes, who stood in our place, who lived the life that we should have been living but have not because of sin. This some other person has lived perfectly under the law in our place and died upon the cross in our place. So, justification is a matter of the vicarious imputation of the righteousness of another, Christ, to our account. Sixth is the word “irrevocably.” And I want to use that again. I just love the way it sounds. Irrevocably. “Once justified, always justified.” The verdict will never be reversed. God will never rescind His justification. It is a permanent eternal justification. And then finally, the word “perfectly.” God gives the perfect righteousness of Christ to us, which gives us a perfect standing of acceptance with God. So, this is an extraordinary matter that the gavel has come down in the courtroom of heaven, and the Supreme Judge has declared us to be righteous. And that is why verse 33 says, “Who can bring a charge against God’s elect?” There is only one seated on the bench, and all that matters is what God declares. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. All that matters is what God says, and God declares us to be righteous. “Who can bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns?” It’s a rhetorical question. The answer is, “No one can condemn those whom God has justified.” So, this really is at the heart of the gospel. No matter how sinful your past, no matter how guilty your soul, no matter how defiled your heart, God fully, freely, forever justifies those who are the least deserving when we believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And you may say, “Well, Steve, you don’t know how sinful my past is. I mean, I’m sitting around this table around one of these benches, and I look nice with my Bible open, but you don’t know about my life five years ago or ten years ago.” Well, let me just say to you, “You don’t know how gracious God is. And you don’t know the depth of His forgiveness and the fullness of the righteousness of Christ.” Where sin does abound, grace does much more abound. It mega abounds. It’s like the ocean of God’s righteousness, and you’re like a microcosm floating on the surface in your sin. There is more than enough righteousness to override any sin, all sin that you have ever committed. So, this is at the very heart of the gospel. So, “Those whom He called, He also justified.” And this is an indicative statement. It’s a matter of fact. If you have believed in Christ this is true. You can put this on your tombstone, “Here lies a justified man.” It’s not in my notes, okay? Alright, we are having church here. So, number five, we come to “glorification.” Here’s the last link. And what this golden chain is, it’s like two cliffs separated by a massive chasm, and this golden chain is just anchored on one side of the chasm, and it’s now anchored on the other side of the chasm, and it spans time. It’s anchored in eternity past, anchored in eternity future, and it’s forged with unbreakable links. So, we come now to the anchoring of this golden chain in eternity future, in the courts of heaven, in the palaces of the New Jerusalem with God Himself. So, notice what it says at the end of verse 30. “And these whom He justified, He also glorified.” The “He” again is God the Father, and it’s like God the Father is the mighty Atlas, who has put this whole thing on His omnipotent shoulders. And it is God the Father who has upheld this entire saving enterprise. It’s the Father who sent the Son, the Father and the Son who sent the Spirit, but this is all God the Father’s doing. He is even the architect of the gospel, the author of this whole plan of salvation. And so, even to the end, we are reminded this is a work of God the Father. The word “also” is very important. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and. “Those whom He justified, He also glorified.” And this word “glorified” deals with our future glory. It is you and me one day standing before the throne of God clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ standing faultless before Him. In fact, even in Revelation 2 and 3, it says we are seated on the throne with Christ, which is just too much for any of us to even take in, but the idea is, is what is true of Christ is true of us in the sense of acceptance with the Father. And the Father deeply loves the Son, and the Father deeply loves those who are in the Son, and so we are glorified. Please note the verb tense here too, past tense. We’re not even there yet. It’s a done deal. In the eternal will of God and in the eternal mind of God, you already have both feet planted in heaven, firmly, nailed to the floor of heaven. It’s put in the past tense as a past reality. And in fact, this started in eternity past, and in that moment in eternity past, when He foreknew you at that split second, He also in His mind and in His will He also predestined you, called you, justified you, and glorified you, all at once. The reality of that did not take place though until time. I don’t want to be misunderstood. You weren’t justified until you believed in Christ, but in the mind and the will of God it was a done deal because it was predestined. And so, with “glorified,” it’s put in the past tense. He’s writing to the saints in Rome. Their address is Rome. They are not even in heaven yet, but it is spoken of by Paul in light of the sovereign will of God. Now, I’ll use the word again, the “irrevocable” will of God. Now, this is a truth that Paul introduced us to earlier just very briefly in Romans 5 and verse 2. At the end of the verse, Paul writes, “We exult in hope of the glory of God.” And he just touched it momentarily and then just kept going knowing that he will be bringing this up in greater detail in chapter 8. But just to remind you, he’s already put this card on the table. He’s already put this ball into play. And when he says, “We exult,” that means “we are excited.” I mean, we are pumped up about this. We are not stoic. We are not lukewarm. We are fervent and passionate. We exult in hope. And the word “hope” in the Bible does not mean “wishful thinking.” We have talked about this many times. It means a confident, steadfast assurance with deep conviction about the future. We exult in hope of the glory of God, and what that means is the certainty that we have of being glorified one day in the very presence of God. Now, to be glorified means that we will have a glorified body, and we will have a glorified spirit or soul. A glorified body means that we will have a resurrection body. I mean, we will have to have a body that is perfectly adapted for our new environment in heaven. I mean, if we are going to worship God forever and ever and ever, I need an upgrade on my body. If I am going to look upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, I need glorified eyes. If I am going to hear Christ speak to me, I need glorified ears. If I am going to be on my knees singing His praises, I need glorified knees. And if I am going to serve Him, I need a glorified shoulder and glorified feet to carry out whatever assignments He is going to give me that will bring pleasure to me and promote His glory throughout all the ages to come. So, I need a glorified body that will be endued with limitless energy and power in order to carry out my eternal worship and my eternal service of God, right? Further, a glorified soul, and by that we mean that what remains of our sinful flesh or sin nature will be eradicated in a split second in that moment, never again to have a selfish thought, never again to be jealous or to have envy, never again to have a false humility, never again to toot my own horn, to be boastful, never again to be self-dependent to the extent that even as a sanctified believer I still have lapses of self-dependence, to in that moment have only holy, pure, undefiled thoughts and affections and will. Can you even imagine what this is going to be like and all intensified in our thoughts towards God, intensified in our love and devotion for God? That is why we will be filled with joy to overflowing. Yeah, it’s going to be great to walk on streets of gold and walk through gates of pearl. That is so secondary compared to seeing Christ and being with Him in this glorified state. Now, here is a question. I know what some of you are thinking. Why did he skip over sanctification? We just went from justification to glorification. There are some smart guys around the table here. Some. And so, why did he pass over sanctification? Why no mention? Why do we just go from justification to glorification? I am going to give you three reasons why. Number one: Paul is only mentioning those aspects of our salvation that are exclusively a work of God, a monergistic work of God. It means only one active operator. You must understand this about sanctification. It is what we call “synergistic,” meaning there are two active agents, God and us. And I would simply refer you to Philippians 2:12 and 13. Verse 12 says, “Work out your salvation in fear and trembling.” That is our responsibility. That is our duty. God worked it in; you work it out in fear and trembling. In other words, taking God very seriously as we pursue holiness. Next verse, verse 13: “For it is God who is at work within you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” So, sanctification in this sense is a joint venture. Now, God is the Author of our sanctification, capital “A.” Don’t misunderstand me, but we cannot come up with a passive view of sanctification and just say, “Well, let go and let God,” or “It’s all of grace. There is no responsibility on my part.” Or, “All my sanctification is, is just to look back at my justification,” which is a lot of what you hear today. No, that’s bad theology. It’s called “antinomianism,” “against the law.” No, sanctification is our responsibility in the power of the grace of God, but it’s synergistic. So, in Romans 8:29 and 30, Paul is only mentioning those parts of salvation that are monergestic, God and God alone. We had nothing to do with being foreknown. We had nothing to do with being predestined. We had nothing to do with being called or justified or glorified. One hundred and fifty percent God; zero, minus zero for us, okay? Not so with sanctification. When we stand before the Lord on the last day, even as a Christian, we are going to give an account of our time, our talent, our treasure. We are going to give an account to how I invested my life in the service of the Lord. So, we bear great responsibility in the choices that we make in our Christian life. So, that is the first reason why sanctification is not mentioned here. Paul is only addressing those parts that are God and God alone. Second thing I would tell you, sanctification is mentioned indirectly. It is mentioned indirectly in verse 28 as the word “good.” The greatest good in your life is for you to become like the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s what sanctification is. It is for me and you to become more like our Savior and our Lord. And in verse 29, it becomes even clearer when he says, “to become conformed to the image of His Son.” That work has already begun. It began the moment you were regenerated, the moment you called upon God to save you, the moment you went through the narrow gate. You took the first step. You put your foot onto the narrow path that leads to life. And being conformed into the image of Christ began with the first step of that journey. As you now are headed in a new direction, you now have the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16. You have a love for Christ. You have faith in Christ. I mean, that is what it is to be a Christian. I mean, you’ve put your trust in Christ. You are following Christ. You love Christ. You obey Christ. You serve Christ. You worship Christ. So, sanctification is mentioned in verse 28, in the word “good,” and verse 29, “being conformed to His image.” And the third thing that I would add, and I have already touched on this. What we see in verses 29 and 30 in these five words, foreknowledge, predestined, called, justified, glorified, we’re all equally foreknown, equally predestined, equally called, equally justified, equally glorified. We are not all equally sanctified, in that some of us are being conformed to the image of Christ more than others. And that’s just a fact. Some remain in immaturity, spiritual immaturity. Paul says to the church at Corinth, you know, “I had to treat you like babes. By this point, you ought to be eating meat, but I am still having to feed you milk.” I mean, “After church, I am having to burp you. You know, you’re acting like a child, like a baby. You should have grown up by now.” So, some do grow up spiritually more than others. And so, for that reason sanctification is somewhat in a category all by itself. Now, I want to end with some application, because we have been hitting it hard on theology, and theology is all practical. There is no theology that’s not practical. There is no theology that’s only theoretical or philosophical. So, how should this change our life, okay? I’ve got some ways and I’m looking at the clock because I really want us to discuss this as well. But let me just get a few out on the table, and maybe we will finish it next time. But number one: pride crushing. This is the ultimate pride crusher. God could have just as easily not foreknown you as foreknown you. There was nothing in me that made God love me. God didn’t love me because of me; he loved me in spite of me. He loved me because of Christ, and He loved me because that love welled up within the heart of God, and God chose to love me before the foundation of the world, before time began. And we could just stop right there on application and go home and just meditate on that. I remember when I first came to understand this truth. I was reading a commentary on Romans by John Murray, the great Scottish professor. And when he explained what foreknowledge means, that it doesn’t mean foresight, I always played that foresight game, and when that rug was jerked out from underneath me, it brought me to my knees because I thought, as I am in seminary, I thought I was doing God is a wild favor by going to seminary and by going into the ministry. Like, God got a lottery pick with me, you know. You know, I mean, look what all I have given up, you know, to come enter into the ministry. So, you know, unknown to my own heart, I mean there is a certain arrogance about that and stinking thinking, just pride. And when I saw this, honest-to-goodness without exaggeration, I don’t know that I hardly spoke for a week. It stunned me. It was like I had been electrocuted or something. And I realized it’s the total other way around. I hadn’t done God a favor on anything; God had extended mercy to me undeservedly. And if you’re in Christ today, I can tell you as a fact that God chose to love you, and He was under no obligation to love you. And God could have just passed me over. He could have passed you over and just left you in your sin. That I understand. For God to love me and God to love you, that I don’t understand. I understand the Passover. I don’t understand that God would love me because there’s nothing lovely inside of a train wreck to love. So, number one, it’s a pride crusher, and it’s an oxymoron to be a proud Reformed believer. That is like a heavenly devil or something. I mean, it’s just a total oxymoron. It’s like postal service, just an oxymoron. A dead live oak, you know. I mean, it’s just for my tree guys over here. So, a proud Reformed believer is the ultimate oxymoron. We should be so brought to our knees, and let me just tell you this, and we never get over it. And even as I come back to a passage like this, it still just shocks me that I do believe this and this is true. And I’ll just add this as a footnote. This is so antithetical. You understand what antithetical means, total opposite of the way the natural mind thinks. This has to be divine revelation because human reason would never come up with this. Second is this is worship inspiring. High theology produces high doxology. Crummy theology, you’re going to have some really good mood music in church to make that float. This, we could worship God in the hull of the Mayflower. This, we could be in the catacombs of Rome getting ready to be led to the lions in the colosseum and still be able to sing the praises of God. This is the ultimate. Let us rise up and give glory to God that He chose me before the foundation of the world to be with Him forever, and He would not take no for an answer within time. And though I may have pushed back and pushed back and pushed back a few times, in the day of His power, He brought me to Himself and washed all my sins away, and He clothed me with the righteousness of Christ. I need to be singing the praises of God forever and ever and ever. This is the ultimate giving glory to God. There is no part that I sing duet with God in this, okay? This is all God in the spotlight. This is all praise going to God. And as I’ve told you, that is why when we get to heaven that crown is going to be in your hand for a millisecond. I mean, it’s going to be cast back at His feet so quickly because you know exactly how it is that you got there. It was all of His grace. Third, it is holiness producing. We have seen that the whole purpose of predestination is to conform us into the image of His Son. You see that in verse 29. This whole eternal purpose of God is to make us like His Son so that the Son would have people in heaven that bear His image without the flaw of a sin. So, how can we live in the world and be like the world if we know we have been chosen out of the world from before the world? I mean, this causes us to want to be so different; not odd, just different, in the way that we conduct ourselves in personal holiness, godliness, purity of mind, of tongue, of actions. This will put high octane in your tank as you pursue holiness. Fourth, it is evangelism igniting. Listen, there are people that God is going to save. Whether you take the gospel to them or not, God will have somebody get the gospel to every one of His elect. This so liberates us and frees us up. In this sense, no one is impossible to be saved. Whoever you think is the furthest person away from God would never be saved, I want you to know, in a heartbeat, God can bring them to Christ. And so, as we bear witness of Christ, as we give our testimony, as we tell others about the gospel of Christ, we need to have confidence. We almost ought to be overconfident, not in a self-dependence way, but in a God-confident way that there are people whom God is going to save. And we can be a part of that. And so, this is evangelism igniting. Some people think that this pours, you know, cold water on the hot flames of evangelism. No, it’s the total opposite. This actually pours gas on the fire of evangelism. It makes us want to worship because there are hearts that God will conquer, and no resistance can thwart it. Fifth it’s missions motivating. These elect are all around the world. I can’t even imagine being a missionary and going to Russia, going to China, going to some hardcore Afghanistan, Pakistan. If I didn’t believe in the doctrine of election, if I thought it was going to be dependent on me and my presentation and me being able to arm twist and compel, no. God has His elect all around the world. When William Carey who launched the modern missions movement got on a boat, left England, and sailed to India, there were some people on board he found out who did not believe in this doctrine of election. He threatened to have the ship turn around and go back to England. You are going to ruin the mission field if you don’t believe in the doctrine of election because you are going to give up after three years. You know how long Carey went until he saw his first convert? Seven years. What kept his feet nailed to the floor? It was the doctrine of sovereign election, that there is a people whom God will save. Well, let me tell you this. His first wife died. First of all, she went insane. Then she died. His son died. He remarried. The second wife died. His second son died. He translated the New Testament into Sanskrit, which was a monumental task, and it burned up in a fire. He had to start all over from scratch. He was there for forty-three years and never took a sabbatical, forty-three years and never came back to England. David Livingstone at least came back once from the heart of Africa. What welded his feet to the mission field? It was the higher purposes of the eternal will of God that there is a people in India whom God will call out and save. It emboldened him to bear witness for Christ. Number six, ministry launching. As I have already said, these truths energize our service. They motivate us to want to serve God because when you understand these truths you don’t want to be a benchwarmer. You don’t want to be passive. You want to live your life with a sense of destiny, a sense of eternal destiny, that God will go before us and God will open doors and God will cause ministry to happen. These truths, it’s like we are riding a wave of destiny and it causes us to not sit but to serve the Lord. Number seven, assurance giving. These truths produce true assurance of salvation. You say, “How so?” Because you would never be pursuing the Lord, except God first pursued you. And you would have never laid hold of Christ, except God first laid hold of you. And it brings deep assurance to your soul. You realize, I would never be pursuing Christ, I would never be loving God, except these truths are actually true that God has initiated this in my life. I would have never initiated this. This all started with God. Number nine, it’s eye-opening. And I’ve already mentioned this. When you see these five links in this golden chain, you see five hundred other things in the Bible. This is what we call a “telling doctrine,” in that it reveals so much more than just our understanding of these truths. This now enables us to see really much of the rest of the Bible with an eternal perspective, from God’s perspective. We now can see somewhat in a limited way but as God sees salvation and history. And tenth, it’s joy enlarging. I’ll just tell you this. It’s like getting saved all over again to come to the knowledge of this truth. It really is. I wish I had a nickel for every person who has come up to me and said that very sentence. “Steve, this is like getting saved all over again.” In fact, because I was saved as a younger child. Now as an adult and to see these truths, I think my joy is even greater. Well, as an adult you have a greater capacity for joy. But Jesus said in John 15:11, “These words I have spoken unto you that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.” Five verses later, He says in verse 16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and ordained that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain. And whatsoever you ask in My name that will I do.” So, this just takes a bathtub of joy and just pours it into the thimble of our heart until it just floods our soul and overflows in our lives. So, these truths are not intended for us just to sit in an ivory tower and contemplate and meditate these until we just fossilize. No, these truths are intended for us to be humble worshipers who are serving the Lord, witnessing for Christ, either going to the mission field or supporting missions. It puts pep in our step, glide in our stride. I mean it just puts joy in our heart to know that God’s got this whole thing wired on my salvation. And I’ll tell you what, it makes a difference when you come to the end of your life, and the doctor says you need to get your affairs in order, and the doctor says you’re probably going to want to call your loved ones. And the reality that “My time here is over,” as you are staring death eyeball to eyeball to know how certain it is, what is on the other side of the door, that you will be immediately transported into His presence. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And the transformation that will take place in your life, we are barely going to recognize you in heaven. But we will have glorified eyes and a glorified mind, so we will figure it out. We will know one another. In fact, we will finally really know one another, because there will be no misunderstandings.

God’s Golden Chain of Salvation, Part 3 – Romans 8:29

OnePassion Ministries December 20, 2018

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Okay good! Alright guys, Romans 8. Romans chapter 8 verses 29 and 30. As you know, these verses we’re calling “God’s golden chain of salvation,” and there are five links in this golden chain of salvation. It begins in eternity past, in verse 29. It extends into time and then into eternity future in verse 30. And we’ll be in verse 30. So I want to begin by reading these verses. These verses are a towering mountain peak that really rises above the landscape, critically important. So, we’re slowing down to look at these verses. I mean, they’re so rich that you can just only hardly take it one bite at a time. It’s just so potent. So, beginning in verse 29, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. And these whom He predestined He also called, and these whom He called He also justified, and these whom He justified He also glorified.” So, as we look at these, I’m reminded I need to begin in a word of prayer. So, let me just lead us in a word of prayer. Father, as we look now at these verses, we ask that You open our eyes, shine light into our minds so that we can understand and see this passage and these truths. I pray that You would strengthen these men as the Word comes into their heart and into their mind. May they be greatly edified and built up in their faith. So, we commit this to You in Christ’s name. Amen. Alright, these five links in God’s golden chain: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification. This is as close to what we call the ordo salutis, which is Latin. Ordo salutis, which means the “order of salvation,” and as coming out of the Reformation especially in the sixteenth century, theologians began to identify what is the sequence, what is the order in which God orders salvation. And so, this begins in eternity past, in verse 29, with foreknowledge and predestination. We’ve talked about this the last two weeks. Just a quick reminder, “foreknowledge” does not mean foresight. “Foreknowledge” means those whom God previously chose to love with a distinguishing saving love. It is virtually synonymous with the doctrine of election. Then is predestination, and predestination very simply, to put it in colloquial terms, means “the destination is determined before the journey begins.” So, God has marked out on the horizon the salvation of those whom He has foreknown. Today, we now come to “calling,” and I want to spend our entire time today on “the effectual call of God.” And we call it “the effectual call” because it is always effective. There is a cause and effect. The cause is God’s foreknowledge and predestination that leads to His calling, and this effectual calling will always be successful. It will always triumph in the hearts of those who are called. So that’s why we call it “the effectual call.” So, let’s look at verse 30, and I want to begin by just making comments on these words in the first half of verse 30 and then we’re going to go all over the Bible. So, you’re going to want to have your Bible ready for this. So, verse 30 begins, “And these whom He predestined He also called.” So, let me draw to your attention three things right there. Number one, the author of the call. It’s He. “And these whom He predestined He also called.” The “He” is God the Father who is calling sinners to Christ. The “He,” you’ll note, “He” is singular. It doesn’t say “They.” It doesn’t say “We.” It’s singular. It’s “He.” It is God the Father who is doing this calling. The second thing I want you to note is the recipients. Who is God calling? God is not calling everyone effectually. He is only calling those whom He has foreknown and whom He has predestined. He is only calling these, and He is calling all of these. The third thing that I want you to note is the nature of this call. This word “call” means to utter a loud voice. It means to summons someone from one place to another. It means to summons someone to come to you or to come to another person. And the reference here when he says “called” is to the sovereign effectual call of God by which God summons sinners to His Son. So, this is where the eternal will of God in eternity past becomes real within time where God’s salvation that He has purposed in eternity past, this is where it invades time. This is where it connects with human hearts. This is where it is applied to individual lives. So, theologians, and I can hear R.C. Sproul in my head saying this, theologians always make careful distinctions. They make very careful thin slices of things. And right here, we need to make a careful distinction. There are two calls in the Bible as it relates to salvation, and if we ever become confused on these two, we’re going to lose our ball in the weeds. So, you understand that Ken? Ken:    Yeah. Okay, the shorter the grass, the better. Okay? That’s rule number one. So, the two calls are the external call and then there is the internal call. So, let’s start with the external call. The external call is the general proclamation of the gospel. It is the general invitation that comes through a preacher, that comes through a parent, that comes through a Sunday school teacher, that comes through the written Word of God, that invites, calls the sinner to come to faith in Jesus Christ. And this is absolutely critical. No one in the history of mankind will ever be saved without first there being the external call. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of truth,” Romans 10:17. You have to hear the truth. You have to read the truth. You have to know the truth before you can be saved. So, this external call is absolutely critical, and that’s why we go into all the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s why we send out missionaries. That’s why we do the work of evangelism. That’s why we bear witness of our faith and tell others about Christ. That’s the external call. Now, I want to give you some verses under the external call. The first would be Matthew 22 verse 14. It’s at the end of the parable of the king who gave a banquet and invited people to come to the banquet. But you had to put the king’s robe on in order to enter the banquet. And in verse 14, it’s the last verse of this parable, it says, “Many are called, few are chosen.” So, here “calling” and “chosen” are not one and the same group like it is in Romans 8:29 and 30. This call is synonymous with the general invitation to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus, in His own public ministry, continually was giving the external call. Jesus was in reality an itinerant evangelist just going from city to city. He wasn’t a pastor. He wasn’t an elder in a local church. He was an itinerant evangelist going from city to city and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and calling men to “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” So, Jesus was always giving the external call. Let me give you some verses, Matthew 11:28 to 30. “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For My burden is easy, and My yoke is light.” That’s the external call, Jesus throwing open the gates of paradise and extending His arms to the multitudes to come to Him by faith. John 7 verse 37, “Jesus said, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. And out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” That’s the external call. And you and I, as we live our Christian lives, are mouthpieces for this external call. It starts with our own children. It starts with our own family. It extends to friends. It extends to people we meet and people with whom we have an acquaintance, and we extend the external call, “Come to Christ. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.” So, that’s the external call, and contained in the external call is the truth of the gospel, the sinfulness of man, the saving work of Christ, and the necessity of repentance and faith. No one will ever be saved until they know they’re lost. No one will ever be saved until they know the seriousness of their own sin and the condition by which they stand before God. It’s not enough just that they’re going through difficult times. Jesus has not come to save you out of trials; He’s come to save you out of your sin. And not only the seriousness of sin, but also the work of Christ, His work upon the cross to save us, to bear our sins, to shed His blood, to make the only atonement for our sins. And then, people also must be told how they are to respond by repentance and faith. So, that’s the external call, okay? That is not what is mentioned here in Romans 8 verse 30. This is the second aspect of the call, and it is the effectual call, the internal call. So, external can only go to the ear; the internal call must go to the heart, and only God can take it from the ear to the heart. And this is the call of God that penetrates into the depths of the human heart, and I’m choosing my words here very carefully. It apprehends the heart, it arrests the soul, and it draws the sinner to faith in Christ, okay? Now, what I want to do right now is take us through the New Testament, and we’re going to go to a bunch of verses, alright? So, I would encourage you to track with me. You may want to just write all this down, but we’re going to go to a bunch of verses, okay? I want to really nail this down. I want the Bible to speak for itself. So, let’s come to John chapter 6, and in John chapter 6 and in verse 44. It’s a very critical passage. John chapter 6, in verse 44, we see how powerful this call is. Jesus said, and by the way, these are the words of Jesus, and Jesus is saying this to lost people. He is saying this to unconverted people. And sometimes, I hear people say to me, “Hey, you can’t talk about the sovereignty of God in salvation to lost people. That’s only family, you know, family truth that we share with ourselves.” Wrong. Wrong, okay? So just delete that. Jesus is saying this to thousands and thousands of lost people. He has just fed the five thousand, which in reality was probably about twenty thousand. It was five thousand men. So, easily another five thousand women, easily another ten thousand children. It was really a crowd of about twenty thousand who followed Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee after He fed the five thousand. And if anything, they picked up more people as they ran around the coastline to be on the other side when His boat arrives. So, Jesus now is like preaching, it’s almost like in a football stadium, to great masses and multitudes of lost unconverted people. And Jesus says, for example, in verse 35, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” So, it’s a sermon to come to Him by faith. Well, look at verse 44. This is really almost strange sounding. He says, “No one can come to Me.” Now, do you know the difference between “can” and “may”? I learned that early as a child. “May” is a word of permission. “Can” is a word of ability. Everyone may come, but Jesus says no one can come. And to come to Christ is to believe in Christ. And Jesus says, “No one can come to Me” because of the total depravity of their human nature. Their will is in bondage to sin. They are slaves of sin. Their minds are in darkness. Their hearts are ensnared by the devil and by their own sin. That is why Jesus says, “No one has moral ability to come to Me.” And in spiritual matters, and this may sound shocking to some, no one has freedom of the will to come to faith in Christ because you are chained to your sins and you cannot come until there is a divine intervention. And the divine intervention is the call of God that is so powerful that when God calls the individual to faith in Christ it overcomes all resistance in the heart of the one who is called and literally draws them to Christ. And I want you to see this in verse 44. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” Now, this word “draws” literally means “to drag.” And sometimes, I hear a preacher say something like, “Hey, God will never drag anyone to Christ.” Well, then no one’s going to be saved, because the sinfulness of the human heart is welded and anchored to its own ways. God must overpower and draw. Now, I’m going to give you some cross-references. I don’t have time to turn to every one of these, but you can just jot down these cross-references. John 21 verse 8; it’s where Peter goes back to his fishing business after the resurrection of Christ and he’s out in the Sea of Galilee with some of his other disciples, and Jesus is on the shoreline, and they see Jesus. And Peter finally figures out who it is and jumps out of the boat and starts swimming. Well, it says that he draws the net, and it’s so specific John records and says there’s 153 fish in the net. So, they were Baptists. They were keeping count right there of how many fish were in that net. So, but think of Peter with those burly strong arms, those forearms, and pulling the net ashore and having to drag it as it comes to the shoreline as the depth of the water is no longer deep enough for the fish to even float. He drags them onto shore. That’s the very word that’s used. Now, I want to give you another one, Acts 16. In verse 19, Paul goes to Philippi. He preaches the gospel, and he creates a disturbance in Philippi. And the government officials have to arrest Paul because he’s disturbing the peace, and they drag Paul before the authorities and then throw him into prison. You remember, in the middle of the night, God sends an earthquake and throws the prison doors open, and the Philippian jailer is eventually saved? “What must I do to be saved?” Well, it says in Acts 16 verse 9 they literally dragged Paul. They dragged Paul through the streets of Philippi. That’s the very word that’s used in John 6 verse 44. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them.” It’s a powerful drawing. Now, I’m just going to give you the other cross-references just so you can see it. Acts 8:3, it’s what Paul was doing before he was converted. He was just dragging the Christians to stand trial. Acts 17:6 and Acts 21:30, it’s the very same word and it’s translated in the New American Standard every time as “drag.” The only time it’s translated “draw” is in John 6 verse 44. It means “to drag,” literally to for God to lay hold of the one whom He calls and bring them into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. So, in John chapter 10 and in verse 3 and 4, John chapter 10 verses 3 and 4, and by the way it’s my favorite chapter in the whole Bible. I love this chapter. It’s the discourse of the Good Shepherd. Now, here’s another thing you need to know. This sermon is preached to unbelievers. This sermon is preached to those Pharisees at the end of John chapter 9. And this is one of those places where it’s an unfortunate chapter division because John 9 and John 10 just go together. So, you need to note that Jesus is not preaching to a Wednesday night small group fellowship. He is preaching to the Pharisees and to the religious leaders of Israel who are blind and who are unconverted. And Jesus says to them in John 10 verse 3, “To him the doorkeeper opens. And the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” That is the call of God. It’s represented here by the metaphor of “the voice of the shepherd.” And please note, he doesn’t call every sheep on the planet. He calls those who are his own sheep, and he calls them by name. He calls them individually by name. Just like whenever you were converted, He called you by name, and you may have had your brother and your sister on either side of you. You may have been sitting in the middle of a church that had two thousand people, but when He calls you, He calls you individually by name. Now, you don’t hear the audible voice of God. It’s much louder as He arrests your heart, and like a magnet drawing a metal object you were drawn in that moment to Christ and you entered into the kingdom of heaven. Alright, back to the book of Romans, Romans chapter 1. We’re going to have to put the pedal to the metal here. Romans 1 and verse 6. And we looked at this when we began our study of Romans some time ago. And in Romans 1, he talks about the gospel, verse 1. He talks about faith in Christ, verse 5. And in verse 6, he talks about how it is that anyone exercises saving faith in Jesus Christ. And in verse 6, he says, “among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.” The “called” refer to those who were foreknown and those who were predestined to believe in Jesus Christ. And the reason that they believe in Jesus Christ is because they were called by God, and the call secures the result. And it’s repeated again in verse 7, “To all who are beloved of God in Rome called as saints.” It’s one of the most important truths in the entire Bible. Come to Romans chapter 9 and verse 24. And in Romans chapter 9, he talks about the sovereign election of God before the twins were even born, “Jacob I loved; Esau I hated,” as “the potter has a right over the clay to fashion some to be vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, others vessels of mercy prepared for life.” We come to verse 24, “even us whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.” And it is this call that makes the sovereign election of God real in the life of the individual person. God calls them, and when God calls, they come because His voice is so powerful and it is so irresistible. Alright, come to Romans 11 and verse 29. Verse 28, let me start with verse 28, “From the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But for the standpoint of God’s choice, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” When God calls, they come, and God never changes His purpose in extending this call. Now, come to the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. And 1 Corinthians chapter 1 has a repeated focus on the call of God. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, “Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” To be an apostle was not “whosoever will may come.” To be an apostle, you had to be singled out by the will, sovereign will of God to be an apostle. But look at verse 2, “To the church of God which is at Corinth.” Now, let me just pause for a moment. The word “church” simply means out of the original Greek “the called-out ones,” ecclesia. “Ec” means “out of”. Clesia come from this root word kaleo, which means “to call”. The word “church” just simply means “the called-out ones.” We are those who have been called out of the world and out of darkness into fellowship with Jesus Christ. That’s what the word “church” means. It doesn’t mean a concert. Okay, so verse 2: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Please note the order. God calls first, then man calls upon the Lord. No one will ever call upon the name of the Lord until they’re first called by God the Father. And it’s God the Father who initiates our salvation at every point. God is never responding; God is initiating. We are responding. A fundamental principle of theology is God is always previous. God’s never playing catch-up. So, come to verse 9, 1 Corinthians 1 verse 9, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Now, let me tell you why this text is very important. Some people try to get around the truth that I’m telling you by saying it’s only a call to service but it’s not a call to salvation. I don’t know if you’ve heard that lame excuse. Verse 9, in and of itself, and there’s twenty other verses, but this verse alone shows that you are called into a saving relationship, a personal relationship, with Jesus Christ when God calls. So, God is faithful, which really means God is faithful to His eternal choice and His eternal purposes and will bring it to fulfillment within time. God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship, and that’s synonymous into relationship, with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, come to verse 24, and Paul talks about the preaching of the cross. Look at verse 18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” So, if the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, how are those who are perishing ever going to believe? How will they ever come to faith in Christ? And the answer is, the call of God will call them out of their unbelief into relationship with Jesus Christ. And verse 24 identifies them as to those who are “the called,” and that definite article “the” makes this a very specific group. It’s “the called.” It’s “the called” who are summoned and subpoenaed by God the Father to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Now, in verse 26, he shows us how strange it is who God has called because these are not the rich and the famous and the powerful of the world. There will be a few of those, but by and large, God has called those that the world rejects, so that God will receive all the glory through the work of the church. So, like what he says in verse 26, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise.” And when he says “wise” here, he’s referring to those who were educated in the academies of the world and who had been trained in the philosophies of Plato and the other Greek philosophers in Athens, “not many wise by the world’s standards.” They didn’t have all the credentials and the degrees after their name because he says “according to the flesh.” He is referring to human standards. “Not many mighty,” and there he is referring to those with great influence in the world and clout. “And not many noble,” and when he says “noble,” he’s talking about of blueblood birth, those who are in the upper crust of society. Now, there will be some. Joseph of Arimathea was well endowed. Job and Abraham were very high up in the social structure of the world. There are some like that. Solomon was the richest man who probably ever lived. But by and large, that’s not who God’s calling to Himself. God is calling not many noble, of upper birth. In verse 27, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong, and the base things of the world God has chosen, and the things that are not. The “things that are not” refers to people who are just zeroes. You know, they didn’t make who’s who; they made who’s not. You know, they are just not anything. That’s who God has called to Himself to make them trophies of His grace and make something great of them so that all the credit goes to God. So, look at the next verse, verse 29, “So that no man may boast before God.” You hadn’t brought anything to the table except the sin that was laid upon Christ. Alright, let’s keep going. Come to the book of Galatians, Galatians chapter 1 and verse 15. And what I want us to see is that this thread runs through the entire New Testament, this doctrine of the effectual call of God. And so, in Galatians 1 verse 15, “But when God who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.” You see, there was nothing in Paul that caused God to call him. It was all of grace. It was simply because of the favor and compassion of God that God called Paul to Himself. Come to chapter 5 and verse 13, Galatians 5 verse 13. He says, “For you were called to freedom, brethren.” That means, before you were called you were in slavery. You were in slavery to your sin. You were in slavery to the kingdom of darkness. You were in chains of darkness. You were held in a prison house of your own sin until that day God called you to freedom. And He called you out of your imprisonment, and God loosened the chains and God swung open the prison door, and He called you out to Himself and called you into freedom from your sin to live as God has intended a person to live. Alright, come to Ephesians, Ephesians 4 and verse 1. Paul writes, “Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord.” Let me just stop right there. Every time I read that I love that. He will not even acknowledge he is a prisoner of Rome. “I am a prisoner of the Lord. I’m here in this prison by divine appointment. God has purposes for me to be here, one of which is to write this letter, the book of Ephesians.” It has the smell of the prison house in it, even as it comes to the Ephesians. So, he knows he is there by divine appointment. “I’m the prisoner of the Lord,” not of Caesar. And he goes, “I implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. You see, you’re not just called to heaven; you’re called to holiness. And the only people that are going to heaven are those who give evidence that they’ve been called to holiness. How do you know if you’ve been called? You walk in a manner worthy of your calling. It doesn’t mean you’re perfect, and it doesn’t mean you never sin, but it does mean you’re headed in a new direction. You’re no longer going according to the course of this world. You now have done an about face because God has turned you around and you are now walking the narrow path that leads to life. And you are to walk in a manner worthy of your calling. And then, in verse 4 he says, “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were also called in one hope of your calling.” You see how important this doctrine of calling is. You would have never believed in Jesus Christ if you had not been called. And when you witness to others, no one would ever believe the gospel, except with your external call God also issues the internal call and brings them to faith in Christ. Alright, come to 1 Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and in verse 12. I love to hear the pages of your Bible turning, okay? Just rattle them good. First Thessalonians 2 and verse 12, he says, “so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” So that tells us very clearly that before you were called you were in another kingdom. You were in the kingdom of darkness. You were in the kingdom of sin. And God had to call you out of that kingdom into His kingdom, His kingdom of grace and holiness and love and peace. And the only way to go from that kingdom to this kingdom is not that you were smarter than anyone else. It is not that you connected all the dots and figured it out. It is that God called you and God apprehended you and God drew you.  And I’m going to say correctly, God even dragged you into relationship with Jesus Christ, and He gave you a new heart so that you believed in Christ lovingly, and you wanted to believe. But it is because God called you and brought you to that point. This has to be right because it gives God more credit, if for nothing else. Alright, look at 1 Thessalonians 4, chapter 4 and verse 7. “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, here’s what we see. All these links are forged together. Everyone whom God calls, He calls to faith in Jesus Christ, and everyone that He calls to faith in Jesus Christ, He also calls to sanctification. He never calls someone to impurity. He calls them to purity. And then ultimately, He’ll call them to heaven when they die. But it’s all the same chain. These are just different links in the same chain. Alright, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 11, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling.” Now, this does not mean you have to be worthy in order to be called. What this means is the very opposite, that if you have been called, you will live like it and you will live in a manner that is worthy of the call that has come upon your life. And this is how this is. It is a high call to lowly walk, to humility and to holiness. This high heavenly call of God has come upon your life now for you to live in lowliness of mind and humility of heart and holiness of life. Second Timothy. We’re going to get this in. Second Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9. The sentence starts in verse 8. “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” Now, how is it that anyone believes in the gospel, and how do they experience the power of God in the gospel at the end of verse 8? The answer is found in verse 9, “who has saved us.” Now, how has He saved us? How has He brought us into salvation? “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works.” In other words, there was nothing that we did to deserve to be called, but according to His own purpose, and that purpose is His eternal purpose from before the foundation of the world. It refers to His sovereign choice of those whom He would foreknow and predestine. But according to His own purpose and grace, which again underscores that it’s not of works, it’s not of merit. It’s not of anything good that was in us. It was in spite of us. It was by His grace, which was granted us in Christ Jesus, please note this, from all eternity. I mean, God’s so far out ahead of this whole process of salvation that it comes crashing into our lives at a moment in time when He calls us, but this whole thing began in eternity past when He chose us and now called us within time. I don’t know about you, but one, I love this. Two, this causes my heart to rise up and just praise the name of God that He didn’t leave me in darkness, and it causes me to want to now live and walk in a manner worthy of the calling that has come upon my life to live in a distinctly different way. And this liberates me to witness and to tell others about Christ. I don’t have to arm twist anybody. I don’t have to manipulate anything. I just need to be a faithful witness, and God will call him whom God is going to call into relationship with Christ. And this causes me to want to get on an airplane and fly around the world, because He’s got elect all around the world, on every different continent. And so, this puts high octane into our tank that we’re working in partnership with God, but God’s the one driving this whole enterprise of salvation. Alright, let’s keep going. Oops! Go back. 1 Timothy 6 verse 12, got one out of sequence, “Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” You cannot take hold of, and the idea here is the fullness of abundant life in Christ, except you first be called to eternal life in Christ. Alright, Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1, “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus.” You and I have been made partakers of a heavenly calling. I mean this call has come down out of heaven. It has come down from the throne of God above. It has descended like a meteor falling out of outer space and just crashing into our lives in order to lay hold of us and bring us into relationship with Christ. Alright, come to 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2. And we’re just doing a walk through the New Testament, and this doctrine of being called by God is just so important that I want to stress this with you today. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, speaking to the church and using Old Testament imagery drawn from the nation Israel, “But you are a chosen race.” That’s what the church is, a chosen race. “A royal priesthood.” We’re all priests. We all have direct access to God. We don’t need a priest. We are a priest, and we have a high priest in the Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t need any intermediary between us and God. We have Jesus Christ to take us directly to the throne of God the Father, and we have been made a royal priesthood. Now notice, “a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Whether you grew up in the church, whether you did not grow up in the church, whether you were a heathen and a pagan, whether you were a morally good person, before you were converted, you were living in darkness, darkness in your mind, darkness in your heart, until that day when you heard the external call and the truth of the gospel was set before you. But then, God summoned you out of the kingdom of darkness and drew you into the kingdom of His light. And “light” here refers to truth and holiness. “Darkness” refers to error, lies, and impurity. And quite frankly, sometimes I’m amazed when some people say, “You know, I don’t know if I’m saved or not.” It is possible, but it’s a stretch. Like, you don’t know that you’ve been called out of darkness into light? That’s a pretty big deal. You don’t know whether you’re in the grave of sin or you’ve been made alive in Christ? You’re oblivious to that? When God calls, it is so powerful and so strong, it’s a game changer. It is a life-changing call. I’ve got a couple more here. Look at verse 21, 1 Peter 2 verse 21, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you.” So, there’s more to this call. Not only you’re called into relationship with Christ, you’re called to personal purity, but it’s a package deal. You’re also called to suffer because you’re now identified with a crucified Savior who has been rejected by the world. And let me just tell you, if He came back today, they’d crucify Him again. The world hasn’t gotten any better. If anything, it’s gotten worse. He would not receive any better treatment. So, we now stand in His place. And there is going to be some flak that we catch for our faith. That’s just par for the course. That’s just the way that it goes. Now, it doesn’t happen in the same amount to everyone. There are some countries in this world. We’ve got some Chinese brothers right now who are being persecuted severely in China. We live in Dallas, Texas, and we’re not living under the same conditions, but there is still nevertheless a rejection with some that we face. And it maybe it’s nothing more than we’re cut out of certain circles of friendships. It may be that we lose a business deal or that we are considered by our family to be, you know, just “Wow, you’re so narrow-minded. You’re one of those Christians.” Whatever the form of the pushback is, if you’re called, you’re also called to suffer for the gospel, for the sacrifice that we make. Now, I have one more verse just to give you some sense of hope, 2 Peter 1. And I told you this is a Bible study, so we’re covering a lot of verses here. Second Peter 1 verse 10, and this is a great one to end on. “Therefore, brethren,” so he is talking to believers, “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you.” What he is saying is you need to make certain that you’ve been called by God. You need to make certain you’ve been chosen by God. Now, there’s nothing you can do to alter the irrevocable eternal will of God. The way you make it certain is you have to be certain, ensure, that you have repented of your sins and that you have denied yourself and that you have stepped out of the crowd and that you have taken up your cross and you now are a follower of Jesus Christ, not a follower of the church, not a follower of denomination, not a follower of a Christian concert, a follower of the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to make certain that you have put your entire trust and faith in Jesus Christ. And to believe in Christ does not mean that you just simply check some boxes, “I believe this. I believe this. I agree with the doctrinal statement.” The word “faith” means commitment, that you have committed your entire life to Jesus Christ, that you’ve got both feet in the boat, that you have crossed the line, that you have left the world behind. You’re in the world. You’re no longer of the world, that you have left the world behind and you’ve come through the narrow gate. And you’re now on the narrow path that is headed to life, and you need to make certain that this reality has taken place in your life. And you need to be certain that you’re walking in a manner worthy of your calling because it’s the fruit that’s being produced in your life that makes certain that you are rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ. Everyone who is rooted and grounded in Christ, there will be the fruit of repentance and the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of a changed life. Good fruit means there’s a good root. If there’s bad fruit, that means there’s bad root. So, when he says, “Make certain about His calling and choosing you,” he is saying you need to have the assurance of your salvation, that it’s not something you’ve done, but it’s something that God has done in your life that began in eternity past when He sovereignly chose you and now within time has called you to Himself. Now, I’m looking at the clock. I’m going to end with this. I want to be crystal clear. I want to give you some words now in conclusion to define this call that has come on your life. Number one, it’s eternal. It is an eternal call that began before the foundation of the world. It’s rooted and grounded in eternity past. It is an extension of His sovereign election. Second, it is a divine call. It is God’s call upon your heart and upon your life. Third, it’s individual. He doesn’t call groups. He doesn’t call entire families. He calls individuals within families. He calls individuals within groups and within nations. It’s an individual call. And the best illustration of this is when Jesus stood before the grave of Lazarus. He said, “Lazarus, come forth!” And if He had only said, “Come forth!” the whole graveyard would have emptied, but He said, “Lazarus!” And it was only Lazarus who came forth at that moment. It’s the very same way in salvation when He calls you by name. Fourth, it’s penetrating. This call plunges into the depths of the soul and re-vibrates within your heart. It cuts to the bone, to the very innermost being of who you are and what you are. It doesn’t lay on the surface of your life. Fifth, it’s arresting. It is an arresting call. It literally arrests you like an officer would arrest someone who has broken the law. We are all lawbreakers, and it has apprehended us and captured us and has brought us to Christ. Sixth, it’s drawing, and we’ve already talked about this, but it literally drags and hauls the person to Christ. Seven, it’s irresistible. Who is greater than God? Who has greater power than God? And when God calls, He overcomes all resistance and He conquers the proud heart, and He brings that one to Himself. And then eighth, it’s inaudible. You don’t hear a real voice, and if you ever did hear a real voice, we need to check you into a padded room. And I can tell you it wasn’t God. The call of God is an inaudible voice that is so loud within the heart and within the soul that it drowns out every other call from the world. And it drowns out every call of temptation, and it drowns out every other call that would try to hold you back and keep you in your sin and not to commit your life to Christ. No, the call of God is so loud that it drowns out those other voices, and you alone hear the call of God, and you are drawn into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. Now, when you were converted, when you were saved, you probably didn’t know all this. I didn’t know all this. It’s only later as we look back that you learn from the Bible how it is that I have come to be a believer in Jesus Christ. It’s only as we look in the rearview mirror and can see what happened that moment, that time when we were brought to Christ, we see now more and more of God than we ever imagined. So, let us rejoice that God didn’t leave us in the kingdom of darkness but that loud arresting, irresistible, irrevocable heavenly call came to us and literally brought us into the kingdom of heaven. So, I know we’ve covered a lot of territory, and I’m just dying to open this thing up for discussion, but I look at the clock and I know I need to let some of you go to where you need to go. And so, I want to be mindful of that. If you want to stay, we can talk about this a lot, but it’s critically important that we understand the Bible, and all that matters is what does God have to say about this? It doesn’t matter how it seems to me. All that matters is how is it revealed by God in His Word. And there are so many verses on this that it’s pretty hard to miss though I did miss it for a long time. But it’s not because I knew too much of the Bible; it was because I knew too little of the Bible until I got in and began to dig. So, let me close in a word of prayer. Father, thank You for this study that You’ve allowed us to have. Thank You that You have called us to Yourself and that this powerful call so overpowered our hearts that we had to follow You, that we had to believe in You. And that’s the only explanation for which we find ourselves in Christ today. So, thank You for this. Give us eyes to see the truth of Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Golden Chain of Salvation, Part 2 – Romans 8:29

OnePassion Ministries December 13, 2018

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Romans 8 and Verses 29 and 30 is what I want to read. And as we look at these verses, we have slowed down a little bit just to be able to savor what’s here. We’ll pick the pace back up when we come back in the New Year. But I’ve really wanted to tap the breaks here and slow down and really get down into the fiber of this passage. So I want to start by reading. I’m going to read Verses 29 and 30, Romans 8. “For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of His son so that He would be the firstborn among may brethren. And these whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And these whom he justified, he also glorified.” The title of this lesson is God’s Gold Chain of Salvation: Part Two. So we’re going to continue what we began last time. And just by way of introduction, as a young boy I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee – which is right on the banks of the Mississippi River. And I remember when they put in the new bridge to go over the Mississippi River. And in flood times, it’s a very wide river as you can imagine and overspills the banks and goes into cottonfields. And I can remember as a young boy in junior high school driving across that bridge. And it takes some time to drive across the bridge – it’s kind of like going across the Golden Gate Bridge – looking at that river as it’s surging. And as I would look upstream, I just…obviously I can’t see where the origin is. And I would later learn in different classes – I mean, it starts up in Minnesota, in a foreign country. [Laughter] And it starts, and it just flows and picks up speed. And I would look in the other direction as my dad would be driving the car, and I can’t see where it’s going. And I would later go to New Orleans and see close to where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The only part that I could see is just this part immediately in front of me. And there’s a sense in which – that’s the way salvation is, in this regard; all we can see is what’s taking place within time. I mean, I know when I was convicted of sin. I know when God called me to Himself. I know when I believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. I know when He justified me. But if I didn’t look at a passage like this, I’d have no idea where this river of grace began to flow. And it’s so far upstream that you have to leave time and you have to go back to eternity past to see the origin of this surging river of grace. And this passage also shows us when it flows out into the vast gulf of eternity – eternity future. So this passage is an extraordinary passage. Because it begins in eternity past, and it consummates an eternity future and it spans eternity in time and ends up back up in eternity. And the group that God began within eternity past is the group that God concludes with an eternity future. And no one overflows the banks and is lost. And no one is picked up along the way. And so, this becomes an extraordinary truth that gives us even assurance of our salvation; that ultimately, our salvation is a work of God. And it’s what God has done in our lives. So last time, we looked at the first part of Verse 29. And really, Verse 29 – both words “foreknew and predestined” – those were in eternity past. And then called and justified – that is within time. That’s in Verse 30. And then glorified, that is in eternity future. So these five links in this golden chain of salvation are what Paul is setting before us. And this is really a high mountain peak in the Book of Romans. There’s a sense in which the entire Book of Romans has been going up the steep incline, and at this point we are at one of the highest mountain peaks in the entire New Testament – certainly in the Book of Romans. So last time, as I was saying, we began looking at those whom He foreknew. And just to remind you, we said, “This does not mean foresight; that God looked down the tunnel of time to see who would choose His son, and based upon what God foresaw, God then chose them back.” And I don’t have time to recreate all of last week, and I’m not going to ’cause it’s too much. I would just urge you to go on the Website and gather all the Verses together. Because I would not want you to be misinformed about what this word means. It means, “Whom God previously chose to love.” And it’s virtually synonymous with what we call the Doctrine of Election; that God chose whom He would save in eternity past.” And it wasn’t a stoic choice. It wasn’t just an intellectual thing. It was God setting his heart of love upon His elect. And that’s what the word know means. KNOW. It means “to love.” The prefix “fore” means beforehand, and it really means those whom God previously loved. And we need to understand that there is a distinction in the love of God. God does not love everyone the same. “Jacob, I loved. Esau, I hated,” is still in the Bible.” And so, God has a special saving, distinguishing love for those whom He chose. He has a general love for those whom He has not chosen. and He causes the sun to shine on the unjust as well as the just. And He allows many good things to take place in the life of an unbeliever who never comes to faith in Christ. There are expressions of Christ’s non-saving love that is shown to them. But for us, God has a special saving love. And that’s what foreknowledge means. And it happened before the foundation of the world. In Ephesians 1, Verse 4 and 5, it says, “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. In love, he predestined us to the adoption of sons.” So this is one of the most loving truths there is in the entire Bible. And the irony is, when many people first see it – and it was this way with me – I thought it was a harsh truth. And it’s like, “Oh, my God can’t be like this.” And then the more you study it and the more you correctly, biblically understand this, you see, “This isn’t a harsh truth. This is the most loving truth there is that God in eternity past chose to set His heart upon me for no reason within me, simply because God chose to do so?” So that’s what the word “foreknowledge” means. And I would refer you to last week’s study. We went through some12 verses – maybe more than that – on the word “know.” So this now leads us to the next…to the second link in this golden chain of salvation. And it’s the word “predestination.” So you’ll note that it says, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined.” So I just want to look at this word-for-word as we begin to look at this. And we’re going to go to some cross-references. The “He” refers to God, the Father. Everything is flowing from God, the Father. It’s God, the Father who chose us. It is God, the Father who has predestined us. It is God, the Father who has called us by His spirit. It is God, the Father who has justified us. It is God, the Father who will one day glorify us. I said recently that the forgotten member of the trinity is God, the Father. But everything is flowing from God, the Father; even the Gospel itself is from God, the Father. He is the author and the architect of the Gospel. The Father is the one who sent His son into the world. The Father is the one who sent the spirit into the world along with the son. So it’s very important that we understand who the “He” is. “He” is God, the Father. And let’s not forget the love of God, the Father for us. The word “also” is very important. Because the word “also” indicates that all those whom he foreknew, he also predestined. So that makes this golden chain of salvation an unbreakable chain. It’s an irrevocable action that God has taken. It’s a package deal. Everyone whom God has foreknown, God has predestined. So there are not some who are foreknown, but not predestined. In other word, “also” indicates that these links in this chain are fused together and can never be separated. Now the word “predestined.” There it is, right there in our Bible. We can see it. If you believe the Bible, you believe in predestination. If you do not believe in predestination, you do not believe the Bible. It’s just that simple. This is not a word that was coined in Geneva in the 16th century. [Laughs]I This is not a word that was coined in Wittenberg in the 16th century. This is not a word that was coined in Hipaa in Northern Africa in the 5th century. This is a word that is found in your Bible. And we embrace this word. We believe this word. So it’s very important that we understand, “What does the word ‘predestined’ mean?” And so, the word “predestined,” it’s another compound word. It seems like every time I do a word study for us, it’s a compound word. When you join two words together, it intensifies and strengthens the word. And the word is proorizo. I’m going to spell it for you in the Greek if you’re taking notes. PRO, pro. And then ORIZO. And the reason I’m going to this trouble is, I want you to see it with your own eyes as you write that word out. Proorizo. PROORIZO. The prefix is pro at the beginning. Pro. And that just simply means beforehand. The root word, orizo. You can hear the English word “horizon” in it. Horizon. And the horizon was the destination out on the far landscape where the sun would be meeting the edge of the circumference of the Earth as you would look out ahead. And it came to represent the destination of the journey. It’s out there on the horizon. It’s already been marked out. And so, when you put the prefix “pro” in front of “orizo” what that simply means is the destination was determined before the journey began. Before you even started on the journey, the destination was already marked out on the horizon. So you see the beauty of the word study here? And what the word actually means is to determine beforehand. Fore-ordination, or to fore-ordain is what the word means. The destiny. And the word “destiny” and destination are just, you know…they come from the same root word. So there is a destiny about those whom God foreknew that is already sealed and determined before they were ever born. Before they ever came into this world. Before anyone was born or came into this world. It occurred before time began. It occurred in eternity past. So that is what this is saying. So this word, predestined, is found four times in your New Testament. And we’re going to go to each of these four. and we’re going to look at a fifth where we see the proorizo in the noun form without the prefix. But you’ll see it’s very obvious. So let’s go to all these cross-references. I want to see – I want you to see where else predestined is found in your Bible ’cause this isn’t the only place. We’re going to go to the Book of Acts. Acts Chapter 2. Acts Chapter 2 and Verse 23 And this is an extremely important verse. And it’ll be worth your coming with me to this text. Acts Chapter Two, Verse 23. This is Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost when he preached, arguably, the greatest sermon in the history of the church. It was an Evangelistic sermon, as you recall. 3,000 souls were saved. We know that from Verse 41. And the reason I mention this is, this is preached to unbelievers. Sometimes I hear people say, “Well you can’t talk about predestination except in a small group Bible study with only believers,” or, “You can only talk about it on Wednesday night when no one’s there. We’re certainly not going to talk about predestination on Sunday morning. That’ll really rock the boat.” Well the boat needs to be rocked. Okay? So this was preached to unbelievers, and it was a part of the lightning and thunder of this sermon that you’re not in control of your eternal destiny And it’s a part of God humbling the unbeliever and shattering their self-reliance. And so, in Acts 2 and Verse 23, Paul says, “This man delivered over.” And by the way. The one who delivered over this man was ultimately not the Romans and not the Jews. It was God, the Father himself who delivered over his son. This man delivered over – now here it is – by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God you nailed to the cross by the hands of Godless men and put him to death. Now here is where divine sovereignty and human responsibility intersect in one verse. Divine sovereignty – it was the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God that Jesus be put to death on the cross, yet Peter holds them personally responsible for the greatest sin ever committed in human history; the predetermine, premeditated murder of the second person of the God head, Jesus Christ. That is the most heinous crime that’s ever been committed in the history of the world, crucifying the only perfect man who ever lived – the son of God, the son of man. Yet it was pre-scripted by God, The father. He was the lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world. It was the predetermined plan. And this word “predetermined” has in it that orizo in a noun form…that horizon for Christ was marked out from eternity past. The cross was not an afterthought. It wasn’t plan B. There is no plan B with God on anything. It’s all plan A. So here’s why this is important. Not only has God predestined the salvation of all those whom he foreknew, God has also predestined the means by which they would be saved. Not only has God – listen to this. Not only has God predestined the end, He has predestined all the means to accomplish that end. And one of those means was to the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. God did not just exnilio in heaven and say, “You’re saved.” He actually had to commission His son, send His son into this world, be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, go to the cross and go through the agony of that horrific death bearing the sins of His people upon the cross. Even this was predestined. So not only – I want to say it again. Not only is the end predestined, but all of the means and all of the steps to accomplish that end. And we could add, He has predestined the preaching of the Gospel. He has predestined prayer. He has predestined witnessing. He has predestined that we would live a Godly life. All of this is a part of God’s predestination. So that’s why this was very – this text is very important. Now come to Acts 4. Acts 4 and Verse 29. And this is the first time we actually see this word found just as it is in Romans 8:29. And just to set the context very quick, this is prayer offered by the early church after Peter and John have been arrested before the Sanhedrin for creating a disturbance because Peter has healed a paralytic; used that as an opportunity to preach the Gospel. The [laughs] early churches immediately beginning to shake things up with their witness. They drag Peter and John before the Sanhedrin. and Peter – rather than apologizing for what he said, Peter launches into this sermon and says, “There is salvation in no other name. For there is no other name under heaven given among mon whereby we must be saved.” They rough him up, and they release them. And they come back to the believers. And they now respond in prayer. Now I want you to see the prayer that the early church offered because their led preacher was released from prison. Or not prison, but from his deposition before the Sanhedrin. So Verse [clears throat] 27. “For truly in this city, they were gathered together against your holy servant, Jesus.” And this is being said in prayer. The prayers start in Verse 24. “Jesus, whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the gentiles and the people’s of Israel to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” Now why this is important is, this indicates how well-taught they were in the subject of predestination; that in Acts Four as the church just begins…I mean, the church is barely out of its infancy. They’re already praying, recognizing the predestination that what happened to the Lord, Jesus Christ – they understood that was a part of the predetermined plan of God. They didn’t hesitate. In fact, this wasn’t their last resort in prayer. It was their first recourse. They believed that God was sovereign over everything in the world. And they open their mouth, the word predestination just comes flowing out of their mouth. So there was not hesitation on their part. And again. This is how deep their roots were in the Apostles teaching. In Acts 2:42 it says they were continually devoting themselves to the Apostles teaching. This is what the Apostles – part of what the Apostles were teaching them; is that God is large and in charge; that God is on his throne; and that God is orchestrating all human events to work together for His glory and for the good of God’s people. That was Romans 8:29 that we looked at two weeks ago. So Acts 4:29, the church already has a world view in which they see the world through the lens of God’s sovereignty, his supreme authority and through the lens of their understanding of predestination. So if you want to have some strong prayers, put some predestination into your prayers. Now come to First Corinthians. First Corinthians, Chapter Two. And here is the second time this word is found in the New Testament. First Corinthians, Chapter Two and Verse Seven. And we’re focusing on this word “predestined.” The sentence begins in Verse Six, yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature. This wisdom is the preaching of the cross. This wisdom is what the world calls foolishness we know is the sheer genius of God; that God can be both the just and the justifier through the profundity yet the simplicity of the cross. So that’s what this wisdom is in Verse Six. A wisdom this world could’ve never dreamed of – the plan of salvation.” Yet we speak wisdom among those who are mature, a wisdom, however not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.” The smartest people in this world could’ve never dreamed up the virgin birth; the sinless life; the substitutionary death, the body resurrection, the enthronement at the right hand of God, the Father; salvation by grace alone, through faith alone and Christ alone. The smartest people in this world could’ve never come up with that. Only the genius of God could’ve come up with the wisdom of the cross. So Verse Seven. “But we speak God’s wisdom.” And how antithetical is God’s wisdom to man’s wisdom? Man’s wisdom is bankrupt. Man’s wisdom is foolishness. God’s wisdom is stunningly brilliant. We speak God’s wisdom in a mystery; a mystery of something that was previously hidden but has now been made known. The hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. And there is an indication there even of glorified at the end of Romans 8:30. And now in Verse Nine…I’m going to go ahead and read Verse Nine because I want to make a comment. But just as it is written – and He now quotes Isaiah 64, Verse 4. “Things which eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard and which has not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” My understanding of those verses is, that does not refer to heaven, though you hear it at funerals. That refers to the wisdom of the cross. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it even entered into the heart of man the brilliance of the wisdom of the cross.” Now the cross was predestined before the ages to come. That was in the heart and the mind of God before He created anything. We could put it this way. God had the solution before there was ever the problem. God had it all worked out long before Adam and Eve ever sinned. God is always previous. You want God to be always previous. God is not a reactionary God. We react. God never reacts. God only acts. And God is always out ahead of the parade. God always has a purpose and a plan for what is unfolding. And in this case in Verse Seven, it is referring to that God predestined the cross according to His infinite wisdom. And only god could have designed what is, for us, perhaps the simplicity of the cross; yet the more you study it, it is the profundity of the cross. So the cross was predestined. It was plan A. Come to the Book of Ephesians. And I want to show you the last two uses of the word “predestined in your New Testament. In Ephesians One and in Verses Four and Five – specifically Verse Five. But I’m going to start reading in Verse Three. And the reason I’m going to start in Verse Three is, I want you to see that this is found not in a theological debate. This is found in a doxology; that this truth is a cause for praise and worship to be given to God. So beginning in Verse Three. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” And that just simply means, “Praise be given to.” And please note, it’s going to God, the Father. Because everything is flowing out of God, the Father. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ who” – referring to the Father – “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Sometimes people talk about, “Have you had the second blessing?” I just laugh. “Second blessing? I’ve had every blessing in Christ, Jesus. [Laughs] Why are you talking about a second blessing? And the second blessing is realizing you got every blessing the first time you were blessed.” [Laughter] You got the whole package. Okay? I mean, you got God. What more do you want? So Verse Four. “He now gives the reason why we are to bless the name of the Lord just as He” – that refers to God, the Father – “just as He chose us” – please note. We did not choose Him. He chose us. “In Christ.” Meaning it was not on the basis of anything that God knew about me. It was all on the basis of Christ and who He is and what He would do on my behalf. “Before the foundation of the world,” Spurgeon said – Charles Spurgeon said, “God would’ve had to have chosen me before the foundation of the world. Because once He saw me after He made me, He would’ve never chosen me.” [Laughs] “That we would be holy and blameless before Him.” Here’s what I want you to see. You’re not chosen simply for a place. You are chosen for purity. And if you want to know if you’re chosen, people sometimes ask me. “Well how can I know if I’m chosen?” It’s very simple. Number one. If you believed upon Christ, if you generally have, I can tell you you’re chosen. But secondly, “Do you see the evidence of a changed life? Are you living a holy and pure life?” Because all of the elect are. We are chosen to be holy and blameless before Him. Now here it is. “In love, he predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself.” So here’s the fourth use of this verb “predestined” in the New Testament outside of Romans Eight. And it is that once God chose us, he then predestined us. Those are two different links in this chain. One is, He chose us. The second is, He predestined us. And what the predestination does is, it guarantees and sets in concrete that all those whom he chose will be saved and will one day be in Heaven with Him forever. It just pours concrete into the whole process. What is predestined cannot be undone. It is set in the irrevocable, eternal counsels of almighty God from before time began. Predestine means that God’s eternal purpose can never be thwarted, can never be undermined, can never be altered, can never be amended, can never be rerouted. Because as soon as He made the choice to choose whom He chose, He predestined their salvation. So that’s Ephesians One and Verse Five. Please note. “In love, He predestined us.” Always think of predestination as a doctrine of love. It is never a harsh doctrine. You are looking at it incorrectly if you think of it as harsh. If you look at it correctly and understand it Biblically, you understand the fact that God chose anyone is shocking grace; that He chose a vast number is amazing grace; that He chose you is incomprehensible grace. [Laughs] That He chose me is incomprehensible. So in love, He predestined us. Now Verse Six. “To the praise of the glory of His grace.” This is so that all praise will go to God. I mean, how could any praise go to us? If this all started with God in eternity past…now I want to bring one more thing to your attention as we’re looking at this. Please note where this is in the Book of Ephesians. This is not hidden at the back of the book. This is frontloaded. You open the Book of Ephesians, boom. There it is. This presupposes how well-taught the church in Ephesus was that they get a letter like this in the mail from Paul. And Paul is in prison in Rome. He sends this letter to the church at Ephesus. Paul doesn’t have to have a glossary of terms. Paul doesn’t have to have definitions given because they have already been well-taught in this doctrine and in this truth. In fact, this is Christianity 101. This isn’t graduate school stuff. This is kindergarten stuff; that you have been predestined to believe in Christ if in fact you are a believer in Christ. And Paul can just put this out in the Fourth and Fifth Verse. And it’s not even found in the teaching section of the Book of Ephesians. It’s found in like the call to worship in a church service before we even get to the sermon. It’s the opening prayer in the Book of Ephesians. So don’t ever apologize for the fact that you believe in predestination. Don’t ever hesitate to speak of it, because it is part of the cornerstone truths of Christianity. And if that were not enough, look at Verse 11. Paul brings it up again. He could’ve just let it lie after mentioning it once and think, “Well maybe they didn’t pick up on that. I’ll just press on.” No. He circles back to predestination in Verse 11 really to underscore it and to emphasize it. So he says, “We have obtained an inheritance, and it speaks of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” in Verse Three. This is the inheritance. “We have obtained an inheritance.” And please note the verb tense. We’ve already obtained it. So there’s nothing yet to obtain. We’re already obtained this inheritance. “Having been predestined according to His purpose – not our purpose like God and me together. No. It’s His purpose. “Who works” – please note the next two words – “all things.” There is nothing outside of all things. All things is all things. “Who works all things after the counsel of His will.” So what this tells us is, not only has God ordained the salvation of all whom He chose, fore-ordained – predestined. And not only has He predestined the death of His son as a means to accomplish the salvation of all those whom He chose. God has also predestined all of the circumstances surrounding every aspect of your life and all the circumstances of your conversion. God predestined who would bring the Gospel to you. God predestined who lived on your right and on your left growing up. He predestined who your Sunday School teacher would’ve been. He predestined who your parents were. He predestined your gender. He predestined your height, your weight, your ethnic background. He predestined all things. God set the table perfectly for you to come to faith in Jesus Christ. He even predestined giving you the gifts of repentance in faith. The whole thing is God. So that’s why He says in Verse 12, “To the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” Not our glory, His glory. God gets all the praise. That’s when we get to heaven and we’re given crowns. They’re going to be in our hand for about half of a millisecond, and we’re just going to cast them back at His feet. I mean, why in the world would we hang onto this crown? He chose me, He predestined me, He called me, He regenerated me. He gave me repentance, He gave me saving faith, He sealed me in Christ, He set me apart from the world. He began to work within me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. He brought me all the way home to glory and has glorified me. This crown doesn’t belong to me. This crown belongs to Him. “So we’ll cast our crowns back at his feet, and it will be emblematic that all things are from Him, through Him and to Him.” So this is getting our theology straight. The Mississippi River is flowing north to south. Okay? It’s not flowing south to north. You need to understand everything is coming down from God above. And this has to be right because it gives God more glory. It gives God more credit. And to see it any other way robs God of the glory that belongs to Him alone. We have far more reason to rise up and bless the name of the Lord, knowing all of this is true. Now just to line up, you see in Verse 11 the word “predestined,” the word “purpose,” the word “counsel” and the word “will.” Do you see those four words, predestined, purpose, counsel and will? Let me line these up in the right order. The sequence in which they unfold. So come with me back to eternity past. [Laughs] Before there was anything. Before God even created Heaven. Before God created the universe. Before God created the angels. It’s just God and God alone. The first thing that happened was his counsel. God deliberated within Himself. There was no one else to consult. God the Father deliberated within himself. And out of His counsel came His will. And God considered every conceivable possibility. God could’ve had the sky be green and the grass be blue. God could’ve had you born 4,000 years ago. God considered every conceivable possibility. And God locked in on the one plan: His will that flows out of His counsel. And then came God’s purpose. And the word “purpose” means God’s resolution. When God purposes to do something, nothing can hinder it or thwart it. And the word “purpose” means God determined to put His shoulder to this plow, and with great intention and purpose to be the executor of this will. And He will not change His will for anything or for anyone. Man will have to change his plans. God will not change His plans. That is the purpose. It means to be resolved. And when God is resolved, there’s nothing that can turn it back. And then the last word is predestined. What God has purposed to do, He sets it in concrete, He puts steel girders into it, and it can never be changed. It is predestined. And the destination is determined before the journey even begins. This is big-boy football. This is our God. And any lesser understanding of God is a vain figment of your imagination. This is the God of the Bible. This is the God of Heaven and Earth. So come back to Romans Eight. I want to finish Verse 29. I don’t want to do a series in just 29, so… [laughs] I hear your nervous laugh. So all right. Verse 29. And again. We have slowed down at this point just because this is so fundamentally important. This really becomes like putting on glasses. The lens through which we see so much. And it’s critical that we have the right lens in front of us to see your salvation, to see lots of things. All right. Verse 29. “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined.” Now what follows is the purpose of the predestination. The purpose. The goal. The aim. And you will note as you look at Verse 29 and 30, this is the only link out of the five links in which Paul puts a footnote; in which Paul adds an explanation. And so, what follows is a two-fold purpose. One for us and one for Christ. It begins with the purpose for us; why we are predestined, why we are foreknown. It’s not for no reason. He says, “To become conformed to the image of His son.” This is what God’s about in your life. It is to make you and me more like His son, Jesus Christ. This is the good of Verse 28. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good. There is no greater good than for you to become like Jesus Christ; with your attitudes, with your actions, with your reactions, with your words, with your goals, with your ambitions, with your dreams. The entirety of your life. This is what God is after in your life, is to make you as much like His son as He can possibly be. And you know what’s secondary? A far distant secondary. It’s incomparable compared to what’s primary. What is so far secondary is where you live and where you work that…I mean, that’s a part of the plan. Everything’s a part of the plan. But all of those threads are in muted colors. What’s in the brightest color are those of His son – the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is to make me and make you like His son. And that begins now in this world. It’s called sanctification; that progresses sanctification life-long process of becoming more and more and more like His son. And we never max out. None of us have arrived. Forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, the upward call of God and Christ, Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14. “We will not fully reach out goal till we get to the end of Verse 30 – when we’re glorified. That means we will be as perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ as a redeemed creature can be. The word “image” is a Greek word that you will recognize. Eikon. EIKON. Eikon. And it means likeness. On my desk as I wrote this this week, I have an eikon of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. And he’s just staring at me, and it is a perfect bust…the likeness of Spurgeon. Right on top of my dresser, I have a bust – a full length head-to-foot of Calvin. I have a full-length head-to-toe of Luther. I have a full head of Tyndale. I’ve got over here another one of Luther. People keep sending me Luther statues. [Laughs] I got them all lined up. You want to send me a Luther? Send me a Luther. I’m good on Luther. Send me a Calvin. I need another Calvin. So what God is doing in your life is, He is just chiseling away from your character and Your words everything that does not look like Jesus Christ. He’s just taking a piece of raw marble and chiseling away everything that doesn’t look like, sound like Christ. And He is building Christ-likeness into you. And you know what? This is predestined. How can you know if you’re chosen? God is at work in Your life, conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ. Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of Heaven. But He who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. There is this inseparable link from eternity past to time. And He’s conforming us to the image of His Son, and one day He will complete that when we enter into glory. So this answers the charge – some people say, “Well if you teach people predestination, then they’re just going to go live like the devil. You know? You have just removed all human responsibility, and you have just said to people, ‘Doesn’t matter how you live.'” Wrong. Read Bible. Romans 8:29. “If you are predestined, God has moved into your life and He will never move out of your life. And He is going to have your way. And if you put up some resistance to His work of sanctification, He’s going to take you to the wood shed and He will discipline you because he loves you so much that He won’t let you get away with this. And if you keep running stop signs, you know what? You will have a premature death and He’ll just take you home to glory. And He will instantly make you like His son, Jesus Christ.” But you’re going to be made like Jesus one way or another. It’s kind of like, “You’re going to be humble one way or another. Either you humble yourself, or God’s going to humble you. But you’re going to be humble if you are one of God’s elect.” This is all…these chains are all linked together. You just can’t isolate one from another. So that’s the first purpose. It is predestined that you become like His son, Jesus Christ. And He is causing all things” – Verse 28 – “to work together toward this good in your life.” Now the second purpose. That He – you see it at the end of the verse? “That He refers to Jesus Christ. That He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Now the cults look at this and they go, “See? Jesus was created. There was a time when Jesus did not exist, and He is the firstborn. And so, he now is a created being just like everyone else.” Wrong. In the Bible, firstborn is used in two ways. One is literal, one is metaphorical; which means symbolic. In this case, it is clearly metaphorical. And to show you this – and I’m looking at my friend, the clock. You’re going to have to turn back to Psalm 89. And we’ll probably – because of that clock, we’re probably going to end in Psalm 89. But I want you to see this so that when you get this little knock on the door, you’ll know how to answer. Okay? So Psalm 89, right in front of Psalm 90. So Psalm 89, Verse 27. “I shall make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the Earth.” Who is the Him, who has been made the firstborn. You come to Verse 20 above. It is David. I hope you have a pen and just can draw a circle around David and Verse 20 and draw a circle around firstborn in Verse 27. In fact, it goes back to Verses Three and Four. “I’ve made a covenant with my chosen. I have sworn to David, my servant. I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.” This is God’s Davidic covenant. The covenant that God made with David specifically, that there would be a descendant of David…a greater son of David who would sit upon the throne and be the king over not just Israel, but over the whole world and would be a king over the entire universe. And that greater son of David was none other than Jesus Christ. And we talked about Him in Romans One, Verse Three and Four that at the very beginning of the Book of Romans One, Three and Four Jesus is identified as the son of David. He is the fulfillment of Psalm 89. But what I want you to see in Verse Three is that we’re talking about David – God’s covenant with David. Verse 20. I have found David my servant. With my holy oil, I have anointed him.” So come down to Verse 27, He now calls David…his firstborn. Now, time out. David wasn’t the firstborn. David was the eighth son. Is there a mistake in the Bible? No. What firstborn means is, you are the highest son. You have been raised up to the place of pre-eminence. Whatever your birth order is. To be the firstborn means you are the inheritor of your Father’s estate. The firstborn was given the farm. The first farm – first son was given the family business. The first son was put in charge. The first son had all the rights and all the privileges that go with being born first. In the case of the Lord Jesus, it has nothing…Jesus wasn’t the firstborn. I mean, Cain would be the firstborn. It’s not talking about literal birth order. It’s talking about metaphorically the pre-eminence and the prerogatives and the privileges that come with being the chosen one by the Father. And Jesus Christ was chosen from within the trinity – not the spirit, but the son was chosen to have the place of pre-eminence in all things. And the role and the ministry of the spirit would be to draw our attention to the son. And even the Father himself would point the finger to the son and say, “This is my beloved son and whom I’m well pleased. Listen to him.” So in Romans Eight Verse 29 when it says, “He is the firstborn among many brethren,” it doesn’t mean that He was created. Even if you took it that way, He wasn’t the firstborn. Cain was the firstborn. It means that He has the place of unrivaled supremacy, and all the throne rights belong to the Lord, Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 28 and Verse 18, “All authority in Heaven and Earth has been given unto me.” So the purpose of predestination is, number one, so that we would be made like His son and, number two, that His son would have many brethren who would recognize his pre-eminence. And throughout all the ages to come, we would worship Him and adore Him and ascribe honor and glory to Him as the pre-eminent one. And nothing pleases the Father more than for you and me to make much of His son. You want to make me happy? Don’t tell me, “Hey. Great lesson.” Tell me something good about my children. That causes my heart to soar and to sing. And in an exponential way – 10,000 times 10,000 times 10,000 – so it is within the heart of the Father whose motives are pure and pristine. He delights in His son having the place of honor and glory. That’s why He has seated Him at the right hand and given to Him all authority and has put all judgment into His hand. And that is why the son is to be the object of saving faith. And that is why all things are working out to make us more like…not the Father and not the spirit, but like the son; that we would be – that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. And so, there is a whole family of brethren now who have been predestined to believe, call justified, surrounding the throne singing the praises of the son throughout all of the ages to come. This is all far more about – it’s far beyond you and me. This ultimately is about God’s son; that there would be a redeemed body of believers who would magnify the name of the Lord, Jesus so that when we get to Heaven throughout all eternity, it will be one big coronation service. And we will be crowning Him with our praise and our worship and our glory. We just happen to be incidental. We just happen to be the choir around the throne that has been foreknown and predestined and called and justified and glorified so that there would be, throughout all the ages to come, a vast throng and multitude of people who will give the glory to God’s son – the Lord, Jesus Christ. Well how much more so should we begin that even right now in this lifetime? To give the glory and to give the honor to the Lord Jesus Christ? Now I haven’t even gotten to the application. And I’m looking at my friend, the clock, and I just ran the stop sign. So I’m going to stop in a word if prayer. If you want to stay, we’re going to take some questions. And I’ll enter those. You need to slip off to work, I more than understand. Do that. We’ll be here next week, and we’re going to look at Verse 30 just to give you some sense of hope. And I’ll just put the application at the end of next week. Because here’s what I want you to understand. This isn’t just for us to win arguments with people that don’t believe this. This isn’t just to make us smart. This isn’t just so we can sit in an ivory tower and dissect all this. This is one of the greatest life-changing truths that will ever come into your life. And I’ve got ten ways this changes your life that we’re going to look at, and you’ll never be the same. You will never be the same as a result of this sinking into your heart and soul. So I’m going to close in a word of prayer. We’ll be right here, same time, same place, same station at the Iconic Herbs House next Thursday. Let me pray. “Father. We hardly know where to even begin to thank you and to praise you; that You set Your heart upon us. In eternity past, You thought of us, chose to love us and that you’ve predestined us to become like your so that the son would receive honor and glory from many brethren. Father, let this sink into our hearts, our souls, our minds. Shape us. Mold us. Make us by this truth. Bless these men. Strengthen them and encourage them as they ponder and meditate on these truths. But more than that, as they anchor their soul to these truths. Forge these truths into their very heart. In Jesus name, amen.”

God’s Golden Chain of Salvation, Part 1 – Romans 8:29

OnePassion Ministries December 6, 2018

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All right men, Romans 8:29 and 30. And just to give you some sense of hope I only brought notes for verse 29, so I could do 30. I’m going to read verses 29 and 30, and this is really the center cut of the fillet. I mean this is at the very epicenter. So let me just read these verses, verses 29 and 30. And the title of this is “God’s Golden Chain of Salvation,” and I think you’ll see why. This is not original with me. Bible teachers, theologians down through the decades, even centuries, have called this “God’s Golden Chain of Salvation. So beginning in verse 29. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son so that he would be the first born among many brethren. And these whom he predestined he also called. And these whom he called he also justified. And these whom he justified he also glorified.” All right, men, this is the most comprehensive view of the saving grace of God that can be found in any one passage. This is God’s golden chain of salvation. It stretches from eternity past to eternity future. It begins in the eternal counsel hall of God before the foundation of the world. And with the first two links in this golden chain they’re found in verse 29, foreknowledge and predestination. Those are Bible words. Those are God’s words. Do not ever hesitate to say the word predestination. Do not ever be ashamed to say the word predestination because you would be ashamed of God, because this is God’s word. This is who God is. He is a God of predestination. So this golden chain it starts in eternity past, and the first two links that were forged by the sovereignty of God are foreknowledge and predestination, and this link, this golden chain rather, extends into time. And in verse 30 the next two links in this golden chain are calling and justification. Calling and justification, and those occur within time. And if you’re a believer these occurred at the moment that you were brought into the kingdom of God. And then the last link on this chain extends all the way into eternity future, and is bolted, and is anchored into eternity future and it is the word glorified, or glorification. This golden chain it spans time and eternity, and this golden chain is unbreakable. None of these links will ever break. They are forged together by the eternal will of almighty God. And what you will note is there’s no one added along the way, and there is no one subtracted along the way. The group that God began with in eternity past is the group that will stand before the throne of God in heaven, in eternity future. There are no dropouts from this university. The group he began with is the group that he will consummate with. And you will note that those whom he foreknew he predestined. This is all God. This is none of man. This has nothing to do with man. We have no contribution to make to this. This is entirely a monergistic work of grace, and the word monergistic there’s only one active agent. Synergistic means there’s two or more active agents. Now there’s only one. You can read it for yourself in your own Bible. Those whom he foreknew he predestined. Those whom he predestined he called. And those whom he called he justified. And those whom he justified he glorified. It’s all God. You’re caught up in something that is so far bigger than who you are, or will ever be. It is rooted and grounded in God himself. And it will be succinctly summarized in Romans 11:36 when he says, “For from him, and through him, and to him are all things.” Not some things, not most things, not many things, all things. It’s all from him, it’s all through him, and it’s all to him. To God be the glory forever and ever, amen. So what these two verses are is like you and me climbing the tallest mountain in the world, and when we finally get to the top you can see in every direction. When you’re down the valley you can’t see. In fact, you can’t even see above the clouds. You can’t see what’s on the other side of the other mountain ranges. But when you get to the top of this mountain peak you can look all the way back to eternity past, and you can turn around and you can look all the way into eternity future. You’ve got the full vista in view. So that is the extraordinary teaching of this passage of scripture. And let me say this, this is still by way of introduction. This is why this is going to be a part one. The more you study your Bible the more you see of God. And for most of us when we entered the Christian life we thought it was God and us. That’s a joint venture. That God did his part and then I did my part and we met in the middle, and there’s like 50 percent God and 50 percent me. And the more you study your Bible, and the more you have your eyes open, and the more you learn how to interpret scripture, the more you see it’s not 50/50. You see it’s 60/40, 70/30, it’s 80/20. And you keep reading and you keep growing until you come to the point you realize it’s 100 percent God. It was God who chose to lay his hands on me and to save me. God chose me long before I ever chose him, and God loved me long before I ever loved him, and God pursued me long before I ever pursued him. God knew me long before I ever knew him. So that’s where we’re headed on this, and you’re standing right now on hallowed ground. So let’s look at the first two links. The first two links, and there are five links; foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification. Five links. We’re going to look at the first two links today, and it begins with foreknowledge. So Roman number one is foreknowledge, and Paul begins in eternity past. So I want you to note the first four words, just the first four words; for whom he foreknew. The word for, F-O-R, introduces an explanation of what was just said. And in verse 29 he talked about God’s affectual call, “Those who are called out of the world into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” And he says at the end of verse 28 that, “Those who are called according to his purpose.” And that purpose refers to God’s eternal purpose before time began. And so that needs some explanation. I mean that just like put out on the table a subject of immense profundity. And so he starts verse 29 with the word for. I need to explain what it is for the eternal, affectual, sovereign call of God to lay hold of someone and draw them into a relationship with Jesus Christ. And he says according to his purpose, that purpose is his eternal purpose. So as we come to verse 29 he starts with the word for. This is to open the lens. This is to open it up. And he says for whom he foreknew. The he is very important. That is God the father. It is God the father who is driving this whole train. It is God the father who has chosen these five links. It is God the father who has forged these five links. It is God the father who has purposed these five links. It is God the father who sent the son into the world. It is God the father who sent the Holy Spirit into the world. It is God the father who is the architect of his eternal purpose and sovereign plan. It’s all preceding from the first person of the Godhead, and he is distinguished from his son in verse 29. So these he’s are not referring to his son, and the Holy Spirit is mentioned in verse 27 and 26. No, he is God the father. Now for whom he foreknew. Everything hinges right here on the first lead domino to be pushed over to set this domino effect in motion. It’s important that we understand what the word foreknowledge means. Now, let me begin by telling you what it does not mean, and it’s how I took it for years in my Christian life until I began to study the Bible seriously. Foreknowledge does not mean that God looks down the tunnel of time to see who would chose his son. And when God sees who chooses his son, God then, on the basis of this foresight, predestines and sets all this into motion, and the pivotal hinge point is what God sees that you do with his son. And probably the majority of people who would call themselves Christians have this faulty erroneous empty understanding of what foreknowledge means. Now I want to tell you why this is blatantly false. I’m going to tell you four – I’ll give you four reasons why that is false, and then I want to show you what foreknowledge actually means. So, the reason this does not mean God looks down the tunnel of time to see what certain individuals would do with his son, and on the basis of what God now foresees, God then chooses them only because he foresees that they choose his son. All right, reason number one why that is erroneous. Number one, God has never learned anything. God has never looked into the future and learned anything. That is a pagan, secular understanding of God that there is knowledge outside of God, something God didn’t know, and God now is gaining knowledge. God now is being schooled. God now is learning what he did not previously know, and now he sees that someone chooses Christ as if God has been pacing back and forth in heaven while someone is whistling “Just as I Am” and, “Oh, I see now. He believes in Jesus so now I -” it’s like a tag team wrestling match. You tag me, I tag you back, okay? God has never learned anything, okay? We could just all go home right now just on that one point. Everything is rooted and grounded in the attributes of God. So that view begins with a demented view of God. The reason God knows everything is because God has foreordained everything. Now, number two, if this was mere foresight, God just looking down the tunnel of time to see what Chris Cobb is going to do as the Gospel is preached and God is gaining information, all God would see is that no one would choose Christ. No one. The doctrine of total depravity and radical corruption teaches the blindness of the unconverted mind that have eyes but they cannot see. There is the depravity of the heart that loves what it should hate, and hates what it should love, and there is the bondage of the will that in spiritual matters there is a moral inability. Write that word down, inability, there is a moral inability to exercise the will towards God, and the reason is you don’t want to. The Bible says in Romans 3:11, which we looked at a while back, Romans 3:11, “There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become useless. There is none who does good, not even one.” We all like sheep have gone astray. Each one of us has turned to his own way. Isiah 53, I think it’s verse 4. So if all God is doing is just looking down the tunnel of time to see what people will do, I’ll tell you what he will see. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each one of us has turned to his own way. That we have eyes, we cannot see; we have hearts, we cannot feel; we have wills, we cannot choose. That’s all we would see. That’s all he would see. So you think far too highly of man and far too low of God if that’s your understanding. Now, third reason, this does not say what he foresaw. It says whom he foreknew. This has nothing to do with events. This has nothing to do with circumstances. This has nothing to do with choices by man. This doesn’t say what. What is an impersonal pronoun. This is a personal pronoun, “Those whom he, God, foreknew.” So this is dealing with not events, but individuals. So let’s just be good Bible students. Fourth, and here’s where we get down now into even more of the crux of the matter. The true meaning of foreknowledge is to choose to love beforehand. To choose to love someone beforehand. The word foreknowledge, as you can clearly see in your English Bible, is a compound word. It’s two words. Seems like every week I’m saying that, “Hey, this is a compound word. It’s part of the beauty of the Greek language, it’s a powerful language. And they’re always joining words together and it’s just tightening the bolt, and clarifying what is actually being said. So at the very heart is know or knowledge. The word means to love. It means to choose. It means to choose to love. Someone in this case, or something in some other case. In this case dealing with individuals, so it’s to choose to love someone. You put the prefix pro, P-R-O in front of it, and that means beforehand. So foreknowledge means to choose to love someone beforehand. Now, the entire Bible supports this, and we’re going to take a little journey right now through the Bible, okay? So lick your fingers and I want you to turn back to Genesis, and we’re going to go through a bunch of verses, okay? So just to let you know. I’ve got enough gas in the tank for the journey, okay? And I’m not stopping the car to let you out, so I just hope you’re good to go. Audience:                    Hold the water. Dr. Steven Lawson:    Yeah, just hold your water. All right, Genesis four and verse one. If you’re having trouble finding it it’s the first book in the Bible. Just keep going west until you get to the Pacific, you’re there. Genesis 4:1, “Now the man had relations with his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Cane.” We understand what this means. This means that Adam entered into the most intimate love relationship, expression of that love relationship in that he had a physical union with his wife, Eve, and the result of that is she conceived and gave birth to a son, right? Well, in the original language, and the Old Testament was written in Hebrew for the most part, this literally says, “And the man knew his wife, Eve.” I even have it as a footnote at in the side margin. I hope your Bible would have that. A little number one and then you go over to the side margin where the cross references are and it will have the word know. I’m looking at it right now in my Bible. It’s a Hebrew word yada, Y-A-D-A, Y-A-D-A. So at the very beginning of the Bible the word “to know” means to love. It means to enter into the most intimate personal relationship that a man could possibly have with a woman, and it’s an exclusive relationship saying, “No to other women. Yes to this woman.” Now at this time there is – there are no other women. I mean Eve said to Adam, “Honey, do you love me?” And he says, “There’s no one else. It’s you sweetheart.” But that’s what this word “know” means. It means to love. All right, let’s just keep going here. Come to Exodus 33:17. This is the next book. Exodus 33:17, “The Lord said to Moses I will also do this thing of which you have spoken for you have found favor in my sight. I have known you by name.” For God to know Moses is for God to set his favor upon Moses. It’s for Moses to find favor in the sight of God. That’s what it means for God to know Moses. It doesn’t mean that God knew Moses’ name. It doesn’t mean that he knew Moses’ zip code. It doesn’t mean that he knows where Moses lives. Of course God knows all those things. God knows everything. What this means for Got do know Moses means – you see it in verse 17, it means for God to set his favor, his loving favor in a distinguishing way upon Moses. All right, come to First Samuel two, First Samuel 2:12. In First Samuel 2:12 we read now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. What does that mean? It means they didn’t have a relationship with the Lord. They didn’t love God. They didn’t have a personal relationship with God. They were worthless. They didn’t know the Lord. So you see here, it has nothing to do with intellectual ascent. The word “know” speaks of a personal relationship with another person, in this case God. All right, keep your fingers working. Come to the Book of Psalms, Psalm 1:6. And in Psalm 1:6, and what I’m wanting us to see is the word know, K-N-O-W. Not N-O, but K-N-O-W. Now Psalm 1:6, “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will parish. God does not know the way of the wicked, but he knows the way of the righteous.” What does that mean? That means God has nothing to do with the way of the wicked. They’re on their own. They are independent of God. They are autonomous. They have rejected God. They’re a sheep who have chosen to go their own way, but God knows the way of the righteous. What that means is God is intimately involved in the way of the righteous. God laid it out, God paved it, God walks that way with the righteous. He knows those who are on this way. He is intimately connected with the way of the righteous. He is not intimately connected with the way of the wicked. They have abandoned God, and God, you’re on your own. Now, let’s keep walking here, Proverbs 9:10. Proverbs 9:10 there’s parallelism here. There’s an A line and a B line, and the B line will restate the A line, but adds some – be restated in different words. Verse 10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Very clearly we see there that knowledge is parallel to fear. The knowledge of the Holy One is what it is to fear the Lord. It’s to have this genuine relationship marked by reverential awe of God. That’s that it is to know the Lord. Come to Jerimiah, Jerimiah 1:5. It’s a verse with which you are no doubt very familiar. And we’re having to lay this foundation so that we’re not hoodwinked on that foreknowledge means in Romans 8:29. Jerimiah 1:5. Starting at verse four, “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,” verse five, “Before I formed you in the womb.” I want to underscore before. “Before I formed you in the womb.” God is the speaker here, “I knew you. And before you were born I consecrated you. I have appointed you a profit to the nations.” Wait, what does it mean for God to know someone? It means that God has entered into a personal covenantal saving, loving relationship with someone. That’s exactly what this means. And we see here before Jerimiah was even born God has already drawn a circle around his name, and God has set his heart of love upon Jerimiah before Jerimiah was even conceived in the womb. That’s what foreknowledge means. If I had no other verse other than Jerimiah 1:5 it is abundantly clear. A blind man could see this. Now keep coming, Hosea 13:5. Be the first of the minor profits right after Daniel, Hosea 13:5. Hosea 13:5, “I cared for you in the wilderness.” Literally in the Hebrew it reads, “I knew you in the wilderness.” And in my New American Standard Bible there’s a little one over cared for, and out in the cross reference, out in the column the one is there and in my Bible it just says “new.” To be honest with the reader that this really means God knew you in the wilderness. In the context it just means God said is loving care upon his people when they were in a dry and weary land, as they were in the wilderness. Now come to Amos. Amos, two more books to the right. No one is allowed to look at their table of contents right now, okay? Amos 3:2, and we’re drilling this nail through the board into China right now. Amos 3:2, “God -” Let me begin in verse one, “Hear the word which the Lord has spoken against you sons of Israel, against the entire family which you brought up from the land of Egypt.” This is addressed to the people of God. In this case the ancient people of Israel, and God says, “Listen, I brought you out of bondage, out of Egypt.” And now he clarifies in verse two, “You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth.” Of all of the nations of the earth God chose the nation Israel and set his heart upon them. Now what you need to know is literally in the Hebrew this reads, “You only have I known.” To know is to choose. I don’t know how many nations there were at that time on the globe, and a lot of people didn’t even know there were nations. There were tribes, and people groups, and language groups, et cetera. I’m just going to grab a number, 100. Let’s just say there were 100 people groups, language groups around the globe at this time. God says, “No, there’s only one. I didn’t know 100. I only knew one. I chose you and I set my heart of love. I entered into covenant relationship with you. You only have I chosen. I didn’t choose the Egyptians, I didn’t choose the Canaanites, I didn’t choose the Babylonians, I didn’t choose the Assyrians, I didn’t choose the Ninevites, I didn’t choose any of them. I just passed them over. I have only chosen you, my people of all the nations in the world.” It’s the word “know.” It means to choose to love someone. All right, come to the New Testament, Matthew 1:25. And for those of you watching on live stream I hope you’re tracking with us, and hope you’re able to have your Bible out and look up all these verses with us. So Matthew one. I’m going to start reading in verse 24. That’s where the sentence begins, but verse 25 is what we want to see. Starting with verse 24, “And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did just as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin.” You want to know how that reads out of the original Greek? He did not know Mary. What do you mean he didn’t know Mary? Of course he knew Mary. He knew her name. He knew her parents. He knew where she lived. He knew where her house was. He knew how old she was. He knew what color her hair was. He knew what color her eyes was. No, that’s not what know means. It has nothing to do with intellectual knowledge. Of course God knows all that. Every hair of our head is numbered by the Lord. There’s not a sparrow that falls apart from the Lord. God knows everything there is to know. What this word for know means is to have an intimate personal love relationship. Did you get that? So in verse 25 when it says, “He kept her a virgin,” we know what that means. He didn’t know her. He did not cross the line. He didn’t enter into a sexual relationship with her whereby he would violate her virginity. He didn’t know her. That you need to hang onto this as we’re going to be going to Romans 8:29 here in a bit for foreknowledge. Because you just can’t immediately go into that text and go, “Oh, okay, God is looking down the tunnel timing, gaining information.” You kidding me? That’s not even what the word means. All right. As long as we’re in Matthew, Matthew 7:23. Matthew 7:23. I’m going to start in verse 21. Verse 23 is what I want to open up for you, but beginning in verse 21, “Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven will enter.” And this is to say not everyone who thinks they are a Christian is a Christian. There are a lot of self-deceived people. Verse 22, “Many will say to me on that day,” and the many in verse 22 is the same many in verse 13, the many who are on the broad road headed for destruction. And it’s the same many in verse 21, the many who are saying, “Lord, Lord.” Verse 22, “Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?”” Here’s the reality, they didn’t do any of those things. They just thought they were. They were so self-deceived about the entirety of their supposed relationship with God the whole thing was a facade. The whole thing was a smokescreen. The whole thing was a deception. They didn’t know God. They didn’t know Christ. They weren’t prophesying. They weren’t casting out demons. They just had talked themselves into thinking these things were happening. And there were so many gullible people out there saying, “Oh yeah, he’s able to do that.” Now, verse 23 is the knockout punch, “And then I will declare to them I never knew you. Depart from me you who practice lawlessness.” Now intellectually, cognitively, factually Jesus knows everything. He knows they were saying, “Lord, Lord.” He knows they were saying, “Hey, we prophesied. We cast out demons. We did many wondrous works.” The Lord has got it all down, he knows it all, but now he says, “I never knew you.” What does that mean? It has nothing to do with intellectual facts. It means I never had a relationship with you. You didn’t know me and I didn’t know you. There was no saving relationship. There was no – let me put it this way, experiential heart reality about their relationship with the Lord. It was just all a self-concocted deception. Now come to the Gospel of John, John chapter 10. And I’m looking at my friend the clock, we’re not even going to make it through verse 29 here. But let me just tell you, we have to get this. We have to understand this. John chapter 10, and verse 14. John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me.” Now what do you think that means? I’ll tell you exactly what that means, and you know exactly what that means. That Jesus Christ knows his sheep in a way that he does not know the goats. He knows his sheep in a way that he does not know the rest of mankind, and those sheep know him. They have a personal love saving, experiential relationship with the Lord, and I know him and he knows me. And you’ll note the order which goes first. I know them and they know me. He knew us before we knew him. He loved us before we loved him. He chose us before we chose him. Now keep coming with me, Acts two. Acts 2:23. And it’s important that we get all these verses out on the table because we’re not talking about one or two verses, and I’ve limited the number of verses I’m giving you. Acts 2:23, “This man,” referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, “Peter, on the day of Pentecost delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God you nailed to the cross. Now let me ask you, do you think that means that God sent his son into the world and there was no plan, and suddenly the situation got out of hand and God goes, “Oh, I hadn’t planned on this. They actually just arrested him. Oh my goodness, there’s more cards being turned over. There’s another door opening. I’m seeing more now. He was just condemned. They’re making him carry his cross. Oh, he has a crown of thorns. Oh, now I see it. They’re lifting him up on a cross. Well I’ll just have to adopt that as my plan. I’ll make lemonade out of lemons?” That is blasphemous. That is heretical. That is – I can’t even come up with the word on how bad that is. No, we clearly see foreknowledge means it is inseparably connected with predestination. Get used to saying that word, predestination. It’s inseparably connected with it. You don’t want anyone else to be in charge. You want God to be in charge. So it’s very clear. Come to Galatians, Galatians 4:10. Now I’m going to have to push down on the gas pedal here. Galatians 4:10. Excuse me, verse nine. Galatians 4:9, “But now that you have come to know God.” All right, just stop right there. There was a time you didn’t know God, but now you have come to know God. What brought about the change? I’ll tell you what brought about the change. It’s called the new birth. It’s called regeneration. It’s called conversion. “But now you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God.” That’s just an echo of John 10:14, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” We have come to know God. And what that means is God knows us, and that was the causative affect. All right, First Corinthians eight. I did get that out of order. Sorry about that. First Corinthians 8:3. The globe is spinning in the other direction right now. First Corinthians 8:3. I’m going to wait until Ford finds it. Okay. He was blow drying my hair on that one. All right, “If anyone loves God he is known by him.” What in the world do you think that means to be known by God? It doesn’t mean God is looking down the tunnel of time, et cetera, et cetera. It means God loves us, and God chose to love us. If we – if anyone loves God he is known by God. All right, I’ve got two more, Second Timothy two. Second Timothy two, or as they say in England, “Two Timothy. Two verse 19, “Never the less, the firm foundation of God stands having this seal, the Lord knows those who are his.” Very clearly he does not know those who are not his. He only knows those who are his. He only has this special saving relationship with those who are his. Now one more, First Peter one, and this will complete our traversing through the scripture. First Peter one. I want you to see at the end of verse one – I’ll start at the beginning of verse one, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” And he says that just so that we’ll all know everything that follows is inspired and errant, and infallible and authoritative. This is coming from the Lord himself through his apostle, “To those who reside as aliens scattered.” Why are they scattered? Because they’ve been run out of town. Why have they been run out of town? Because they have been persecuted for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in the Roman Empire. “To those who reside as aliens.” Why are they aliens? Well, because this world is not their home. They’re just strangers down here. Their real home is in another world. “Scattered throughout,” in other words, blown from here to kingdom come. “Throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bethania who are chosen.” Now do you think that meant anything to them to get this letter? You’re rejected by the world, but I want you to know you’re a number one lottery pick with God. You are chosen by God. You were rejected by the world, you are chosen by God, and that ought to so encourage you. So beginning in verse two, “According to the foreknowledge of God the father.” Now some people when they come to this verse they go, “See, God chose only according to what he foresaw.” Wrong. Come to verse 20. You’ve got a packaged deal here. “For he,” the he refers to Jesus Christ, previous verse, “We have been bought with precious blood.” Verse 19, “As of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ, for he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last days for the sake of you.” Whatever you saw about verse 20 is what you’re going to say about verse 2. You can’t have it both ways. Now what does it mean that Jesus was foreknown by the father as it relates to his sin bearing blood shedding death upon Calvary’s cross? Well the answer very clearly for verse 20 is, is that God the father set his love upon God the son and said, “This is my beloved son in whom I’m well pleased,” and sent his beloved son into this world to shed his blood and to pay the price to secure our eternal redemption. It doesn’t mean that God hadn’t – God just looking down the tunnel of time in order to learn what they’re going to do with my son, and I don’t really know and I’m going to gain knowledge once I look into the future and see where this takes Jesus. “Oh, they crucified him. Well let me adapt my plan.” No, it means the God the father chose his son in eternity past. Not the spirit, but the son to come into this world, and the father’s love was perfect upon his son as he came into this world to die for our sins. You take that meaning from verse 20, you put it in verse 2. We are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the father. We are chosen according to the exclusive saving special love of God the father for those who are his elect. Now this now explains Romans 9:13, “Jacob I loved and Esau I hated.” There is a distinction in the love of God. God does not love everyone the same. Now that may take you weeks to recover from that sentence. I can understand why he hated Esau. I cannot understand how he could love Jacob. Hating Esau makes all the sense in the world. You’re a holy God. This is an unholy sinner. This violates your very holy nature. Of course you reject Esau. Of course you are angry with Esau. I do not understand amazing grace, how you could set your heart of love upon Jacob who has been, in his own way, as bad as Esau. So as we look at this what does Romans 8:29 say? “For whom he foreknew, those whom God chose to love in a special saving distinguishing way.” These God predestined to become conformed to the image of his son. That he would be the first born among many brethren. And we’ll look at it next week, but what predestination does is it sets everything in concrete, and it becomes irrevocable and immutable, and cannot be changed. Predestination means the destination is determined before the journey begins. It means exactly what you think it means. God has previously determined the destiny of those whom he foreknew. And there is nothing within time or eternity that will circumvent these whom he foreknew being ultimately called, and justified, and glorified. You are as certain for heaven this moment as if you’ve already been there 10,000 years. In fact, the word glorified is translated in the past tense. It’s already a done deal. You’re not even there yet. Glorified in the past in the mind of God. Now when God foreknew us he foreknew all of us at the same time. There wasn’t a first round draft pick, and second round draft pick, and a third round draft pick, and the rest of us are walk-ons, he foreknew all his elect at that same moment. And in that same moment an eternity past, which is in some way a contradiction at that time in eternity past, at that time before there was time, he not only foreknew us, he predestined us, and he called us, and he justified us, and he glorified us. The reality of that would only take place within time and an eternity future. But it was all certain, settled and sealed in eternity past. No contingencies. No conditions that have to be met. Not only has God foreordained the end of all things, he has foreordained the means to accomplish those ends. Now I don’t even have time to go through the application of all this, but I’m going to give you just one. I’ve got seven. I’m having mercy upon whom I will have mercy. This is the ultimate pride crusher. Every one of us needs to say why me because there is no reason in you that God chose you. God chose to love you in spite of you, not because of you. The only thing you brought to the table was your sin. It was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is every reason for humility to walk in a manner worthy of your calling with all lowliness of mind, Ephesians 4:2. We don’t deserve this. We weren’t looking for this. We were not seeking this. We were not pursuing this. It was God who took the initiative, and it is God who set this in motion from eternity past. Now you need to really let this sink in. And if you’ve ever heard the truth you just heard it. So I was only going to do verse 29 so we’d have time for discussion, but there’s a part of me I wanted you to get the whole load on these verses. We just walked through the whole thing, and I just cut out two thirds of the verses we could have looked at for you to see from Genesis to the end what knowledge, to know God, for God to know us what this means, and what foreknowledge actually means. Because if you take a wrong turn at foreknowledge, you’re going to keep going in the wrong direction for the rest of these. Only when you understand foreknowledge will you understand predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. The lead domino has to be turned over correctly.

The Deep Groanings of the Spirit – Romans 8:26-27

OnePassion Ministries November 15, 2018

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I’m going to begin in a word of prayer. We’re going to dive right into this text, because it’s a great passage that every one of needs to carefully look at. So, let me pray. Father, every time we come to Your Word, there is a sense of anticipation that we would see perhaps what we have glossed over before and that even what we have truly understood before that it would secure our attention yet again. I pray for the men here meeting with me that You would unusually bless them, sanctify them, strengthen them, encourage them, and for everyone who’s watching via live stream, I pray that You would meet with them as You are meeting with us here. So give us understanding into Your Word and help us to live the truths that we see here. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Okay, Kent just asked if we’re still in Romans, and we are. We are in the book of Romans. So your Bible, I’m sure, at this point just automatically does the flop, where it flops open to the book of Romans. And we’re going to look today at verses 26 and 27. And when you’re in Romans 8 you just have to take your time, you just can’t speed through this chapter and not notice all that is being taught. So I want us to look at verses 26 and 27. Next week is Thanksgiving on Thursday, so we’re all meeting at Kent’s house and yeah, Amy will be very happy with that. So, no we’ll be meeting in two weeks, and in two weeks, Lord willing, if we get through verses 26 and 27, we’re going to look at verse 28, which is one of the towering mountain peaks in the entire Bible, and we really want to carefully look at that. And we’ll be meeting in December also as well. So I’m really looking forward in what lies ahead, verse 29 and verse 30, “those whom He foreknew He predestined,” etc. We’ve got a lot of meat on the bone here that we’re going to be looking into. But let me read verses 26 and 27. To put a title on this as you’re taking notes, it is, “The Deep Groanings of the Spirit.” Let me begin by reading verses 26 and 27, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” As we begin looking at this verse, what I would say by way of introduction is that we all need for other people to pray for us. None of us can live the Christian life without our own prayers and without others who are praying for us and lifting us up. I am consciously aware that anything good that comes to and through my life and ministry is the result of others who are praying for me. I’m especially reminded of this when the Lord just puts wind in my sails and I’m ushered along, whether it’s teaching a lesson, preaching a message, or God just providentially intersects my path with someone else, and the Lord just gives me the right words to say. I know that that’s not me. I know that there are those who are praying for me. I’m consciously aware of my wife, who is a real prayer warrior, who is continually interceding on my behalf. This time last year I was in Jakarta, Indonesia, on an around-the-world tour, a preaching trip. I left home in October, returned in December, as you recall, and I preached all through Africa, through Indonesia, and my wife gathered a group of ladies, about fifty ladies around the country to pray for me on this trip. And I can’t tell you how many times I was consciously aware, like this message turned out far better than these notes, and people were impacted. I knew it wasn’t me. I knew it was the result of people praying for me. In the last church that I pastored, there were a group of precious older ladies who were widows, and I called it my “widows pew,” and there really were a couple of pews that the ladies sat together, and they were just prayer warriors for me. And they prayed and prayed, and I wouldn’t even have to ask them. They just took it upon themselves to stand in the gap for me and to pray for me. We all need people who are praying for us, and I think sometimes we lose sight of it. We become so self-focused at times that we lose sight of the bigger picture that God is actively at work as a result of prayer. Well, how much more so when God prays for us? And that’s the truth of this passage, that God the Holy Spirit is praying on a constant, continual basis for us as we live our Christian lives. And no one can pray like God because when God prays, His prayers are always answered. And in this case, it is the third Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, who perfectly knows the will of God for each of our lives. And at those times when I do not know really how to pray, the Spirit of God knows how to pray. And if we could only pull back the veil and see what’s on the other side in the throne room of heaven, I am sure that we would be encouraged as well as probably astonished at how it is that our Christian life continues to move forward in the direction that God wants to send it. So, that’s the focus of these two verses. It is the prayers of the third Person of the Trinity to the first Person of the Trinity on our behalf regarding our sanctification and regarding our moving forward in our Christian lives. And this is one reason why no one will ever fall away from grace, and this is one reason why we will never completely just go backwards, because the Spirit of God is praying and His prayers are efficacious for us. So, as we look at these two verses, and they’ve been a little bit of a challenge for me just to know how to outline these, and I like a good outline, this is where I’ve settled on this outline. “No changing now.” Yeah, no changing now. The first thing that I want you to see is “The Involvement of the Spirit.” That’s at the beginning of verse 26, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray.” So, He helps us. The second thing that I want you to notice is “The Intercession of the Spirit.” “But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” And then the third thing that I want you to notice is in verse 27, “The Intelligence of the Spirit,” for “and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is.” So I think you can see that. All right, let’s begin with “The Involvement of the Spirit.” The Spirit is intimately, personally, continually, constantly involved in our spiritual lives and specifically in our sanctification. So in verse 26 Paul begins, “In the same way,” and I want to just hit the pause button for a moment, that’s important because these little four words connect what he’s about to say with what has just preceded. When he says, “In the same way,” this points back to verses 18 to 25. And in verses 18 to 25, as you recall, he talked about the groanings of creation. That was in verses 19 to 22. And he talked about the groaning of believers, that’s in verses 23 to 25. And so now he says, “In the same way,” and he talks about the groanings of the Holy Spirit. So there is lined up here three groanings – the groanings of creation, verses 19 to 22, the groanings of Christians, verses 23 to 25, and now the groanings of the Comforter in verses 26 and 27. So it’s important that we understand this continues the same train of thought. As we are living in the midst of what verse 18 called “the sufferings of this present time,” we live in a fallen world, we live under the curse of sin as a result of Adam’s sin, and God put the curse on the entire planet as well as on the entire human race. And that’s just the reality of the world in which we live and the life that we live. And so as he begins verse 26, he says, “in the same way,” as you are living in the midst of these present sufferings and difficulties and trials and tribulations, he says the Spirit also helps. Now, the Holy Spirit has been the main focus of chapter 8 to this point. And I’ve taken a ballpoint pen and drawn a circle around every time I see in chapter 8 “the Spirit,” just so my eye can see it in my own Bible and just so that you can see it, “the Spirit” is mentioned in verse 2, verse 4, twice in verse 5, verse 6, three times in verse 9, in verse 11, in fact twice in verse 11, verse 13, verse 14, verse 16, verse 23, and now twice in verse 26, and again in verse 27. So, as he says now, “in the same way the Spirit also helps,” he’s not introducing a new subject. The Spirit of God is the primary Agent, capital A, in our sanctification, in our spiritual growth. The Spirit of God indwells us, and the Spirit of God is at work within us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Now he says, “the Spirit also helps.” The word “also” is important because we have been helped by the future glory that is ahead of us, that’s what Paul has been talking about. But he says, well the Spirit also helps, it’s not just what lies before us; it’s who is within us. Let me repeat that, it’s not just what lies before us, but it is who lives within us – the Spirit of God helps. Now I want to pause just for a moment with that word “helps.” I know it’s in your translation. It’s five little letters in English. Just so you’ll know this, when Paul wrote this in koine Greek the word is seventeen letters. So something has been lost a little bit in the translation. And the word “helps” doesn’t quite do it. It’s a stronger word, and it’s actually three words combined together to make a compound word. Now, there is a root word, and there’s two prefixes put at the beginning. And in the Greek language if you want to intensify a word, you frontload a prefix at the beginning. Well, Paul here frontloads two prefixes, so it’s just like “helps” is in bold letters, all caps, yellow highlighted and italicized. I mean, it’s intensified, and the root word means “to lay hold of something,” to like literally grab it in your hands so that you can carry it. And the two prefixes, the first one means “with” or “along with,” and the other prefix means “in the place of.” And when you pull all this together, the idea is the Holy Spirit literally lays hold of us powerfully and pulls us along in the Christian life. So it’s almost like when I go to the airport there’s that moving sidewalk, and I’m doing the walking, but that moving sidewalk is just propelling me forward. And I love the feeling of just passing up everyone else. I just feel better about myself, like I’m getting ahead so I can wait at the gate. So that’s the idea here. We still are involved, very much so, in our own sanctification, but beneath our feet is the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit who literally is laying hold of us and pulling us forward in a very powerful way, in a very strong way. And without this help of the Holy Spirit we would be stationary. We wouldn’t be able to walk in our own strength. You remember Jesus said in John 15 verse 5, “Apart from me you can do,” you remember the next word, “nothing.” That’s a zero with the edges trimmed off, that’s just nothing. But Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things for him who strengthens me,” meaning all things within the will of God. So it is the Spirit of God who helps, but it’s far more than just helps, I mean He literally at times is carrying us forward, He’s propelling us forward, He is blowing wind into our sails, He’s putting octane into our tank. Now this verb “helps,” I want to parse it just for a moment because it brings out the richness of the meaning here. You need to know, first of all, it’s in the present tense, and what that means is constantly, continually, every moment of every day, the Holy Spirit is helping us in our Christian life. This isn’t just a Sunday morning thing and it’s not just a Thursday morning as we come here to the Bible study. It’s going to be…He is going to be with you when you get in the car and you drive back to your office, He’s going to be with you as you face the challenges of the day, He’s going to be with you when you go back home and there are demands upon you with your family or with your friends. He is constantly, continually helping you, always helping you. Second, it’s in the active voice, which means He is dynamically active. He’s not passive; He is active. He’s taking the initiative in our sanctification, and He is dynamically involved in helping us live the Christian life. And this is also in the indicative mood, which means this is just simply a statement of fact. There are no conditions on this, it is a matter of fact, the Spirit of God every moment of every day is helping you live the Christian life. And this is really the fulfillment of Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Well, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father, how is He with us always? He is with us by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who has taken up His royal residence within our heart and soul, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. So, this is His involvement, and now Paul tells us why we need His involvement. He says, the next two words, he says, “For the Spirit also helps our weakness.” Even as believers, even as Christians, we are still woefully weak to live the Christian life. You and I cannot live the Christian life apart from the Holy Spirit who indwells us. We just can’t do it, we’re too weak in and of ourselves. And this word “weak” means “helpless,” “infirmity,” it means “a disability.” I mean, you and I have a significant spiritual disability in and of ourselves to live the Christian life. It is God the Holy Spirit who must do this in us. And please note the word, “our” refers to all believers, every believer. And Paul includes himself in this. Now just think about this, arguably Paul was the greatest Christian who ever lived. If anybody could have lived their Christian life with autopilot on, it would have been the Apostle Paul, and even Paul includes himself in this, with his weakness. Now, what is this weakness? Well first of all, it’s certainly a mental weakness, because he goes on to say here that in the very next…in the middle of verse 26, “we do not know how to pray as we should.” So, you and I have very limited understanding in knowing how to pray for our own lives. Now, we have some general principles and commands that are given us in Scripture, and in Matthew chapter 6 we have the Lord’s Prayer, “Pray then, in these words, ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,'” etc. We have the big, broad brush strokes, but the specifics on how this interfaces with our daily lives, I mean let’s face it, we do not know exactly how to pray. And the Spirit of God, as we will see under the next heading, is constantly, continually pleading with the Father on our behalf for His glory and for our good. So this weakness is, first of all, a mental limitation that we have to know how we should pray, he says that in the middle of verse 26. But also emotionally. Sometimes we become so discouraged and we so lose heart that we just give up praying – it will never happen, and we just look to ourselves to make it happen. And in those times when we are so emotionally discouraged and we lose heart in prayer, the Spirit of God perseveres on our behalf. And then also physically we are weak. I mean, there are times in our Christian lives where it’s as if we’re just too tired to even pray. I mean, we’re just so exhausted from the trial, from the difficulty, it has just sucked the life out of us, and the Spirit of God at those times continues to pray on our behalf. And so, he explains why we need His help. Notice, he says, “the Spirit helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should.” That explains our weakness and why you and I need the Holy Spirit to help us to pray. Now, as we look at this next part of the verse, “for we do not know how to pray,” I just want to draw your attention again to “we.” The “we” refers to you and me, no matter who you are as a believer in Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul again includes himself in this, and I just want you to see this, and I could go all the way back to the beginning of this chapter. But the “we” is identified in verse 19, as “the sons of God.” The “we” is identified in verse 23 as “those who have the adoption as sons.” The “we” in verse 24 is even stronger, the “we” are “those who have been saved.” Do you see that in verse 24? In verse 25, the “we” are “those who have hope for what we do not see.” Well, that’s not an unbeliever. And in verse 27, the “we” is identified as “the saints.” And in verse 28, the “we” is identified as “those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” In verse 29, the “we” is “those whom He foreknew, He predestined.” I mean, we could just continue to layer this out in both directions, the “we” is obviously all believers and only believers. The Holy Spirit is not praying for unbelievers. The Holy Spirit is praying, this is a family business, the Spirit of God is praying for you and me and helping us. This is very personal. He says, “We do not know how to pray as we should.” Now I want to give you two examples from the life of the Apostle Paul when he did not know how to pray. One is in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 7 through 10, when Paul had a thorn in the flesh. And that thorn was not a real thorn like from a rosebush, it’s metaphorical, and it referred to a person who was the ringleader in the church at Corinth who rallied significant opposition against the spiritual leadership of the Apostle Paul. And I know as a pastor, and I know what that feels like to have a posse after you, to have the spiritual Ku Klux Klan after you to hang you by a rope. And it is a thorn in the flesh, it’s more than a thorn in the flesh, it’s a steel girder in the flesh. And Paul prayed not once, not twice, he prayed three times to the Lord to remove the thorn in the flesh. And God said, “No, I’m going to keep the thorn in the flesh in you, because when you are weak, you are trusting me and you are relying upon me more. And it is at that time that my grace is sufficient for you, and you are the strongest when you are weak.” So that’s one example when Paul didn’t know how to pray, he was praying contrary to the will of God. He had no idea. Yet the Spirit of God was helping Paul at that time by pouring out grace into his life and interceding according to the will of God. A second example is in Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. In Philippians 1 and verses 22 and 23, let me just back up to verse 21, he says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” You remember that passage. And then in the next two verses he says, “I really don’t know which way to go. I prefer to go to heaven, but I’m willing to stay behind and minister to you. But I really want to go to heaven,” and we can just hear Paul praying, “Lord, just take me home right now, because it would be far better to be with Christ in glory than to be sitting in this imprisonment in Rome with Roman soldiers chained to me twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.” And Paul a hyperactive, type triple-A male had to sit in that room for two solid years without any relief, without any escape. And God chose not to answer that prayer for Paul to come home early but to stay right there on the earth and to preach the Word of God. So, it’s in our weakness that we don’t know how to pray, and there are so many times in our Christian lives that we come to certain intersections in life and we’re pulled in different directions, we need the Spirit’s help to know how to pray. So be encouraged, you have someone who is at work in your life in a powerful way, constantly helping you live your Christian life in a victorious way. Now, this leads us to second, not only the involvement of the Spirit, and that’s in a general way, now more specifically, “The Intercession of the Spirit.” And beginning in the middle, really towards the end of verse 26, he says, “but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Now, we want this to say exactly what it says – the Holy Spirit Himself personally, individually, directly intercedes for us. Now “to intercede” means that you plead someone else’s case on their behalf before a superior. You stand in the gap, and you plead the case for someone who is so weak that they cannot even plead their own case, and they don’t know how to plead their own case. That person would represent you before the higher authority and to intercede on your behalf and in your best interest and to petition the higher authority for your good. That is what this is saying, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. And I want to bring this to your attention, “intercedes” is in the present tense. That’s how it’s translated in your English translation, which means He’s continually and constantly interceding for you on a daily basis, always representing you before the Father. Now, you need to know you have not one, but you have two divine Intercessors. Not only is the Holy Spirit interceding on your behalf to the Father, but God the Son is interceding on your behalf with the Father. You have two attorneys who have never lost a case, pleading on your behalf to the Father, who loves you. Now, I want to draw to your attention the intercession of God the Son. And in this very chapter, in verse 34, I want you to see in Romans 8 verse 34, “Jesus…” excuse me, “Christ Jesus is the one who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Do you see that? One reason why you will never be lost once you’re saved is God the Son is at the right hand of the Father, and He is pleading His righteousness on your behalf with the Father. And even when Satan, who is the accuser of the brethren, accuses you of sin like he did Job in Job chapters 1 and 2, you have an advocate at the right hand of God the Father, 1 John 2:1-2, who is representing you and keeping you in the grace of God. You can never fall away because of your representation at the right hand of God the Father. But it’s not just that you have a divine Intercessor in heaven, you also have a divine intercessor in you. You have One in heaven and One on the earth. And the One who is on the earth is indwelling you, and that is God the Holy Spirit. Let me take you to one more passage, as we think about just the intercession of God the Son, in Hebrews chapter 7 and in verse 25, but I think I may begin reading in verse 23. Hebrews 7 beginning in verse 23, but my eye is on verse 25, “The former priests,” referring to those under the old covenant in the Old Testament, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing. So the priests kept dying off century by century, generation by generation. So, there had to be new priests to come out of the tribe of Levi, so there was just an army of priests that was representing the people of God before the throne of God. That’s what a priest did. A priest represented the people of God before the throne of God. A prophet did the opposite, he represented God before the people, bringing the Word of God to the people. The priest did the other, the priest represented the interests of the people before God in prayer by making sacrifice. So verse 24, “but Jesus,” so you know this is heading in the right direction, “but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continually lives, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” This is tremendous! Jesus ever lives at the right hand of God the Father, and He is interceding on your behalf with the Father, refuting and rebutting all accusations that would be hurled against you by the accuser of the brethren. So, and it’s important for us also to note at this point that Jesus only intercedes for those whom the Father gave to Him before the foundation of the world. In John 17 verse 9, Jesus says very bluntly, “I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You gave Me.” So Jesus is making intercession only for the elect. He is not interceding for the non-elect. He is only interceding for the elect at the right hand of God the Father. And this is yet another reason why I personally believe that Jesus died only for the elect, that He laid down His life for those who were chosen by the Father before time began. His intercession upon the cross and His intercession at the right hand of the Father is for the very same group. Those for whom He is interceding right now at the right hand of the Father is the same group for whom He interceded when He hung upon the cross and died for the sins of His people. So John 17:9 is a very clear text, “I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me.” That’s why it is sometimes referred to as a “definite atonement.” It was for a very definite group of people that Jesus interceded upon the cross. And so there is a glorious triumph. No one for whom Christ died will ever perish, no one for whom Christ died will ever be subjected to the final judgment at the Great White Throne judgment and cast down into hell. If Christ has died for you, then Christ has saved you, and it is only this understanding that allows someone to sing the hymn “Jesus saves, Jesus saves,” because He actually saved, not hypothetically, potentially saved, depending upon what you do. No, He actually saved at the cross. So, I’m just making a theological point here with you. Those for whom He interceded on the cross is the same group for whom He intercedes at the right hand of the Father as He is praying and pleading the merit of His sinless life and substitutionary death. Now, I know that what I just said is a lot for you to take in, and you may not be at that point. And I understand that, but the more you study your Bible the more it becomes more clear or clearer that Christ, His intercession, is only for us. It is only for the “we” as we find in this passage. Now, the Spirit of God is also interceding for the very same group, otherwise there would be a fracture in the Godhead. There would be a severe division within the Trinity. It is only with this understanding that those whom the Father chose are those for whom the Son is interceding, are those for whom the Spirit is interceding. Therefore, all three persons of the Godhead are pulling in the same direction, saving and interceding on behalf of the same group. Otherwise, you have the Father doing His own thing, you have the Son doing His own things trying to save a different group, and you have the Holy Spirit doing His own thing trying to save yet a different group, if you follow the logic of that. And so, you would have the Father choosing the elect to save, but then the Son dying for everybody, but then the Spirit working with a group halfway in-between everybody and the elect, just trying to woo people to Christ. No, that’s not how the Godhead works, the Trinity works. There is an indivisible unity and economy of effort and mission and purpose within the Trinity. That is why Jesus said in John 10 verse 30, “I and the Father are one.” It doesn’t mean one person – that means one purpose, one mission, one direction, one aim, one goal. The Father and the Son are one, and we can add, and yes, the Spirit is one as well. So, come back to the book of Romans. I hope I didn’t lose you on all that, the good news is the Spirit is praying for you, okay? Whatever slipped through the cracks with me, He’s got your safety net covered, and it shall be revealed to you. Okay now, we’re still in verse 26, “but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Now, what we need to understand from this is several things. Number one, the Spirit of God is not a stoic, He is not an emotionless being. The Spirit of God has deep feelings and deep affections toward us and toward the Father and the Son. That’s why it says in Ephesians 4, I think, its verse 30, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” That’s another emotion of the Spirit. And what we learn here, just even with the groanings of the Spirit, and by the way, “groanings” is in the plural which speaks to the intensity of these groanings. It’s not just “groaning” singular; it’s the idea of the abundance, overflowing, deep groanings. What we learn here, and this is very important for me to say, is that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an “it.” The Holy Spirit bears all the marks and characteristics of personality and personhood. And let me just give you three key categories, and whenever you teach the Scripture and whenever you preach the Scripture, you’re to always be pulling the doctrine, the theology out of that text, and that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re just pulling the doctrine out of this text. The Spirit of God has a mind, He has intelligence. We know that in the next verse, when he talks about “the mind of the Spirit,” you see that in verse 27? An object does not have a mind, a rock does not have a mind, a tree does not have a mind, this microphone does not have a mind. Only a person has a mind, but also emotions, and we see here one of the emotions of the Holy Spirit as He groans deeply, as He prays for us, and it drives me crazy when I hear someone say, they’re praying for me or someone else, they go, “Yeah, I’ll blow up some smoke for you,” you know, like this is such a casual thing. That’s not how the Spirit of God prays for us. He prays with intensity, and He prays with urgency, and with deep emotions, pleading, and urging the Father as He prays. And the Spirit of God also has a will, He has volition. And 1 Corinthians 12 verse 11 talks about the freedom of the will of the Holy Spirit. Now, let me just give you a footnote under this footnote, the Spirit of God does what only a person can do. The Spirit of God teaches, John 14:26, the Spirit of God guides, Romans 8 verse 14, the Spirit of God commands, Acts 8:29, the Spirit of God speaks, John 15:26, the Spirit of God commissions, Acts 13 verse 4, the Spirit of God restrains, Genesis 6 verse 3, the Spirit of God moves in creation, Genesis 1 verse 2. I’m just going to stop here, but this list can just keep going. The point has been made. Do not think of the Holy Spirit as a force or as a power, He is a person who has power and possesses the force of might, but He nevertheless is a person. You can only grieve a person and, by the way, you can only grieve someone who loves you, and the Spirit of God here groans as He prays for us. And the groaning is appropriate because when you bear someone’s burden, you groan. When you carry a heavy load, you groan. If you were to pick up a heavy box for your wife and carry that up the stairs, I mean you might be groaning because of the heavy load, and the Spirit of God actually feels the burden…the burdens in our life. I mean, Jesus does. Hebrews 4:14 through 16 says, He’s a sympathetic High Priest. He has lived in this world, and He’s been in our skin, and He knows by experience, He feels for us, not just cognitively, but experientially. And the Spirit of God is also groaning as He prays for us. He says at the end of verse 26, “with groans too deep for words.” Now, “too deep for words” is just one word in the Greek language and it comes into our English translation as these four words, and it just simply means “unspeakable,” it just simply means “speechless.” But it does not mean “meaningless.” It does not mean “unintelligent.” And the reason the Spirit does not even have to speak is because the Father knows the mind of the Spirit. We have that in the next verse, because the Spirit intimately, perfectly knows the mind of the Spirit. The Spirit does not even have to utter words in prayer on our behalf. The Father, we would say, just reads the mind of the Spirit and knows the mind of the Spirit as the Spirit is thinking the very intercessions on our behalf. Not all communication is done with words. Our wives communicate with us very well without saying a word. In our house we call it “the look,” and my wife communicates multiple volumes of tomes with just the look, the countenance, the body posture, the eyes. Well, the Spirit of God communicates with the Father without even having to speak the words, because the Father intimately and perfectly knows the mind of the Spirit. Remember, the Father has never learned anything. How could the Father ever learn anything? He’s omniscient, He knows everything just like the Holy Spirit knows everything, and just like God the Son knows everything. And so, in this intercession by the Spirit to the Father, the Father knows immediately what the Spirit is thinking. He knows perfectly, He knows comprehensively what the Spirit is thinking on our behalf as the Spirit intercedes silently, yet deeply with deep groans on our behalf. And an example of that might even be sometimes when we pray together, as I’m passionate in praying and I’ll have some other men with me before I go out into the sanctuary to preach, some of the other men will just groan, and they just “hmm,” and there is a deep groan as you identify with what is being prayed. Now that doesn’t mean that it’s any more spiritual or any less spiritual, but there is often just a silent without words even being spoken, “I’m joining with you in this intercession to the Father,” that arises out of the depths of my heart as well. So, you and I should be greatly encouraged to know that God the Son is at the right hand of the Father praying for us right now, and all of His prayers are being answered. And God the Holy Spirit is praying from within us to the Father, and all of His prayers are being answered. And when we meet in two weeks, we’re going to see how this is inseparably connected to Romans 8:28, because Romans 8:28 begins with the word “and,” which continues the train of thought of what we’re looking at in this session, the reason why all things work together for good is because the Spirit is praying for us. And even in our trials and adversity, and even when we sin, the Spirit of God is nevertheless praying on our behalf that God will bring glory to Himself and will be bring good to our lives out of the milieu of the confusion and the chaos of where we find ourselves. The reason verse 28 comes to fruition is because the Spirit of God is praying for us in ways that we don’t even know how to pray as we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, as we find ourselves at the end of ourselves, when we find ourselves in the darkest hour of the trial, the Spirit of God is praying on our behalf, and God is hearing that prayer, and the Father is answering that prayer, and the Father is causing all things to work together for our good because the Spirit knows exactly how to pray for us even when we do not. Now, let’s just quickly look at verse 27 and I’ll wrap this up, because I don’t want to have to rebuild this house one more time. In verse 27, very quickly, I want you to see “The Intelligence of the Spirit.” The Spirit is absolutely brilliant! The Spirit is omniscient, He knows everything. The Spirit is all-wise, He not only knows the highest end, but He knows the best means to accomplish that highest end. The Spirit of God is perfectly genius. So please note verse 27, “and He,” the He refers to God the Father, the One with whom He is making intercession. “And He who searches the hearts,” those hearts refer to our hearts, our thoughts, our desires, our ambitions. “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,” He knows what the Spirit is praying for us, with words that are not even being spoken. That’s how intimate the Trinity is. That’s how personal the interrelationships are within the Godhead, that words do not even have to be spoken. They know each other perfectly. Not only do they know everything in the universe perfectly, they know everything within the Trinity perfectly. And so God the Father searches our hearts and knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints, and the “He” refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints, and again that’s all of us, “according to the will of the Father.” That tells us every prayer that the Spirit offers on our behalf is perfectly on target. It is according to the will of the Father, according to the perfect plan of God for the life of every believer, it is always in perfect agreement with the will of God and never contrary to the will of God. There’s never the will of God is going in this direction, but the Spirit of God is praying in the opposite direction. No, they are one of mind, one of heart, one of will, one of purpose, one of mission. This is absolutely extraordinary. This is like what John Piper says, “God’s doing a thousand things in your life and you’re only aware of two of those.” There’s another nine hundred and ninety-eight things going on in the invisible world of the Spirit around you and in the invisible world of heaven on the other side of the veil, things of which we are totally unaware. That it is, how it is, that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are keeping our faith strong, are keeping us pointed and directed in the right path and even when we stray and we bear the responsibility of all of our stumbles and falls, the Spirit of God is still praying that God will cause all things, even when we trip and fall, to work together for our good because we are those who love God and have been sovereignly called according to His purpose. And that highest good, just to get a little bit ahead of myself, is in the middle of verse 29, it is “to conform us into the image of His Son.” And God is using good times and bad times, He is using prosperity and adversity, He is using everything that is taking place in our lives in one way or another to humble us, to reshape us, and to remold us and reconfigure us into the image of God’s Son. And it is towards that that the Spirit of God is pleading and praying, “Father, make them more like the Son. Conform them more into the image of the Son. Remove from them that which is not in conformity with the Son, and solidify yet deeper that which reflects the life, the character, the ministry, the words, the teaching of the Son of God.” No one has ever prayed for you like the Holy Spirit. No one has ever pleaded with the Father more on target and with deeper groanings and passion than the Holy Spirit. Even as He’s praying during this study that your eyes would be opened and that your mind would be renewed, that you would have an increased understanding of something, yet more, of what He, the Holy Spirit is doing in your life even when you are not thinking about it, and even when you are not consciously aware.

Looking Forward with Hope – Romans 8:23-25

OnePassion Ministries November 8, 2018

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As you know, we are in the book of Romans, and as I look around the table, everybody’s got their Bible open to the book of Romans. And we are in Romans chapter 8, which is many believe the greatest chapter in the entire Bible, so it’s a perfect place for us to be. Just so you’ll know, we’ve been going verse by verse through the book of Romans. And you may ask, “So, why do you go verse by verse through a book in the Bible?” And the answer is that’s how God wrote it. He didn’t give us a topical index. He didn’t give us a dictionary or an encyclopedia arranged by subject matter. He gave us books. In fact, God did not even give us individual verses. He gave us books that now contain verses, and it was a very long time, many centuries, until they then began to put numbers on the verses. Originally, it was just one long book without any chapter divisions and without any verse divisions. And so, because God has given it to us in books, we for the most part study it in books, and it draws great emphasis to the context. So, we are in Romans 8 and beginning in verse 23 and we’ve been moving verse by verse through this whole book. Dewey, good to see you, alright. Glad you’re here. I’ll tell you later what he said, Dewey. So, I want to begin reading in verse 23. We’re going to look at verses 23 to 25, and we’re in the larger section that’s on sanctification. And sanctification is our progressive growth into Christlikeness. It is the process by which we are becoming less and less like the world and less and less like we once were and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. So, this chapter is in the middle of the section on sanctification. Here’s how verse 23 begins: “And not only this, but also we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved. But hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Now, these verses will require some explanation and some sorting out, but there is a lot of truth in here that we really need for our lives. The key word is the word “hope.” It’s mentioned four times in verse 24 and mentioned once in verse 25. That’s a total of five times the word “hope.” And whenever we come to a passage, we really want to put our finger on the live nerve of a passage, the dominant thrust, the main idea of the passage. And the big idea is on “hope,” as you can see there in your Bible, and it’s the hope that we have as believers in Jesus Christ. Hope is always future oriented. It’s a hope for the future. And we use the word “hope” in a way that the Bible does not use the word “hope.” When we use the word “hope,” it’s usually like, “Well, we hope Baylor wins the football game.” Yeah, and it’s wishful thinking, right, about the future? But when the Bible uses the word “hope,” it means a certainty about the future. It means a confident expectation about the future. In fact, in Titus 2 in verse 13, it talks about the second coming as “the blessed hope.” Well, be assured that’s not wishful thinking. I mean that day is marked on God’s calendar, and Jesus is coming back at the appointed time, and it’s “the blessed hope.” Well, as we look at this passage, we’re going to be looking at the hope that we have in the midst of living in this fallen world. And in this fallen world, we are surrounded by all kinds of suffering, and a lot of it in our own personal experience. Broken relationships, disappointments, people who break their promise, broken words, death of parents, ill health, disease, financial hardship, emotional trauma, discouragement, etc. That’s the world in which we live. And as we live in the midst of this fallen world, we have to have a hope about the future, and that hope has to be so strong that it becomes an anchor for us as we live in this world that we’re not sinking in the midst of the sea of trials and tribulations, that we have an anchor for our soul. And it is the hope that we have for the future, that this present world in which we live is just a bleep on God’s screen, it’s just a momentary time that we’re here in comparison to eternity. And we have such a glorious future that is ahead of us that verse 18 says that “the sufferings of this present time are not even worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” So, we must live with hope, and that’s what these verses are about.  Now, this is not the first time that Paul has brought up the subject of hope. And as you have your Bible open, I want you to turn back to the first time “hope” is mentioned in chapter 4 and verse 18, and we’re going to get a running start at Paul’s emphasis on hope. And so, verse 18 starts with a very unusual statement. It says, “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become the father of many nations.” And here’s what was going on here. Abraham was ninety-nine years old, and Sarah’s not getting any younger. And God says to Abraham, “You’re going to be the father of many nations,” meaning, “There’s going to be offspring that’s going to come from you.” So, as he looks at himself, he doesn’t have much hope because he understands, as this verse will say, he’s dead. But God said, “It’s going to come to pass,” and so when he says, “Hope against hope,” what he is saying is the hope that he has in himself is just dismal but the hope that he has in God is glorious. And so, that’s what the meaning here of “hope against hope,” and that’s where we live. I mean, we live in the midst of impossible circumstances, difficult situations. And in the midst of this, we have the true hope that there is future glory that awaits us. And so, it speaks to the future orientation with which we must live our present lives. And our tendency is to become so tied down to the present we lose sight of the glory of the future. And, you know, we have heard the old saying, “He’s so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly good.” Well, I haven’t met that guy yet because I haven’t met someone who’s too heavenly minded. The fact of the matter is we are no earthly good until we are heavenly minded. And in Colossians 3:4, Paul says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth.” So, we need to be more heavenly minded as we live here in this world, and our tendency is to become so worldly minded and so earthly minded that we don’t even think about going to heaven. I mean, we think more about going to Europe than we think about going to heaven. So, Paul is calling us here to live our Christian lives with a strong hope of future glory, and it will stabilize us, and it will solidify our faith in the midst of our present suffering and difficulties with which we live. And then, in chapter 5 and in verse 2, he says, “We exult in hope of the glory of God.” And what that means is now that we are justified by faith, as verse 1 says of chapter 5, now that we are justified by faith, we have hope in the glory of God. There is no believer who does not have hope in the glory of God. That’s a part of saving faith. And hope in the glory of God means that one day we will be in the presence of the glory of God. And we ourselves will be glorified, and we will be in the immediate presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And he says, “We exult in hope of the glory of God.” And it’s what pulls us through. You’ll note verse 3 of chapter 5, “knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance proven character, and proven character,” please note at the end of verse 4, “hope.” He repeats it again at the beginning of verse 5, “hope does not disappoint.” So, hope is a big-ticket item with the Apostle Paul as we live our Christian lives. And without hope, we just can’t live the Christian life. Someone has well said, “A man can live forty days without food. He can live eight days without water. He can live eight minutes without air, but not one second without hope. We have to have hope every moment of every day or we just go into a sinking spell. That’s why people become depressed. They lose all sense of hope. So, Paul is saying here in chapter 5, in the midst of our tribulation, in the mist of our present difficulty, we must exult in hope. And the word “exult” means there is an element of positive joy and excitement. It’s the opposite of just being in a blue funk. So, hope is very important in the Christian life. And just to keep this going, look at Romans 12 verse 12 as Paul gets into the nitty-gritty of the Christian life in Romans chapter 12. And we’ll be there in a couple of years. So, just to give you hope. Okay, just to give you hope. So, Romans 12 verse 12. He says we’re to be rejoicing in hope. We have every reason to rejoice because of what awaits us on the other side of the veil. And then if you will come to Romans 15 and verse 13, I just want you to see how Paul is weaving this thread of hope through the book of Romans. And in Romans 15 and in verse 13, this is a great text and it’s really in the form of a doxology, “Now, may the God of hope.” And what that means is all of our hope is in God. I mean, it’s not even so much in heaven; it’s the God who is in heaven. I mean our hope is not in streets of gold and gates of pearl. Our hope is in God who dwells in the new Jerusalem. So, verse 13, “Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” So, hope isn’t something that we just work up in and of ourselves. It’s the Holy Spirit working, releasing His power in us, as we find ourselves in difficult situations and facing trials and tribulations. It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit that hope grows strong in our heart. And it’s the hope of God, which means it’s a hope that comes from God. It’s almost like a fruit of the Spirit though it’s not listed there in Galatians 5:22 and 23. Nevertheless, it’s a hope that comes from God and it’s a hope that is in God. And when we have this hope in God, verse 13 says that joy and peace flood our hearts. So, if we lose sight of this hope, we forfeit joy and we relinquish peace, but as long as we have hope, our joy level rises and our peace is made strong and stable in our hearts. So, people in life and even some believers who are tossed back and forth, the victim of their circumstances, it’s because they’ve lost sight of their hope that they have in the Lord, which is far greater than this relatively small storm in which they find themselves. So, all of that is just to orient us into these verses that talk about hope, which is something very important to the Apostle Paul for our Christian lives. So, it should be obvious we all must have a strong hope in future glory. So, I want you to note now beginning in verse 23 that we groan inwardly in hope.  We groan inwardly in hope. Paul writes, “And not only this.” Now, that’s a bridge statement. When he says, “And not only this,” he’s extending from what he just previously said, okay, and in verses 19 to 22, remember we always study the Bible in context, what immediately preceded. And he’s just talked about how all creation is groaning because creation, the earth, has been put under the curse of God. And so, it’s growing with thorns and thistles, and man must now work by the sweat of his brow. So, not only this, not only does creation groan because it’s been put under the curse, what he’s going to tell us now is we too groan because we had been made subject to the curse that God put on this world as a result of Adam’s sin. So, notice verse 23, “And not only this, but also we.” Let’s just pause for a moment. The “we” refers to believers only. The world is not groaning like we are groaning because the world has no future hope. The world has no hope of future glory. So, the “we” refers only to us, those of us who know the Lord. And he says, “having the first fruits of the Spirit.” Now, the first fruits of the Spirit, what this simply means is it’s playing off of Leviticus 23, 9 through 14. It’s playing off of Deuteronomy 18 verse 4. In the Old Testament, when it was harvesttime and the crop began to come in, they were to go out into the field and they were to gather the first fruits of that harvest, just grab big armful. And they were then to take it to the house and they were to offer it to God. And it was emblematic that “God, this entire harvest has come from You. In Your goodness, You have sent the rain. You have caused the seed to grow. You have brought forth this harvest. God, this is all from You, and we sacrifice it to You.” And it is also with the belief that the whole rest of the field is going to come in, that the rest of the harvest will come in. So, what this is saying is that the moment you and I were regenerated and converted, God put the first fruit of the harvest inside of us. Rather than us giving first fruits to God, in this situation, God gives the first fruits to us. And it’s just a part of the goodness of God who lavishes His grace upon us. And what the first fruit of the Spirit is, it’s the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit inside of us. So, God has moved into our lives. And it’s the first fruit in this sense, there is a whole lot more yet to come. There is future glory yet to come. And this is also used in Ephesians 1:13 and 14 as a down payment, like if you make an offer to purchase some real estate, you have to put a down payment down to signify your good intentions. And it’s an indication there’s a future payment coming to complete the transaction. And so, God puts the Holy Spirit inside of us to signify God’s good intentions, to bring us all the way to glory. And so, here’s just the down payment. It’s the Holy Spirit who is indwelling us and living inside of us and enabling us to live a supernatural life in this world. So, also please note that “fruits” is in the plural and it really speaks of the fullness of the Spirit, the all-sufficient ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives who is greater than any need we will ever face. He is the Comforter whom Jesus Christ has sent into this world to come alongside of us, to encourage us, to comfort us, to convict us, to guide us, to direct us, to stabilize us, to mature us, to bear fruit in us; all of the many facets of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is really indicated just even in the use of the plural here, the abundance of the fullness of the Spirit’s ministries, plural, in our lives right now. And Romans 8 has been all about the Holy Spirit. Let me just take one moment to remind you, beginning in verse 2 of this chapter, “The law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. Verse 4, “We walk now according to the Spirit who enables us to meet the requirements of the law.” The mere fact that we can obey the Word of God is the result of the work of the Spirit within us. You remember Philippians 2, verse 13, “For it is God who is at work within you both to will and to work for His good pleasure?” That’s by the Holy Spirit working in us, enabling us to pursue obedience to the Word of God. And in verse 5, “Those who are according to the Spirit set their mind on the things of the Spirit.” It’s the Spirit of God who is causing you to be so kingdom-of-God oriented, to be so seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit inside of you. And I don’t have time to go through every single mention of the Holy Spirit, but just so you will know, He’s mentioned here in Romans 8 also in verse 6, verse 9, verse 11, verse 13, and verse 16. And so, this really is all about the ministry of the Holy Spirit inside of us as a believer. So, come back come back to verse 23. I was just giving you the larger context. So, “And not only this, but we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves.” Now, what this is saying is that while we are here there is a deep sighing, a longing for this future glory. And the more our trials and tribulations squeeze us as we go through the valley of the shadow of death, as we go through difficult times, and let me just tell everyone in this room, that’s par for the course. None of us get a free pass on trials and tribulations. It’s a part of Christian living, and it’s a part of God growing us up and maturing us. And in the midst of that, it also serves the purpose to cause us to long for another world. It weans us off of this world, and it prepares us for the world to come, and it creates this groaning on the inside. I mean, haven’t you said sometimes, “O Lord, just come back right now! You know, I don’t want to go to the dentist tomorrow, you know, just come back right now and take me home.” In real trials, that’s what this groaning is. And it’s really for us to be released from living in this world, this fallen world that’s under the curse of God, that’s subject to death and all kinds of difficulties. Let me just say this before we move on. This is Christianity 101. This is ordinary Christian living that as we live in this world there is this groaning within us. And some people who claim to be Christians, who sit under what I’m going to call a “prosperity gospel,” which is no true gospel, they just want to remove all of the suffering and all of the trials and tribulations, and I’m not happy about it either, but I know that God has a wise purpose and design for it. And this is where we live. This is ordinary Christian living. So, you need to be groaning for the world to come and not become too comfortable here in this world, but be groaning for future glory, setting your mind on things above and not on things of the earth. Now, let’s just keep going here. In verse 23, not only have we seen that we groan inwardly in hope, but secondly, we wait eagerly in hope. So, at the end of verse 23, he says, “waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” So, while we are groaning, we are to be waiting eagerly for the future glory. And the idea of waiting eagerly is there is a great expectation. We’re not dragging our feet to heaven. I mean, there is an understanding that the best is yet to come. And I’m waiting eagerly with anticipation and expectation for what awaits me on the other side. And he says, “Waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons.” And you may say, “Now, wait a minute, Paul’s already told us in verse 15, that we’ve received a Spirit of adoption as sons. We’ve already been adopted.” And the answer is “Yes, that is true. It’s just you didn’t get it all when you entered the family.” There’s still yet a future inheritance that awaits you. You just got the down payment. All you have is the forgiveness of sin, being clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit as the initial release of a small portion of your inheritance. But the vast wealth of the estate of the fullness of God’s grace is in another world. It’s in another land. And it will come when we realize the fullness of our adoption as sons. And it will come when, at the end of verse 23 says, “the redemption of our body.” That’s talking about the resurrection at the end of the age when we receive our glorified body. So, this gives us some understanding right now that as we live our Christian lives, we have a redeemed soul inside of an unredeemed body. We have a redeemed soul inside of an unredeemed body, and this unredeemed body is subject to decay and death. It’s subject to the flesh and the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and it will not be until our body is redeemed that the entirety of us is redeemed. Now, the good news is our soul is redeemed, and that’s the real you, but we’re not fully redeemed in that sense. And so, as John Stott says in his commentary, “We’re just half saved right now.” Now, we’re fully saved as far as our standing before God. I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding about that. I’ll just remind you of verse 1, “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But it’s got to be better than what we’re presently experiencing, and it will be when we enter into the redemption of our body. And in that day, everything about us will be redeemed, not just our soul, but even this earthen house that we live in with all of its pain, with all of its susceptibility to suffering, with all of its decaying, with all of its weariness in this world. There’s coming a day when we will even have the redemption of our bodies. And in that day, there will no longer be any sorrow or any suffering, no longer any death. And we will have a glorified body, glorified eyes that we can look upon the Lord, and glorified tongue to praise Him forever, glorified ears to truly hear what He’s saying, glorified shoulders and arms to serve Him, glorified feet to run to Him. So, we need the redemption of our body. I know in my heart there’s so much more I want to do for the Lord, but I’m held back by my body. I mean my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. I landed last night at 9:15. I’m going straight to the airport. I’m going to Philadelphia. Somebody will drive me for two hours to Lancaster. I mean, I wish my body could just let me do more for the Lord. I’m sure you feel the same way. But there’s coming a day when our bodies will be redeemed, and we will be freed up to worship the Lord and serve the Lord without any hindrance whatsoever. So, that’s why Paul says, “We are waiting eagerly for that time.” So, men, we’ve got to be waiting, sitting on ready, standing on tiptoes, anticipating that day when Christ will come back and bring the end of the age to consummation, and our bodies will be redeemed even. So, that’s what Paul wants us to focus on. I need to keep moving here. It’s hard not to stop at some of these. And in verse 24 now, I want you to see third, “We believed confidently in hope.” Now, I put “believed” in the past tense because we believed in the past when we were converted to Christ. So, notice what he says in verse 24, “For in hope, we have been saved.” The moment that we put our trust in Jesus Christ, that’s when we were saved in the sense of justification, and the beginning of sanctification, and that was in hope, and the hope was in future glory, that the moment we were converted in saving faith is an element of hope that our soul now is heaven bound and that we will see the Lord one day. You remember when Jesus was hanging on the cross, and he had two thieves on both sides, and the one thief said, “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom”? And Jesus said, “Truly I say to you,” Luke 23:43, “today you will be with Me in paradise.” That he was saved in hope, that that very day he would open his eyes in the presence of the Lord in paradise in heaven. That’s what hope we had as well. Now, it may not have been as clearly defined what all that really meant and was, but there was a sense that when I entrusted my soul to Christ that it would lead me one day to where He has gone, in paradise in heaven. It was something bigger than just my life in this world. It had eternal ramifications. It had a heavenly hope with it. That’s a part of every believer’s faith that we have this hope. We have been saved in hope, and it will grow stronger and stronger and you may wonder what it’ll be like when you’re on your deathbed. I want you to know that hope will grow even stronger when you’re on your deathbed because you’ve been saved in hope, and you believe that what awaits you on the other side is the Lord Himself who will receive you into His presence. And there, you will enter in to an existence with a redeemed body and to be with Him forever and ever and ever. So, that’s what Paul is saying, “We believed confidently in hope.” That’s how we started the Christian life. This hope didn’t start five years after we were converted when we heard a sermon about heaven. This hope began the moment we were saved. And then he goes on to explain a little bit about what “hope” is in verse 24. He says, “But hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he’s already seen?” So, he’s reminding us that all true hope is in what we cannot see. If we could see it, it wouldn’t be hope. If we could see it, it would be a present reality. So again, he’s wanting to emphasize that we walk by faith, and we live in hope of what awaits us on the other side. And we began the Christian life this way. And it will only continue to grow stronger. So, you and I hope for what we presently cannot see, and it is a confident assurance. Now, verse 25, number 4, “We persevere patiently in hope.” Verse 25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not see,” and that really could be rendered, “Since we hope for what we do not see,” “with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Your translation may say “patiently.” The ESV says, “patiently.” I really like “perseverance” here. It’s a Greek word. I’m going to pronounce it only so I can kind of break it open, hupomone. Mone carries the idea of “to abide.” Hupo means “under” like a hypodermic needle goes under the skin. Hupomone means to “abide under great difficulty.” It’s the idea to hang in there, to endure difficulty, to persevere in your Christian life in the face of much suffering that’s thrown in your face, much disappointment. As believers, we do not collapse like the world collapses. We have a hope that is so strong and is so bright and is so powerful within us that it enables us to persevere and not throw in the towel and to remain steadfast in the will of God and in the work of God. That’s how strong this hope is, and this is why in order to be any earthly good we must be heavenly minded. And so, Paul concludes this little small section that “Since we hope for what we do not see, we can eagerly wait for it.” The “it” refers to the redemption of our body. The “it” refers to the fullness of our adoption as sons. The “it” refers to our entering into the presence of God one day with a redeemed body and a redeemed soul. Because of this hope, we can wait eagerly right now with much perseverance, and it is an anchor for our soul. So, Paul says that we must live with hope and this hope must be growing stronger and stronger. The darker the night, the brighter the star. The darker the trial, the brighter the hope. And God allows dark times so that our hope will shine even brighter to cause us to long for another world, to long to live in another land, where our true citizenship is, which is in heaven, and to be laying up treasure in heaven where thieves do not break in and steal, to not be laying up treasure here upon the earth but to lay up treasure in heaven where rust does not corrupt and where moths do not eat away. So men, as we live our life today here in just a few minutes as we kind of break the huddle and go run the play, there’s going to be a lot of things waiting for you at the office. There’s going to be a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails. There’s going to be a lot waiting for you at home, and there may be some difficulties and challenges. You may have a doctor’s appointment. Who knows what awaits? We must maintain this strong hope in the Lord that God has the end of the story written and that it is just right around the corner. How do we maintain this hope? Well, we have to keep our eyes on the Lord and we have to set our mind on things above, and we have to be careful not to become so earthly minded that our hope diminishes in the sense as it begins to flicker and it grows weak and dim. But the more we long for the world to come, the more we set our mind on future glory, that hope grows stronger and stronger. Mature Christians, mature believers have a strong hope, and so we just need to keep that hope strong.

The Groaning and the Glory, Part 2 – Romans 8:19-22

OnePassion Ministries October 18, 2018

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And we’re going to be looking at verses 19 through 22, but I want to begin reading in verse 18, which is where we were last week. And last time, just to remind you, we put a title on this “The Groaning and The Glory,” and we were unable to get through it, and so this is like part two for “The Groaning and The Glory.” We could call it “From Groaning to Glory,” either way you like it, and this is the way life works. So, I want to begin by reading, starting in verse 18, but we’re going to be looking at verses 19 through 22. But let’s get the running start here. Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” We’ll stop right there. Anytime we look at a passage of Scripture, we want to put our finger on what’s the live nerve in this text, what’s the main idea, what’s the big idea of this passage, because we want to major on majors and build out from there. And so, it should be fairly obvious to us what this passage is about, because in verse 18 he talks about sufferings. And that carries forward from the previous verse, verse 17, where he says, “we suffer with Him.” And this is talking about our present suffering in this world, and that is a reality for each and every one of us. Whether you’re a believer or an unbeliever, there is suffering in this world. And whether God has caused it or whether God has allowed it, God nevertheless controls it, and it’s a part of daily Christian living. And you and I basically, well this is going to be an overstatement, but I’ll go ahead and say it, we would be rather worthless if it was just all prosperity, if it was just all good times, if it was just all, “Everything is just falling into place, and I don’t have any problems, I don’t have any troubles.” We would never pray, we would never long for heaven, we would be so settled down in this world that we would think that this world is our home. And so God, in His infinite wisdom, mixes in with good times, difficult times. And He has a very wise pattern and purpose in this. And it is to cause us to be humble. We would be so stinking arrogant if it was just…we’re just cruising through this world. We would think that we’re the reason that all these good things have happened. And so to keep us humble, God brings adversity and trials and tribulations. And as I’ve already said, in order to ground us to the altar of God in prayer, to cause us to walk by faith and not by sight, to prune things out of our lives that are un-Christlike, God uses our trials and tribulations to purge us of worldliness and things that are not honoring to the Lord. And it also helps us identify with other people who are hurting so that we can minister to them. It’s always been amazing to me that when I go through difficulty, the people who rally around me to encourage me are people who have gone through a very similar trial. I remember when our last son was born, he was born with SIDS and with many difficulties, and I remember he turned blue, we had to rush him to the hospital, he had stopped breathing. The people who came up to the hospital and were in that waiting room with me were people who had gone through basically the very same thing. God strategically brings trials into our lives so that tomorrow you can have an outreach to other people and so you can get in that foxhole with them and identify with them and connect with them. So, God’s doing…I agree with John Piper, God’s doing a thousand things in your life right now, you’re only aware of about two of them, and there’s another nine hundred and ninety-eight things God’s doing in your life that you and I are just oblivious to. God has this whole thing wired in our Christian life and has networked every step of providence. And I agree with R.C. Sproul, there’s not a maverick molecule in the universe. Everything He’s causing to work together for our good. And just to remind us all, Romans 8:28 is just right around the corner here. I mean, we’re in the neighborhood of Romans 8:28 when he says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good,” those “all things” include verses 18 through 22, all of this suffering. So, God has appointed it for me, God has appointed it for you, none of us get a free pass, and none of us have an exemption to this. And I want to say one more time, sometimes the godlier you are, sometimes there will be more trials, because you’re now cutting against the grain of this world, you’re now swimming upstream. As long as you were going with the flow of this world, there is a sense in which everybody in the world were, man, they were on your team. They were patting you on the back. But when you reverse your course and you now begin to go with the Lord, you now are cutting against the flow of this world, and you’re going to face opposition. And now, for the first time, you’re facing the devil head on, and there’s some pushback going on. So, we need to be aware of the big picture, the macro, as we look at the micro now in this passage. We should not be surprised as we come to these verses and we see the word “sufferings,” and we go, “What’s this? Where’d this come from?” okay? So, as we began looking at this last time, here’s the big idea. In order that we would be longing for heaven, God brings sufferings into our life right now so that we do not become too comfortable in this world, to keep us longing for heaven. So that’s what Paul is laying out for us here. So, last time we looked at only verse 18, and verse 18, I called it “The Comparison,” and I’m going to give you an outline as we walk through this, each verse will just have one main heading. And it’s just, I need this for me, I need to like slice this passage up. John Calvin said that a Bible teacher should be like a father sitting at a table and has his little children around the table, and there’s a piece of steak in the middle of the table. And the father cuts it up into little pieces and then just feeds it one bite at a time. If he gave them the whole steak they would just choke to death, okay? So I need to slice this up into little pieces for me so I can understand it and so I can digest this, and I think you’re probably at the same place where I am as well on this. So verse 18, the first little slice is “The Comparison.” And Paul says in verse 18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” I don’t need to re-teach what we looked at last week, but as we go through suffering in this lifetime, as a believer, Paul wants us to know that the glory that awaits us so far overshadows our present suffering that it is an encouragement to us to hang in here just a little bit longer because it’s only a relatively short time that we’re here. And the sufferings are so little compared to an eternity of future glory. So, that’s the perspective that we have to have, and whatever the difficulty is that is surrounding your life right now, just know it’s only for a moment, relatively speaking, and that an eternity lies ahead of the extraordinary glory of God that awaits you. Now I want to move on, I don’t want to get bogged down. So as we come to verse 19, I want you to write down the word “Expectation.” The expectation, because what Paul will do now is he will give us really an explanation of why we should patiently endure our sufferings. You’ll note the first word of verse 19 is the word “for,” and I’ve told you multiple times that introduces an explanation. And you’ll note verse 18, verse 19, verse 20, verse 22, verse 24, verse 29, all these verses start with the word “for.” The quotation in verse 36, verse 38, it’s just “for, for, for, for,” and Paul is just stacking up explanations. So, verse 19 explains verse 18, just like verse 18 explains verse 17. And so what Paul says is, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” Now, we need to understand this, Paul is communicating with what we call a figure of speech. It’s a figure of speech known as personification. And personification is a figure of speech in which an inanimate object, like this table, is represented as a human being. And the inanimate object is doing something that only a human could do, whether it’s the mind, whether it’s the emotions, whether it’s the will. It’s a powerful form of communication. And so Paul is representing here creation, the physical creation of this world, as though it’s a person. And this person is going to be groaning because of the suffering of the physical creation. But in verse 19 he says, “For the anxious longing of the creation.” Now this verb, this “anxious longing,” or not the verb, the noun. It’s an interesting word, and the idea is “the turning of the head from the neck,” and the idea is you are peering your head to look in a direction in anticipation for something that’s coming. So you don’t have your nose down in the grindstone and unaware of what’s coming. No, you’ve turned your head and you’re looking for it. So, creation here is represented as craning the neck to see what is coming, “for the anxious longing,” that’s intense, “of the creation,” talking about the mountains, the meadows, the forests, the valleys, “waits eagerly,” and one paraphrase on this has it as “waiting on tip toes.” I mean, there is an anxious longing for something to come. And he says at the end of verse 19, “for the revealing of the sons of God.” Now, the revealing of the sons of God is what will happen at the end of this age when Jesus Christ comes back and bursts onto the scene and we are caught up to be with the Lord forever. We will be made fully known as sons of God. Now we are already sons of God, and there is a sense in which it is already revealed in that there is fruit in our lives – the fruit of obedience, the fruit of love – but we will be fully revealed. Right now, our life is hidden in Christ but in that moment, we will be made known in that we will no longer be suffering. Right now, we’re suffering with everybody else. You go down to the hospital, room 101 is a Christian, room 102 is an unbeliever, room 103 is a Christian, room 104 is an unbeliever. And so we’re just…we’re hidden with the world in that sense. We don’t have an easy path to walk. The narrow path is not an easy path. And so, there is a sense in which we’re just in the same experiences of life. We face the death of our parents, we face the loss of a job, we face hunger, we face going without certain things, just like anybody else. But at the end of this age, we are going to be so revealed and uncovered as the children of God. As we graduate to glory, we will step into the fullness of our inheritance, and there will be no more sorrow and no more pain and no more death and no more struggle. So we will be fully known when we enter into the full experience of our inheritance in that day. But until then, this world that we live in, it’s a broken world, my friend, and creation itself is longing for the second coming of Christ to fill all of the futility of this world, to finally be evaporated. But until then, the creation is longing. How much more so should you and I be longing for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ? How much more so should we be longing anxiously, craning our neck, standing on tip toes, looking for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ? Let me remind us all, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,” 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 16, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and the trumpet of God, and the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ will rise first. And we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” We need to keep our eyes on the horizon and longing, like creation is longing, to get out of this world that is filled with suffering to be with the Lord. Now, we can still enjoy being here, and you and I can enjoy the mountains and the meadows and the forest more than an unbeliever, because we know who made it, and we have different eyes, and we have an eternal perspective. So, this is not saying that we’re to go through life with a martyr’s complex and just looking at how horrible everything is, but we do need to be longing like creation for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ which will reveal us as sons of God. Now verse 20, I want you to see “The Subjection.” “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him (capital H), Him who subjected it in hope.” Paul now explains, you see, it begins with the word “for.” Verse 20 is explaining verse 19, Paul is explaining why there is this eager longing by creation for the return of Christ. And he tells us because the creation was subjected, and that means to be put under something, to futility. Now, this word “futility” means “emptiness, vanity, perversity,” even “frustration.” And I want to say it again, we live in a broken world, and it’s not just the world system; it’s even creation itself. And he says “not willingly,” I mean, who would want to be subjected to futility? I mean, that would have to be done by someone else, and there’s only one who has the authority to put the entire world under subjection to futility, and that is the sovereign God of heaven and earth. And he says, “Because of Him who subjected it,” and the “it” refers to creation. Now, we’re going to have to go right now to Genesis 3. So I just want you to turn with me, this is not going to be a passing reference. We cannot understand this without networking this to Genesis 3. And we’re going to look at verses 14 through 19, and this is what is known as “the curse,” C-U-R-S-E, the curse. And after Adam sinned, God said, you remember, in chapter 2, I think its verse 17, “The day that you eat of this fruit, you’re going to surely die.” Well, as has been noted by some, well, Adam ate from the fruit and he still lived. Well, not so fast. Because death entered the world, and death began to work in Adam from that moment. Understand this, there are always painful consequences to wrong decisions. And Adam stood as the federal head of the entire human race, and whatever he did affected you and me. And you say, “Well, that’s not fair.” Well, if you’d been in Adam’s position, you’d have done the same thing. In fact, you would’ve folded your tent earlier than he did. And when Adam sinned, God brought the hammer down, because God is a Holy God, and the wages of sin is what? Death. “In the day that you eat of this fruit, you will surely die.” And so starting in verse 14, is the subjection of creation to futility. And this is still in effect, and this is the only explanation for the world that you live in right now. This is the only explanation for what’s wrong with everything, okay? So, beginning in verse 14, please note who the speaker is, “the Lord God said,” God mounts the pulpit and He begins with the serpent, and behind the serpent and perhaps in and through the serpent was the devil. And God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,” and the “this” refers to the beguiling and the seducing of Eve in order to get to her husband, “cursed are you more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field.” There now came a curse on the entire animal kingdom. There just happened to be one that was more cursed. And you want to know why there is such enmity between some animals with other animals and the fierceness of survival and one feeding off the other, it’s a part of the curse. God never set it up that way, and God put the curse on the serpent, which is like a snake. And He said, “And on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life.” And it’s is very possible that before this the snake had legs, and now the subjection, even physically, “I’m bringing you all the way down to the dirt. And now everything else will walk on top of you and tread on top of you, and there’s going to be enmity now between you and the other animals, and you and man. And I’m going to put fear between you and man,” and that’s a part of God’s curse upon creation, and it wasn’t there before Adam sinned. All of the animals got along great, and one wasn’t feeding off of the other, there was no death before Adam sinned. Think about it! So now in verse 15, and this too is a part of the curse, “And I will put enmity,” that means hostility and warfare and conflict “between you and the woman.” You, the serpent, and in reality, Satan, who is behind the serpent, in the serpent, speaking through the serpent, and the woman who is Eve, “and between your seed and her seed.” “Your seed” refers to every unbeliever, and “her seed” refers to believers. And there is now going to be conflict between light and darkness, between truth and lies. And that’s why 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What harmony is there between light and darkness, between Belial and Christ?” There is no harmony. And I want to go further. That’s why, and for whoever is watching this, that’s why you need to marry a believer. You marry an unbeliever, you’re going to have conflict for the rest of your life, because there is this conflict that’s built in. So, because you have a whole different worldview, a whole different set of standards. Now note the next line, “He,” that “He” refers to just one of her seed, and it’s a reference to Christ, the seed of the woman. “He shall bruise you” the serpent, “on the head and you” the serpent, meaning…excuse me, Satan, “will bruise Him” referring to Christ, “on the heel.” And there is now going to be spiritual warfare between the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and the god of this age and the prince of this world. There’s going to be conflict. And everyone who is a believer under Christ and everyone who is an unbeliever under Satan, there is this inevitable opposition. And we are to live in love and love our neighbor and reach the world for Christ, but we cannot escape this curse that God has placed upon the world in which we live. And you just pick up today’s paper, you watch cable news and all of the conflict politically, economically, sociologically, it all goes back to this curse. Now, continue to read, verse 16, “To the woman he said,” and now God continues to speak, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth,” and literally it is in conception, in the womb. I mean, from the moment you conceive, there’s going to be morning sickness, there’s going to be…there’ll even be the death of the child in the womb, there will be pain in delivery, and it is to be a constant reminder to you of original sin. And it is there until the end of the age, and it’s a part of the curse. Now look at the end of verse 16, and this explains the world in which we live, “And your desire will be for your husband.” Now, this desire is a desire to dominate and a desire to rule, and this is the beginning of the women’s lib movement right here, which is to usurp her God-assigned role. And part of the curse is aggressive women who want to dominate their husbands and dominate men. That’s just part of the curse, men. And if you’ll look at chapter 4 and verse 7 in Genesis, just to give you in context how the same word is used, “The Lord said to Cain, ‘If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.'” It’s like a lion ready to devour you, and please note, “its desire is for you,” same verb, “and you must master it.” So the desire is a desire not to be in submission, but to rise above and to dominate. Now, note the next line, “and he will rule over you,” and this rule is an ungodly rule, to be heavy handed, to abuse, dominant. And this clash of the sexes, of both struggling now to dominate the other, and you will also have aggressive women and passive men. And just look around, and that’s a part of the world, that’s a part of creation being subjected by God to futility. Now verse 17, “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat from it,” cursed is the ground because of you,'” and so the very earth now is subjected to the curse of God. And He says, “In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” I mean before this, Adam, he was in a grocery store, in Eden. I mean, everything was just right there in front of him. But now, now God says, “I’m going to cause thorns and thistles to grow in this garden, and it’s going to be by blood, sweat, toil, and tears. You’re going to have to work the land, you’re going to have to get the weeds out, there’s going to be adverse weather, it’s going to be the challenge of your life, and there’s going to be droughts, and there’s going to be famines, and there’s going to be floods, and there’s going to be storms, and there’s going to be tsunamis, and there’s going to be hurricanes, and there’s going to be tornadoes, and there’s going to be earthquakes, and it’s going to be tough.” Now, to work is not the curse. God had already assigned work. Now the challenge and the difficulty of work and earning your living is going to be the curse. And so, notice what He says, “In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” Verse 18, “But thorns and thistles it shall grow for you.” There were no thorns and there were no thistles before this. There were no thorns on the rose. “By the sweat of your face,” until it’s dripping off the tip of your nose, “by the sweat of your face, you will eat bread till you return to the ground because from it you were taken,” remember God took earth and He just fashioned a man, and He breathed into it. He says, “For you are dust and to dust you shall return.” And the process of death began in Adam that moment. And though he lived to be 930 years, the aging process began, the deterioration began, the decline began, the wrinkles began, the gray hair began, the slumped shoulder began, the loss of eyesight began as a part of the curse. The whole creation – man, woman, earth, work, Satan – was cursed by God because one man sinned. Now let me tell you some good news, this whole thing is going to be reversed by one man, the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. And before we get upset with Adam, you better be glad that one man can do a lot for you. Because you’re going to gain more in Christ than you ever lost in Adam. And this world is going to be…paradise lost will become paradise regained. But it’s going to be even better with a new heavens and a new earth and a new Jerusalem. It’s going to be even better than the garden. But over in the Middle East where this all happened, it was a desert…I mean, it was a garden at one point. It’s nothing but stinking desert right now, it’s a wilderness. So severe was the pinpoint of God’s curse that came down upon it that now it’s like a blowtorch hit that area, and it’s just a burned over district which is where they lived between the Euphrates and the Tigris River, in the cradle of civilization. And it’s rather strange that the conflict in the whole world continues in that one little area, and it won’t go away and it’s not going to go away. All right, come back to Romans 8. But in order to understand what Paul is saying here in Romans 8, we had to go to that text in Genesis 3. So, look at it again now in Romans 8 and verse 20, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope,” and the “in hope” refers to Genesis 3:15 and the seed of the woman who would bruise the head of the serpent. And this is metaphorical language, the devil would bruise the heel of Christ upon the cross, but Christ would crush the head of the woman upon the cross. Satan would be nipping at the heels of Christ, who is the author of all death, but Christ in His death would literally crush the head of the serpent upon the cross and win an eternal victory for everyone who is of the seed of the woman, for everyone who is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. So verse 21, write down the word “Liberation,” “The Liberation.” And Paul now specifies the hope at the end of verse 20. At the end of verse 20 he said, “in hope,” and so now he specifies this hope in verse 21, “that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption.” There’s coming a day when God will remove the curse from creation, and creation will be restored to what God originally intended it to be. And in the new heavens and in the new earth and in the new Jerusalem, it will be extraordinary. You and I are going to live again in the beauty of the garden of the new heavens and the new earth. We can’t even begin to comprehend the future glory that awaits us where you and I are going to live. It’s going to be Augusta National on steroids, okay, that’s what it’s going to be. Am I communicating? Okay, alright. So, the creation will be set free. That says, right now, creation is not free, creation is in bondage, is imprisoned in chains. And that’s why, right now, there is all of these natural disasters that take place that kill people and leave people without homes and leave people without food and just wipe out everything that they’ve worked for in their life. It’s a part of the curse. So the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to corruption, and right now it is subject to corruption. There is decay, there is deterioration, there is destruction, and there is death, all of that, but it will be set free into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. And when we are revealed as children of God and we enter into our full inheritance, creation itself will share in this liberation. And we will be liberated from our earthly bodies that are subject to decay and deterioration and decline, and the physical creation will also enter into its new, glorified state. And so Paul is driving this home so that the believers in Rome, and think about the believers in Rome, they were not living in the buckle of the Bible belt, they weren’t living in a city that had a church on every corner, they weren’t going to revival meetings every night. They were under the thumb and the heel of Caesar in Rome, and they were odd man out. You talk about the moral minority, I mean that was a tough place to be a believer in Rome at this time, and Rome is nothing more than a cesspool of iniquity. And so to encourage them, “Hang in there just a little bit longer as you’re going through persecution and tribulation and difficulty, hang in there just a little bit longer, because if you had any idea of what’s waiting for you on the other side, it will so encourage you to just be steadfast and not collapse emotionally and not burst into fear and trembling and tears. The best is yet to come.” It’s just right around the corner, relatively speaking, and it’s not just for them; it’s for us as well. In fact, Christ could come back before I even finish this lesson. He says, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with me,” He didn’t say, “I will be coming.” He says, “I am coming,” it’s present tense. The idea is, “I’m on the way.” And James 5 says that “the judge is standing right at the door.” In other words, He’s got his hand on the handle and He’s ready to open it, push it open and burst onto the scene at any moment. So look at verse 22 and we’ll bring this to conclusion, “For we know that the whole creation,” the “whole creation” just takes in the entirety of this world, “For the whole creation,” nothing was excluded, there’s no little neutral zone someplace that was exempt from the curse. Every square inch of this creation has been subjected to the futility of this curse. Verse 22, we cannot be that “the whole creation groans,” and again this is, this world is like a person just groaning in pain and suffers the pain, Genesis 3 and verse 6 together until now. And as the woman approaches that time of delivery, those pains of constriction become intensified and become stronger and become more frequent. And that’s the way it is as the end of the age approaches. It’s going to become more turbulent and greater conflict and greater contrast, building up to that time when the Lord returns at the end of the age. And just look around, I’ve seen it in my lifetime. I grew up in Norman Rockwell-ville, I mean everything was…I mean, it was Father Knows Best, it was Leave It To Beaver, it was I Love Lucy, it was the Dick Van Dyke Show, that was the world I was born in, and it still had a lot of problems, a lot of problems. But nevertheless, that was kind of the level of morality and the level of the conflict. Until now, you don’t even know which bathroom to go into. Until now, look at the Kavanaugh hearings, until now look at what’s going on in the Middle East. It’s only going to get worse, not better. Look at the nations in an uproar, in wars and rumors of wars, and it’s just going to intensify and come quicker and quicker. And the purpose of it is for us to long for the world to come. And I tell you, there are now more times than there used to be that I just think “Maranatha, Lord come quickly. Lord just take us home, get me out of here.” And we think about our children and the world in which they will live. All of this suffering should have a sanctifying, purifying effect upon our lives, to wean us off of worldliness, to drive us to our knees in prayer, to cause us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, to make us more dependent upon the Lord in prayer, to identify with others who are in their suffering so we can talk to them about Christ. It’s all God’s master plan for the world in which we live and especially for the end of the age as the time approaches for the return of Christ. So, I think we stop right here at verse 22, I think we land the plane here. And this text is a dose of reality. I mean, this text is a Christian worldview. This text gives us the divine perspective of the world in which we live and the difficulties of life. Now, we will know God’s grace in the midst of all this, and we will know God’s blessing in the midst of all this. But it’s kind of like there are two streams feeding into one river, and there’s both prosperity and adversity. They’re both feeding into the same river. It’s like there is the hot and cold faucets, and they’re both on, and they’re both feeding into the bowl of our lives. And it’s not all prosperity and no adversity. So trust me, I didn’t vote for this. If it was left up to me, we’d all just have cruise sailing, but in the infinite wisdom and genius of God He does all things well, and this is His plan.

The Groaning and the Glory – Romans 8:18

OnePassion Ministries October 11, 2018

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Romans 6-8 is a theology of the Christian life. It is the largest, most expansive portion of Scripture that gives a framework for the Christian life. It is not intended to give specifics of how to live the Christian life—that will be in chapters 12-15. This is the theological foundation. The first 18 verses of chapter 8 have been about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer to enable us to live the Christian life. No one can live the Christian life by their own strength or wisdom. Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). It is the Holy Spirit at work within us that conforms us into the image of Christ. As we come to verse 18, the focus is upon suffering. It would be easy for a suffering believer to question what has gone wrong in their faith. Some might not realize that suffering is an expected part of the Christian life. Some may even think that the Christian life means the removal of all problems. However, the opposite is true. When you become a Christian, you inherit a new set of problems. You are now swimming against the current of the world in which you live. You are still in the world, but you are no longer a part of the world system. Believers face resistance in their Christian life every day. We have stepped up to the front lines of spiritual warfare, which is full of temptations, persecution, and tribulation. We also are not immune to the daily realities of living in a fallen world. We still deal with sickness, the death of loved ones, children who go astray, business troubles, and more. We are not immune from trials in the Christian life. Therefore, Paul must address the certainty and the reality of suffering in the Christian life. A Higher Purpose God has a higher purpose for us in our suffering. We suffer so that we may be identified with Christ. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with much grief. How can we experientially be identified with Christ, who was beaten, crucified, and the subject of much opposition, if we have nothing but ease as we live our days? In order to truly know Christ, we must experience suffering. Suffering also weans us off of this world and causes us to focus on the world to come. It is important that we set our minds on things above and not on things of this earth. Suffering has the ability to uproot us from becoming too attached to the things of this world. Suffering is also a part of God’s sanctification of the believer. God uses suffering to purge us of certain wrong attitudes and priorities. Suffering drops us to our knees in prayer and dependence upon God. It is also used to help us bring encouragement to others. When we go through difficult times, it becomes easier for us to identify with and minister to others who are also suffering. God has great purposes in our Christian life for suffering. No one goes through their Christian life escaping trials, disappointments, difficulties, and the pains of life. Further, suffering is an extraordinary witnessing opportunity. Most people are not converted while everything in their life is prospering. Rather, it is when they are knocked to their knees and come to the end of themselves that they look up for help. Suffering points us to the reality of our human limitation. We can point others to God as the source of comfort, healing, and salvation in the midst of suffering. As God weaves together the threads on the tapestry of providence, in His infinite genius, He has chosen to weave the threads of suffering into our Christian experience. There is much false teaching today that says if you are walking by faith, then you can “name it and claim it” and your troubles will go away. That is a heretical, false gospel. Job was the most righteous man on earth. He was upright and feared God. Yet he was singled out to suffer because God had a higher purpose for his life. It was Jesus who sent the disciples into the storm when He went up to the mountain to pray. He providentially, purposefully sent them into the storm on the Sea of Galilee to test their faith. James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). Learning to persevere through suffering is like going into God’s weight room and building up your spiritual muscles through the resistance that comes against your faith. Paul has a very realistic view of the Christian life. He does not give false expectations. He explains that suffering is a certainty. It is intended by God to be used for positive purposes in our life. The Christian life is not about the subtraction of suffering, but rather the addition of grace to go through suffering. It is one thing to go through suffering on your own without the Lord. But it is a completely different experience to endure suffering with the Lord. He gives us the supernatural grace that enables us to live triumphantly in our Christian life. I. The Comparison (8:18) Paul will now compare our present suffering with future glory in order to keep both in the right perspective. He begins, “For I consider” (verse 18). The word “for” means that Paul is providing an explanation of the previous verse. In verse 17, the subject of suffering and glory are introduced. Verse 18 becomes a follow up commentary on suffering and glory. The Christian will not have one without the other. The Two Sides “Consider” (logizomai) speaks of a mathematical calculation. It is an objective study of facts by which you derive a bottom-line conclusion. This is not about subjective feelings, but a cognitive, intellectual, theological statement of fact. Picture Paul holding a set of scales with one pan on each side. On one side of the scales, Paul puts suffering, and on the other side he places glory. Paul is weighing out human suffering and future glory. The “sufferings” Paul refers to include things like tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, and being put to death because of one’s faith (verses 35-36). That is merely the tip of the iceberg of the suffering that is involved in the Christian life. Please note also that “sufferings” is in the plural, which is an indication of the multiplicity of sufferings. It is not an isolated, one-time trial. These sufferings are part of “this present time,” which refers not only to the entirety of your life, but also the entirety of this present age until the second coming of Christ. Then on the other side of the scales, Paul places glory. He says the sufferings “are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (verse 18). “Glory” refers to the future glory that awaits us in heaven. In fact, heaven is so synonymous with glory, that in many Bible verses, heaven is simply identified as “glory.” A popular saying when someone dies is that they ‘went on to glory.’ It is synonymous with heaven because heaven is filled with the glory of God. The sufferings that we experience in this life are real and painful. They are not lighthearted. But Paul tells us that we must keep them in perspective, because they are inconsequential when compared to the glory that awaits us. As we live our Christian life, we cannot become someone who is drowning in suffering. We cannot become obsessed, myopic, or preoccupied with our suffering to the point that we are depressed, defeated, and deflated. We must keep the scales in front of us so that we do not forget the glory that is to be revealed. We must continually make this comparison to keep our suffering in perspective. Note the glory is “to be revealed to us” (verse 18). This tells us that right now it is hidden. The only thing we know about this glory is from passages of Scripture where we are momentarily allowed to peer into it. Heaven is veiled to us at the moment, but we have a few glimpses in Scripture that allow the glory to shine through to us so that we get an idea of what it will be like on the other side. Future Greater than Present We must keep our suffering in perspective. This future glory is so weighty and heavy that the scales of present suffering and future glory fall heavily on the side of glory. The weight of the suffering is like a feather in comparison. Our present sufferings are but temporal. The glory that awaits us is eternal. There will be no end to the glory. Our present sufferings are but a grain of sand on the beach of eternity. Our current trials are a passing moment, but what awaits us on the other side will never come to an end. We can hang in there for this small amount of time. We tend to focus upon our sufferings, but only glance upon the future glory. We must reverse this. We must only glance upon our sufferings, and stay gazing upon the future glory, if we are to be strong in the Lord and stable in our Christian life rather than collapsing every time a trial comes. It is easy to be caught up and consumed with the suffering that is in front of us. But we cannot let our emotions take us away. The fact is that these sufferings are short and temporary. The glory that awaits us is forever. Sufferings feel like the weight of the world, but in reality, they are not. On the nights when we wake up crying, we must remind ourselves of the future glory. It pulls us up and strengthens us to keep pressing forward toward the prize that lies ahead. The Sacrificial Life Paul does not give a false view of the Christian life. In 2 Corinthians 4, he goes into great detail about the sufferings Christians endure and the far greater glory that is to come. He tells us that Christians are “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). “Perplexed” means you are so disoriented in the midst of the storms and difficulties of your life that you have lost a sense of balance and direction. “Carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus” is metaphorical for all of the sufferings of Jesus. Then Paul gives the purpose, it is “so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” We share in Christ’s sufferings so that we can share in His life. Our suffering is not random or without reason and a higher purpose. The more we are crushed, the sweeter smelling the aroma of Christ that emerges from us. Paul continues, “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (verse 11). In other words, the weaker I am, the stronger I become. When I am strong in myself, in reality, I am incredibly weak. But when I recognize my weakness, it causes me to depend upon the Lord, and that strengthens me. It is good for us to be brought low, because it causes us to look up. Then Paul reasons, “So death works in us, but life in you” (verse 12). Paul is willing to take the blows that come to him because they are a means of blessing to the reader. The more he suffers in his Christian life, the more it is a means of blessing to them. Death to me, life to you. That is the way it is for a father or mother, a pastor or missionary. The more we sacrifice and pay the price, the more it brings blessing to others. If we want others to be blessed, we cannot sit on a sofa watching television all day. We have to live for Christ. Paul continues, “But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed, therefore I spoke,’ we also believe, therefore we also speak” (verse 13). It is through our sufferings that our convictions are deepened. In good times, it is easy to simply repeat a confession of faith. But when we are suffering for that same confession, that is when we find out if we really believe it. Then he writes, “Knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you” (verse 14). The resurrection power of God will strengthen and raise us in this life. At the end of this age, the resurrection power of Jesus will raise our mortal bodies and we will stand before the Lord. God will have the last word in everything. “For all things are for your sakes so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God” (verse 15). “All things” refers to all our present sufferings. I am beaten so that you will be blessed. I suffer so that you will succeed. The more I am being crushed, the more the message of Christ is spread further and further. Remember the book of Acts. It was persecution that drove the gospel to be spread throughout the known world. God is working through our sufferings. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (verse 16). We, who are suffering and going through trials and tribulations, do not lose heart. We do not throw in the towel. You lose heart when you take your eye off of the glory and purpose that God is working out in your life in the midst of the suffering. We must keep our eye on the eternal perspective. Because of our suffering, we have physical ailments and our body wears down. Yet our inner man, which is who we are on the inside, is continually, day by day and moment by moment, being renewed, strengthened, edified, matured, and revived by God. This is the irony of the Christian life. The more you give away, they more you receive back. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4). The emptier you are, the more you are filled. The more you die to self, the more you are resurrected. This is the paradox of the Christian life. It is counterintuitive to the way the world thinks. Paul Understands Suffering “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (verse 17). Look for a moment at what Paul means when he says “momentary, light affliction.” He describes his own sufferings for Christ in this way, “In far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:23-30). This is so antithetical and counterintuitive to the way that the natural man thinks, that Paul must say in the following verse, “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying” (verse 31). These are just some of the sufferings Paul had to endure in his Christian life. Paul calls all of these sufferings and trials “momentary, light affliction.” They are difficulties far beyond anything that you or I will likely experience. But they are producing “an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” We get the English word ‘gravity’ from the Latin word gravitas, which means ‘weightiness.’ People who are spiritually immature are like tumbleweeds that are blown about. They are like the waves of the sea blown and tossed about. Their feet are never nailed to the floor. There is no weightiness to their life. They are subject to the latest opinion and whim. They are easily blown astray when trials enter their life. But gravitas means there is a weightiness about your life. You are not wood, hay, and stubble. You are gold, silver, and precious jewels. When the winds of adversity blow into your life, you are not blown about from here to the ends of the earth. There is an anchor for your soul. Your feet are nailed to the floor. You remain strong in your faith. You are rooted and grounded deeply in the Lord. You are not collapsing, but remaining strong. This momentary, light affliction is producing in you the eternal weight of glory. It is maturing and growing you up. Paul mentions all of this because it is a part of our sanctification. It is part of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul writes, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). We must remain focused upon the future glory that awaits us as we experience sufferings here on the earth. The Bottom Line This is where the rubber meets the road. We live in a fallen world surrounded by trials, death, sickness, failure, and disappointment. We are not immune to these things. We experience the same hardships as unbelievers. But on top of that, we also experience sufferings that only a believer will experience. Persecution, tribulation, suffering for Christ, being put to death all day long like sheep being led to a slaughter. On top of everything the world experiences, we have another layer. Suffering is part of the Christian life. But let us not forget, we also have some problems removed. We are no longer living in darkness making poor decisions. We now have the mind of Christ and the wisdom and lamp of Scripture leading us through this world. So there has been the removal of some problems. But nevertheless, there remain sufferings that Christians endure. We must not forget that our sufferings do not compare to the glory that awaits us in Christ.

The Vast Inheritance of Believers – Romans 8:17

OnePassion Ministries September 27, 2018

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And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17). Romans 8:17 is a transitional bridge that reaches back to the previous verses that talked about being a child of God, and reaches forward to address the suffering of this present world. As a child of God, we suffer with Christ in this present life while we look ahead to the glory that we will one day share with Him. The Holy Spirit brings the internal witness for the assurance of our salvation (verse 16). He testifies to our heart that we are children of God. This thought continues into the next verses, “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (verses 17-18). The key word in verse 17 is “heirs.” This one word is mentioned three times in verse 17. It is obvious that the main focus is that believers are heirs of God and heirs with Christ Jesus. An heir, by definition, is a person who is legally entitled to the property and possessions of an estate upon the death of the benefactor. An heir receives an inheritance that is passed down from the benefactor to the beneficiary. The beneficiary has not worked to accumulate this inheritance. Rather, someone else already did the work, and it is now passed down to the recipient. “Heir” (kleronomos) is a compound word in the Greek. Kleros means ‘one who receives an allotted portion.’ Nomos is the Greek word for ‘law.’ Nomos is used multiple times in Romans 7 when Paul refers to the law. When put together, kleronomos means ‘one who receives an allotted portion of an estate as apportioned by the law upon the death of the benefactor.’ In this case, the benefactor has never died, because the benefactor is God the Father. He is the living God who can never die. He possesses immortality. From everlasting to everlasting, from beginning to end, He is the living God. In this scenario, it is the beneficiary who dies. When we die, we will receive the full allotment of the inheritance that comes to us. But the Benefactor will never die. There are four headings as we look at verse 17. First, all believers are heirs of God. Second, all believers are heirs with Christ. There is a distinction made here. Third, all believers are heirs of suffering in this present life. Fourth, all believers are heirs of glory, referring to when we are glorified with Christ after our earthly death. I. Heirs of God (8:17a) First, all believers are heirs of God. This should be important to every Christian. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are an heir of God. This is based upon the wealth of the benefactor and the liberality with which He distributes His estate. Verse 17 starts with “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God.” The flow of thought at the start of this verse continues from the previous verses when Paul referred to believers as “sons of God” (verse 14), “sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (verse 15), and “children of God” (verse 16). “Children” refers to all those who have been born again and adopted into God’s family. These are the two ways you become a child of God—you are born again and adopted. It is not either/or, but both/and. You are both born again and adopted by God. There are unique features that pertain to both. Adoption indicates that we are brought in as a fully mature adult son who has all the rights and privileges that would come as a member of the family of God. Because we are adopted, we are now included in the will. What belongs to the Father will be passed down to us. Inheritance From God “Heirs also” means every child of God is a recipient of a vast inheritance from the Father. “Heirs of God” means that God is the Source and Giver of this inheritance. It all comes from God. Every blessing in your life has come from God the Father, through the Son, and is applied by the Spirit. When we pray, we pray to God the Father through the Son and the Spirit. We thank God the Father for the many blessings He has lavished upon us. When Jesus taught us how to pray, He did not say to pray to Himself. Rather, He said to pray to “Our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). We are to ask the Father for our daily bread, for the forgiveness of our sin, and for His kingdom to come upon the earth. We are heirs of God and recipients of His vast estate. God says, “the silver is Mine and the gold is Mine” (Haggai 2:8). It may be held in a vault someplace, but it still all belongs to the Father. Psalm 50:10 tells us that every animal of the forest and every cattle on a thousand hills belong to the Father. Someone else may be taking care of those cattle on one of those hills, but they are only stewards of what ultimately belongs to the Father. It is His by right of creation, and it is His by right of oversight and providence. His riches are so vast that they cannot even be number. They exceed human calculation. This is not an isolated truth found only in Romans 8:17. Paul writes in Galatians, “therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7). “Through God” means through the gracious act of God. It points back to God the Father. We are heirs of the gracious acts of God the Father as they flow from the Father to us. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). It was God the Father who made the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. “So that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). It is God the Father who justifies us. God the Father declares that the righteousness of Christ belongs now to us in the act of justification. It is a forensic declaration that the righteousness of Christ belongs to us. It is God the Father who pronounces this and justifies. Romans 8:30 makes this very clear. It is a very basic New Testament truth. For further reference, you will find this in Acts 20:32, Ephesians 3:6, Hebrews 1:14, and Revelation 21:7. This thread runs throughout the pages of the New Testament. All believers are heirs of God. There is not a condition placed upon this statement. It is an indicative statement of fact. Those whom the Father has saved are heirs of God. II. All Believers are Heirs with Christ (8:17b) Second, all believers are heirs with Christ. Continuing in verse 17, “and fellow heirs with Christ.” This means that Jesus is the principle Heir, and we share in His inheritance. The Father has transferred everything over to the Son. The entire universe has been give to Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He also declares that all judgment has been given to Him (John 5:22). Paul writes of Jesus that all things have been put “in subjection under His feet” (Ephesians 1:22). God the Father wants His Son to be the object of our praise and worship. It glorifies the Father for the Son to be glorified. The Father has transferred the legal right to the universe, including this world, to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the principle Heir of God’s vast riches. As “heirs with Christ,” we now share in the inheritance that comes to Jesus. Everything that belongs to Christ belongs to us. There are initial down payments of this truth for us to enjoy presently. His righteousness has become our righteousness. His holiness has become our holiness. His peace has become our peace (John 14:27). His joy is now our joy (John 15:11). His strength has become our strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Everything that belongs to Christ now belongs to us because we are in Christ. We receive part of the inheritance in this lifetime, and the fullness of it in the life to come. It is important to know that we are fellow heirs with Christ. III. All Believers are Heirs of Suffering (8:17c) Third, all believers are heirs of suffering. Before we get too excited about our inheritance, it is important for us to know that we will also suffer. The next segment of verse 17 says, “if indeed we suffer with Him.” One of the distinguishing marks of every child of God is that we share in the sufferings of Christ in this lifetime. This utterly destroys the prosperity gospel and any teaching that claims our suffering is because we do not have enough faith. The true gospel says that if you are a true child of God, then you will share in the sufferings of Christ in this lifetime. If you have faith in Christ, it does not mean that you will have no suffering, but actually the reverse—you will have suffering. This is part of the cost of discipleship, the price of being a follower of Jesus Christ. There are sufferings that now come to us because we belong to the Lord. If you are not sharing in the sufferings of Christ, then you are not a child of God, but rather a child of the devil. If you have an easy life with no suffering, then you have not yet been born again. To “suffer with Him” does not mean that we make bad decisions in life and then suffer the consequences of those bad decisions. Rather, this means that we suffer for His namesake, for His reputation, because we believe His truth and speak up to testify about His truth. We suffer because of the sacrifice that is required on our part to extend the kingdom of God. We suffer because we are identified with Christ. We suffer because we believe the gospel, bear witness of the gospel, and testify to the gospel. Romans 8:18 provides explanation for verse 17. Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (verse 18). This is the same contrast from verse 17, which said we suffer with Christ and then we will be glorified with Him. Suffering now, glory later. There are sufferings in this present time, but Paul is quick to note that they do not even begin to compare with the glory that is to follow. When placed on scales, the eternal weight of glory so far outweighs the temporal sufferings of this world that it is not even worth it to compare the two. It is comparing our future eternity in glory with Christ that will never end with a miniscule amount of time in this world that we are battered around for Christ. Various Sufferings Paul continues to address suffering in chapter 8. He speaks of futility and being subjected (verse 20), slavery to corruption (verse 21), groans and pains of childbirth (verse 22), groans within ourselves (verse 23), and tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword (verse 35). All of those are types of suffering with Christ. We face tribulation because we are identified with Christ. We are distressed because we suffer for our identity with Christ. Remember, the term “Christian” was coined by the world as a term of derision and mockery for the disciples who were on “the way” (Acts 9-11). “Christian” simply means ‘little Christ.’ “Persecution” is because of our identity with Christ. “Famine” is a judgment of God upon the world in which we live. “Nakedness” comes when you have been run out of town without even your clothes and lost your job because you associate with Christ. “Sword” refers to martyrdom and paying the ultimate price of giving your life for Christ. There are some hills that are worth dying on. Gospel truths are worth dying for. In Romans 8:36, Paul quotes Psalm 44:22, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” The rest of Romans 8 is unmistakably clear that believers will face sufferings in this world because of our identity with Christ. Paul wrote the book of Philippians while he was in prison in Rome for two long years chained to a Roman soldier. Yet he wrote this book of joy. He writes, “For to you [believers] it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29). All saving faith is a gift of God. No one can believe in Jesus Christ apart from being given the gift of repentance and faith by God the Father. Freedom of the will is freedom to go to hell and remain in unbelief. One may only believe in Jesus Christ when it has been granted to you to believe. Notice the package deal in Philippians 1:29. If you are given the gifts of saving faith and “also to suffer for His sake.” It is the heads and tails of the same coin. If God gives you the gift of saving faith, He will also give you the gift of suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ. This looks different in different cultures and places around the world. Some persecution is in very visible places, while some is behind the scenes. Some people live in cultures that are more friendly to Christianity, while other live in cultures that are hostile to Christianity. There is much variance. It does not mean that we should have a martyr’s attitude to seek out suffering simply for the sake of suffering. But it does mean that if you speak up and stand up for Christ in your daily life, you will receive pushback. If you are a man of principle who lives out the reality of Christ and speaks up for Him, there will be pushback. Suffering Has Purpose In Philippians 3:10, Paul writes, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Note the word “and” in this verse. This is not a multiple-choice option. They are all included together. Our sufferings conform us into the sufferings of Christ and the yieldedness by which He gave Himself up upon the cross. God has higher purposes in our lives than what we see in the moment, even in our suffering for the gospel. God is doing a thousand things in your life right now and you are only aware of two of those. He has another 998 things at work in your life, but we are completely unaware. God is working out our sanctification to grow and mature us. The path of suffering in the Christian life was foreordained before time began. Paul writes, “So that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this” (1 Thessalonians 3:3). We have been predestined to suffer. This path was marked out for us from before the foundation of the world. It is inescapable. Again he writes, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is impossible to hold to the prosperity gospel if you read your Bible. It is foreordained as an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ that we will share in His sufferings. God works out all things in the believer’s life, even suffering, for good and for the advancement of the gospel. The book of Acts clearly shows that persecution was the means by which the gospel was spread throughout the known world. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). This is addressed to believers who are being scattered around the earth due to persecution. If you are a child of God, then you are an heir of God. If you are an heir of God, you are an heir with Christ. If you are an heir with Christ, you are an heir in suffering with Christ. God did not even spare His own Son this suffering. As we are conformed into the image of Christ, we join in His sufferings. IV. All Believers are Heirs of Glory (8:17d) Fourth, all believers are heirs of glory. This statement opens up a vast realm of truth. Paul concludes verse 17, “So that we may also be glorified with Him.” There is a purpose to the suffering. We will share with Christ in the glory that is to come. The more you suffer with Christ in this world, the greater will be the glory that you will experience in the world to come. Hell is hotter for some than for others. There is also a sense in which the glory experienced by believers will not all be the same. There will be greater recognition in heaven for some than for others. I can assure you the martyrs in heaven are being singled out at this very moment. Romans 6 tells us they have their own distinct place to worship. They are in their own special category. Because they suffered so much for the gospel in this world, that God has them recognized in heaven. I do not know all the ways this works out in heaven. But Paul wants us to know that as we suffer for Christ in this world, it will lead to glory with Christ in the world to come. The greater your pain, the greater will be your gain on the last day. “We” still refers to all believers. “Also” tells us that this is a packaged deal—you will suffer with Christ and you will be glorified with Christ. Some of the glory will be experienced as follows: a heavenly home (John 14:2-3), a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Philippians 3:20-21), a perfected spirit (Romans 8:30), eternal reward (Revelation 4:10), endless reign (Revelation 22:5), full access (Revelation 3:12), white garments (Revelation 3:5), hidden manna (Revelation 2:17), permanent relationship (Revelation 3:12), and beatific vision (Revelation 22:4). To look upon the face of God will be the ultimate blessing of all the blessings. In ancient times, very few people ever saw the face of their king. He did not reveal himself to peasants, serfs, and commoners. Only those in the inner circle regularly saw the king. Perhaps once in a lifetime, someone might catch a brief glimpse of the king as he rode down the street in a carriage. Revelation 22:4 tells us that we will one day look upon the face of God as He sits upon His throne. This is the greatest blessing we will ever know. To Behold God God is spirit and has always manifested Himself to man with bright shining light. He does not have a body—only God the Son has a body. This is the uniqueness of the incarnation and the virgin birth. The Father and the Spirit do not have a corporeal body upon which we can look. But the Bible says that we will look upon the face of God. That means you will have direct, unmediated access to God. We love Him by faith now, having never seen Him. But in that day, we will behold Him. This far exceeds walking on streets of gold or seeing gates of pearl and walls of precious metal. The glory that will emanate from the face of God will be so radiant and brilliant that there will be no need for the sun in the new heaven and new earth. There will be no need for artificial light or artificial illumination. The effulgent outshining of the greatness, grandeur, and glory of God will light up the entire universe. Believers will be given glorified eyes that will be able to look upon Him and not be burned up like a cinder. We will have a glorified body that will be able to be in His presence and not be consumed. Just as bodies in hell will never perish, but will endure the flames of hell forever, so we will have a body perfectly adapted for our new environment in heaven, able to be in the immediate presence of God and not be burned up. When John was on the Isle of Patmos, he saw the glorified Christ and immediately fell at His feet as a dead man, which means he fainted. He could not even stand in the presence of the glorified Christ, whose face was shining like the sun, because John had not yet received a glorified body. When we are glorified with Christ, there will be the eradication of any sinful desires. Only the new man that we received in our new birth will go on. We will only have high and lofty thoughts. We will never grow tired or weary. We will worship Him forever and ever, never needing time off or rest, because we will have a supernatural body that will be endued with supernatural power to love God, worship Him, and serve Him. Our hearts will be enlarged so much that we cannot even begin to comprehend the capacity we will have to adore God. We will have access to God. We will be glorified with Christ, meaning we will be as much like Christ as a redeemed creature can be. However, we will still never be on the same level as Christ. There is a sea of crystal around God in heaven that makes a distinction between the Creator and the creature. We will not be completely like Him because He will forever be God and we will forever be sons and daughters of God. But we will be so exponentially glorified that this will be our inheritance. Ultimately, our greatest inheritance is God Himself. When they portioned out the land to the twelve tribes of Israel and came to the Levites, there was no land to be given to them. Instead, God told them He would give them the best part—Himself. They inherited God. He, ultimately, will be our greatest inheritance in heaven as we will possess a relationship with Him that will be marked by purity, transparency, and intimacy that will fill and flood our hearts with joy unspeakable and full of glory, the likes of which we cannot even begin to comprehend. Conclusion In conclusion, let me remind us how the Christian life works. There is suffering now, and glory later. There are a few mercy droppings of glory now. God has put His Holy Spirit inside of us. He has clothed us with the righteousness of Christ. The peace, joy, and love of God has been poured out in our hearts. God has marked out our path and gone before us. We walk with Him, fellowship with Him, and pray to Him. But all of that is but a down payment for the fullness of the inheritance that will come to us. This is motivation for us that whatever pain or suffering we go through now is temporary and miniscule compared to the extraordinary glory that awaits us in heaven. We must keep our eyes on this great prize as it pulls us through this valley of tears here on earth. As we suffer with Christ in the present, it is but a speck compared to the eternal weight of glory that awaits us.

The Spirit at Work – Romans 8:14-16

OnePassion Ministries September 20, 2018

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For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:14-16). Romans 8:14-16 addresses the ministry of the Holy Spirit within our Christian lives. The Christian life is not just hard—it is impossible. The only one who has lived it perfectly is Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, the only way that we can live the Christian life is through Jesus Christ in us. In and of ourselves, we cannot do it. We must have Christ in us, who is “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Jesus Christ lives in His believers through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. Christ presently has a glorified body and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. It will be in this glorified body that He will return at the end of this age. So then, Christ presently indwells believers by the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:9, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit of Christ.” The Holy Spirit brings the fullness of Christ to our lives. He is referred to as “the Spirit of God” (verse 14), because He is sent from God in order to bring the fullness of God to dwell in us. It is the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who is sent by the Father and the Son, that enables us to live the Christian life. We do not think often enough throughout our day about the Holy Spirit being powerfully at work within us. In verses 14-16, Paul addresses three distinct ministries that the Spirit of God is actively producing in our lives. These are not the only three—we could go to many other sections of Scripture and enlarge the list of what the Spirit is doing in our lives—but these three are specifically addressed in Romans 8. These ministries deal with our sanctification, which refers to the entirety of our Christian life as we grow in Christlikeness. The Spirit is producing Christlikeness in us. He is convicting us of that which is not Christ-like, pruning and pairing it away, and then watering and fertilizing our lives to bear the fruit of Christlikeness. As we look at these verses, we will see that the Spirit leads us (verse 14), the Spirit liberates us (verse 15), and the Spirit assures us (verse 16). I. The Spirit Leads Us (8:14) Paul writes, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (verse 14). This verse begins with the word “for,” which tells the reader that this is an explanation of the previous verse. In verse 13, Paul told us that we are to be “putting to death the deeds of the body” as we live our Christian life. Therefore, when Paul writes that we are “being led by the Spirit” in verse 14, the focus is not upon the Spirit leading us to make certain day-to-day decisions such as what food to eat, where to have dinner, or what road to travel on the way to work. The Spirit does lead us to make decisions, but the primary focus of this verse is that we are being led to put to death the deeds of the flesh. We are being led in our sanctification. The context is important for our interpretation.  Paul’s use of the word “all” tells us that this is true for all believers. All those who are indwelt by the Spirit of God are also being led by the Spirit of God. If you are born again, then this is true of you. Notice that “are being led” is in the passive voice. We are not the one doing the leading. We are passive, while the Spirit of God is active. He is laying hold of us in a dynamic, powerful way such that we are being acted upon. This verb is in the indicative mood, which means it is a statement of fact. You do not have to pray for this. The Spirit of God is leading you. The question we must ask is: Am I yielded, submissive, obedient, and following His lead? This is also stated in the present tense, which means that as a believer, the Spirit is always leading you—every moment of every day. This is not just for Sunday mornings, or when things are going well in your life, but in every moment—even when you are being tempted and confronted with trials. No matter the circumstance, the Spirit is continually leading you toward personal holiness and godliness. Paul writes of those who are being led by the Spirit of God, “these are the sons of God” (verse 14). This is a very clear statement. If you are not being led by the Spirit of God, you are not a son of God. Rather, you belong to another family. All who are in the family of God are being led by the Spirit of God. “These” is in the plural, referring to all believers. It is also an emphatic statement, meaning these and these only. Truths to Hold There are five truths that we can draw from this one verse. First, all believers are being led by the Spirit. Not some believers, not many, not most—all. If you are a believer, the Spirit of God is leading you. Second, there are only two families in the world. There are the sons of God, and those who are not sons of God. Third, the only way to become a son of God is by the new birth. This verse presupposes that you have been supernaturally birthed into the family of God by the Spirit, which is the doctrine of regeneration. The same Spirit who birthed you into the family of God is also leading you in the Christian life. The Spirit has an ongoing, continual ministry in your life. Fourth, we entered this world by a physical birth, which made us children of the devil. We came into this world lost and separated from God. Even if you attended church as a young child, there must still come a time when you are birthed into the family of God. Fifth, part of the assurance of our salvation is that we see and sense the Spirit of God leading us to personal holiness. If you are not being led into a godly, righteous life, then there is a serious question of whether or not you are a true child of God. Every child of God is being led to put to death the deeds of the flesh. As believers, we are not to coexist with, give place to, or tolerate sin in our life. Rather, we are to mortify the sin in our life. We must put to death the deeds of the body. We do this by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God wants to remove from our lives our bad attitudes, bad reactions, bad vocabulary, and bad treatment of others. The Spirit of God is actively enabling us to put these things to death. The Spirit is also leading us to obey the law of God. Paul previously wrote, “So that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). The Spirit of God is leading us into obedience to the word of God, specifically to obey the moral law of God. The Spirit is not going to lead you into disobedience, but will always lead you into obedience. However, we must actively choose to obey. The Scripture also presupposes that we know what the law requires of us in the Ten Commandments. In verses 5 and 6, the Spirit is also leading us to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. That is to say, we are narrowing our focus upon eternal things, those things that honor and glorify God. Even in our vocation, family life, and recreational life, we are to have a mindset of glorifying God in everything we do. How the Spirit Leads In what way does the Spirit lead us? First, He leads us personally. Just as He indwells us individually, He also leads us individually. This is very personal and individual. Second, He leads us internally, from the inside out. This is something that is taking place in the depth of your soul. Third, He is leading us scripturally. The Spirit of God inspired and authored the Scripture, and is leading us to pursue and obey it. He is not leading us with dreams, visions, and subjective emotional impulses. He is leading us through the written, objective word of God. Fourth, He leads us blamelessly. Meaning He never leads us into sin, but always away from sin into personal holiness. Fifth, He is leading us convictingly. When we fail to follow His leading into personal holiness, the Spirit convicts us and puts His finger on the live nerve within our soul. There is a haunting sense that we have strayed from the path. The Spirit of God is like a sharp knife poking in our side to make things right with our fellow man and with God. We must continually confess our sins to God on an ongoing basis. Sixth, He is leading us perfectly. The Holy Spirit never misleads or misdirects us. He always provides flawless leadership. Lastly, He is leading us permanently. The Spirit will never stop leading us. Even on our deathbed, He will still be leading us into sanctification and personal holiness. We will never reach a plateau in our Christian life where we do not need the Spirit of God leading us into godliness. I want you to be consciously aware as you live your Christian life that the Holy Spirit is in the leadership position. He is leading you into the will of God and a life of obedience. He has taken hold of you and will never let go. If we drag our feet or stray from the path, He will come with conviction and prod us back onto the path. We should praise God for this ministry of the Holy Spirit. If it were not for this leading of the Holy Spirit, we would surely be stagnant, either at a standstill or even regressing in our Christian life. Like a shepherd, the Spirit of God prods us forward in our sanctification. I must ask you, are you consciously following the leadership of the Holy Spirit into the will of God as revealed through His written word? II. The Spirit Liberates Us (8:15) Verse 15 is a continuation of the flow of thought from the previous verse. Paul writes, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (verse 15). Here, Paul first gives a negative denial, then a positive assertion. He tells us what we did not receive, and then what we did receive. When Paul uses “received,” he is referring to the moment of conversion. The moment you were born again you received something. First, we did not receive “a spirit of slavery leading to fear again.” “Slavery” refers to the sin that mastered us before we were converted to Christ. We were slaves to sin. It was driving us to live a self-centered, self-focused life. There was fear and dread of having to meet a standard that we could not keep, as well as the dread of an eternal punishment. Whether this fear was heightened in our conscious or not, it nevertheless was there. There was a fear and slavery in which we lived. We were in chains to sin. This is why there is really no such thing as free will in the purest sense. All mankind is born enslaved to sin. The only way you can exercise your will toward God would be for Someone greater than sin to come unlock those chains and to set you free. We know this was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Until He sets you free, you are in bondage to your sin. Not just your mind and emotions, but also your volition—your will—as well. Some commentators believe “spirit” in verse 15 means the Holy Spirit. Others believe it is simply the human spirit. Regardless of which way you interpret the word, it does not affect the meaning of the passage. The Spirit of God is working inside our human spirit. The idea is that we did not receive the spirit of slavery leading to fear again. We already had that. This is where we were living before we were converted. “But you have received a spirit of adoption as sons.” This points back to the time when you were birthed by the Spirit into the kingdom of God. The Importance of Adoption The word “adoption” is not used in the Old Testament and is only used in the New Testament by Paul. He uses it a total of five times in his thirteen epistles, and three of those times are in the book of Romans. We should take note of this rare use of the word “adoption.” From the divine perspective, you come into the family of God by two ways. There is one plan of salvation, but two metaphors to explain it. One is through the new birth, and one is through adoption. Believers experience salvation in both ways. In the new birth, you enter into the family of God as a new baby. This pictures how you will spend the rest of your Christian life growing and developing into Christ-likeness. It is a supernatural conception and delivery. Adoption comes at it from a different angle. In adoption, you come into the family of God as a fully-grown adult son or daughter. This is important because you immediately enter with all the privileges and rights of an adult heir. You would not turn the keys of a car over to a little child. You do not turn a vast inheritance over to a little baby who would squander it away. With adoption, you come into the family of God as a mature adult, such that your inheritance can begin to be turned over to you immediately. There is a sense in which we receive part of the inheritance in this lifetime, and we will receive the fullness of the inheritance in the life to come. The initial part of the inheritance that we receive right now is the down payment of the Holy Spirit, who immediately comes to indwell us. We have already received the first part of our inheritance, but there will await us a vast estate, the size and the sum of which far exceeds our wildest comprehension. Paul wants us to know that we have been liberated out of our previous spirit of slavery and fear into a spirit of adoption. When we are brought into the family of God, the Spirit liberates us and we enter into a brand new relationship with God. We are no longer alienated from God. We are no longer the objects of His wrath. We are adopted as sons, brought into the Father’s house, and shown the vastness of the inheritance. An Intimate Relationship Paul continues, “By which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” Notice “we” is plural, still referring to all Christians. “Abba” is an Aramaic word that carries the idea of a loving, intimate relationship with God the Father. It is almost like saying, “Daddy” or “Papa.” This is the initial part of the inheritance that we have already received. We have a relationship with God that is close and intimate. Some sons have very strict fathers and cannot understand a close relationship with God as Father. Martin Luther, the great German reformer, said that because his father was so strict, he could never begin the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Father who is in heaven.” He could not think of God as his Father. Likewise, there are some who grow up with a stern taskmaster of a father. They never hear the words “I love you.” Ken Ventura won the 1964 Congressional US Open. His father never once said, “I am proud of you.” Ventura went to his deathbed never having his father’s approval. A poor earthly example of fatherhood can make it difficult for some to understand God’s relationship to believers as Father. However, Paul says that we have a totally different kind of relationship with God the Father. He is not an unloving, unexpressive, stern taskmaster who always frowns and never smiles. We have a close relationship with God to the point that we can say, “Abba Father,” meaning Daddy or Papa. This is a really big deal. Today’s Christianity puts such an emphasis on God’s love that we have lost perspective on how profound it is that we have such a close relationship with God. Paul says, “we cry out.” Not that we hesitantly whisper with uncertainty, but that we cry out with our hearts and our voices. We can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). This speaks of prayer and praise. Whether it is audibly expressed, or just a thought in our mind that is inaudibly internalized, as we go throughout the day, we have confidence to cry out “Abba Father.” The Spirit of God has been deposited within us as the first part of our inheritance, and He is moving us with confidence to cry out. When we pray, we pray to God the Father through the Son and by the Spirit. We approach the Father when we pray. But the only basis of approaching the Father is through the Son. Our prayers are energized by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God enlarges our confidence to come boldly before the throne of grace knowing God is our Abba Father and we can bear our soul to Him. We can bring our requests to Him. Someone once asked G. Campbell Morgan, after preaching a sermon in London, “Pastor, can I pray for little things, or only big things, when I pray to God?” He said to her, “Ma’am, everything in your life is little compared to God.” This does not mean you are unimportant to God, because you are very important to Him. But from where God sits compared to where we live, it is like standing on top of the Empire State Building and looking down at the people on the sidewalk. They look like ants. Everything is small from that high perspective. The believer brings everything the Spirit of God leads him to bring before the Father—big things, small things, all things. We come to Him crying out, “Abba! Father!,” because the Spirit of God has transformed us from slaves to sons. The Spirit of God is creating within us an awareness of this sense of intimacy and acceptance with the Father. III. The Spirit Assures Us (8:16-17) Finally, the Spirit assures us of our salvation. Paul writes, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (verse 16). By Paul stating “the Spirit Himself,” the emphasis is upon the Spirit alone and no one else. It is not an angel or a prophet doing this work. This is an onsite ministry of the Spirit of God. It has not been delegated or hired out to a subcontractor. The Holy Spirit is the One testifying to our own spirit. “Testifies with our spirit” is in the present tense. He is always bearing witness with our spirit, always confirming in our heart this truth that “we are children of God.” The Spirit confirms to us that we belong in the family, God is our Father, and we have been born again. We have assurance of salvation both externally and internally. Externally, we see the Spirit leading us into holiness (verse 14) and we see Christlikeness being produced in our lives. We should be able to look at our lives and see how God is working in and through us to make us more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Internally, there is a subjective witness of the Spirit of God bringing an overwhelming sense of God’s presence in our lives. The Spirit of God brings a profound awareness of God at work in our hearts. The Spirit brings a deep persuasion of the Father’s acceptance of us and our relationship to Him. This is subjective, but our emotions are real. We feel the pull and the tug in our heart that we are rightly connected to God. The Spirit’s Work Assurance of salvation comes from the Holy Spirit. It does not come from a man, a church, a new members’ class, an evangelist, or a pastor. It comes from the Holy Spirit. He takes ownership of your assurance of salvation. He is the One who convicted, drew, regenerated, granted repentance and saving faith, sealed you in Christ, and has come to indwell you. He is not going to give up the task of assurance of salvation to someone else. The Holy Spirit will finish the work and bring it to completion. He guarantees our eternal security all the way to heaven. Until we reach glory, He will continue to give us the assurance that we belong to Him. I do think it is possible for a true Christian to have a low sense of assurance of salvation. Sometimes it is because of their personality. They may be an obsessive, perfectionistic person who is hard to assure of anything. But also, some Christians sit under such poor Bible teaching in hyped-up emotional worship services that it is hard for them to know what is truly involved in their salvation. You may have very little understanding of how you were birthed into the kingdom of God and what has happened to you in your salvation. But if you are sitting under clear, sound Bible teaching, the Spirit of God has a lot to work with in your heart and soul. You can see in verse 16 that “the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Spirit of God is omnipotent, sovereign, and indwelling us. He is fully able to get the message across to our hearts that we belong to God. This is the third ministry of the Holy Spirit that Paul speaks of in these verses. It would be very difficult to live the Christian life if you did not have the assurance of your salvation. It would be very difficult to move forward if you did not know whether you are in or out of the kingdom of God. It would be very difficult for you to enjoy the voyage across the ocean if you are not sure that you belong aboard the ship, or that the ship will actually make it to the harbor on the other side. In order for you to enjoy your salvation and move forward in the Christian life, you need to know that you are a child of God. You must be confident that you have been born again. Paul puts this in the very heart of Romans 8 as a critical part of your sanctification. You cannot move forward if you always have this haunting doubt whether you are truly saved. There is both an external an internal witness. Externally, you should be able to see a changed life with a new direction that you are now moving in. You know that you could not fake this. It is God producing the change in your life. There is also the internal witness of the Spirit of God pulling your heart and anchoring you to the throne of grace. Conclusion Are you following the leading of the Holy Spirit? You do not need to pray for the Spirit to lead you. It is a statement of fact in verse 14 that He is leading you. He is constantly, continually, daily, leading you into the will of God and into personal holiness. The Spirit works through the written word of God. These are not vague, opaque thoughts, but very specific steps in which the Spirit is leading, both in our internal attitude and our external actions. The Spirit is moving us forward. We cannot passively observe this. We must keep instep with the Spirit. If we do not, He has a way of prodding us with correction and discipline.

The New You – Romans 8:9-13

OnePassion Ministries September 13, 2018

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Romans 8:9-13 is all about the change that takes place in the believer’s life when he is born again. Although the words “born again” are not found in these verses, the truth of the new birth is clearly evident. Here, we will discover five dramatic changes that take place in the believer’s life at the moment of salvation. These are all indicative statements of fact. All five take place in every believer’s life when they are born again. This is not the first time Paul has spoken of the new birth in the book of Romans. In Romans 2:28-29, the apostle addressed the true circumcision by the Spirit. In this circumcision, the Spirit of God pierces the heart and opens it up, just as in physical circumcision. The physical cutting of the male organ symbolized being set apart unto God. The true circumcision, which is spiritual, is what took place in our life when we were born again. The Spirit of God took the word of God and pierced our heart, setting us apart unto God and imparting eternal life to us. In Romans 8:9-13, Paul is more descriptive and definitive about exactly what took place in the new birth. In justification, we were given a new standing before God as we were declared the righteousness of God in Christ. But that did not change our daily life—it transformed our identity and standing before God. However regeneration, enacted by the new birth, affects the way we live our life and who we are on the inside. In Romans 8:9-13, we will see five distinct changes that took place the very moment you were birthed into the kingdom of God. I. A New Position (8:9) First, the believer is given a new position. Verses 5-8 were all about the contrast between the life of the unbeliever and the believer. As unbelievers, we walked according to the flesh (verse 5), set our minds on the flesh (verse 6), were hostile toward God (verse 7), and could not please God (verse 8). But in verse 9, we see a distinct contrast. Paul writes, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” (verse 9). “You” refers to all believers. If you are born again, you are not in the flesh. Note that Paul writes in the present tense, “you are not in the flesh.” To be “in the flesh” means to be living in the realm of the flesh, under the control of the flesh. Rather, believers are “in the Spirit.” This happened at the moment of our rebirth. “In the Spirit” To be “in the Spirit” means you are living in a whole new realm. It is like a fish who lived in the water, but suddenly becomes a bird who now lives in the air. To be “in the Spirit” means we are now living under the control, guidance, and direction of the Holy Spirit. There are only two realms that a person can be in. You are either in the flesh or in the Spirit. If you are an unbeliever, you are in the flesh. If you are a believer, you are in the Spirit. You cannot be half in the flesh and half in the Spirit. These are two distinct categories that are polar opposites and do not overlap at all. When we were born into this world, we were born in the realm of the flesh. When we are born again, we are transferred into the realm of the Spirit. We once were living in the world, going according to the sinful course of this world. That was our environment. But God sovereignly reached down and picked us up, changing who we are such that we now live in a totally new environment. We are still in the world, but we are not of the world any longer. We are in the Spirit. We have a totally new position. This is a matter of fact. It does not have any conditions. If you are a Christian, you are once and for all, now and forever, living in the realm of the Spirit. You have been placed into a new kingdom. II. A New Possession (8:9) Second, you have a new possession. Paul writes, “If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you” (verse 9). Not only are we now in the Spirit, but the Spirit is in us. This is a mutual indwelling. We now are living in the realm of the Spirit, and the Spirit is living within us. “If” could be translated as “Since.” Paul has already established that this is true. “Dwells” means to make one’s home in, to live in as a place of residence, to occupy. The Spirit of God has now moved into us and will never leave us. He has moved in to take over as the new dominant influence and force in our lives. He is the internal resident within us. In the Upper Room discourse, Jesus belabored this point. He was about to leave His disciples in order to be crucified and ascend to the Father, and they feared being left on their own. In order to comfort them, He assures them that He will send the Holy Spirit, who will come to live inside of them in His absence. Beginning in John 14:16-17, Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” The Spirit is going to move in and take over your life. He will give you everything that you need to live the Christian life. It is impossible to live the Christian life on your own. The Spirit of God empowers you in this endeavor. Jesus continues, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (verse 20). Here is the mutual indwelling. “We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (verse 23). For the rest of our lives, no matter where we go, we are never alone. The Holy Spirit within me will be all-sufficient to supply the strength and resources that I need for every demand upon my life within the will of God. Jesus puts it this way: “Abide in Me and I in you” (John 15:4). There is again the idea of a mutual indwelling. The apostle Paul writes, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). We are “sons” because we are born again into the family of God. When we were birthed into the family of God, the Spirit of God came into our heart. “Abba” is a term of intimacy such as “Daddy” or “Papa.” This term makes God real and intimate in our hearts. Paul writes, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19). This reality took place the moment you were born again. It is not a second work of grace that happens five years down the road, once you hit a new point of discovery in the Christian life. It is a matter of fact that your body has become a temple for the Holy Spirit. He moved in and He will never move out. He is actively involved in your sanctification. The whole New Testament speaks with one voice on this fact. Paul says to Timothy, “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14). It is abundantly clear that if you have been born again, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Let us look back at Romans 8 at the reality of the Spirit of God within us and His multifaceted ministry in our life. The Spirit of God has set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). The Spirit of God has set our mind on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5-6). It is the Spirit of God who is leading us away from sin and into godliness (Romans 8:14). The Spirit of God is testifying with our Spirit that we are children of God (verse 16). This means the Holy Spirit is bringing the assurance of salvation to our hearts. The Spirit of God that called, convicted, and regenerated us is the same Spirit who now assures us that we are saved. It is the Spirit of God who helps us in our weakness (verse 26). When we are weak in living the Christian life, the Spirit empowers, sustains, and prays for us. He did not simply move into our life to take away from us, but has come in order to be giving to us that which we need to live the Christian life. He has come in to take over. This took place in the new birth. It has already happened, we simply need to realize it. Romans 8:9 concludes, “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” This is crystal clear. If the Spirit of God does not dwell inside of you, then you are unregenerate. This is intended to affirm to the believers in Rome that they do have the Spirit of God. He is actively at work in their life producing Christ-likeness and leading them into personal godliness. The moment you begin to be lured back into the world, the Spirit of God is there to convict you, cause you to confess and repent, and bring you back onto the path of Christ-likeness. III. A New Power (8:10) Third, there is a new power. “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10). Please note how interchangeably the Holy Spirit and Christ are used. In the previous verse, Paul said the Holy Spirit is in us. Now, he says that Christ is in us. Christ is in us by His Spirit. To have the Spirit is to have all of Christ within us. In reality, Jesus is in a glorified body seated at the right hand of God the Father. Christ indwells us by His Spirit. Admittedly, there is somewhat of a mystery related to this, but it is nevertheless true. Physical Death “The body” refers to our physical body. Our physical body has not yet been redeemed. As we live our Christian life, the human spirit within us has been made alive in the new birth. The new birth is the life of God in the soul of man. But the oxymoron is that we have a spirit that has been made alive to God inside of a physical body that is dying. As Christians, we will still die just like unbelievers. We will not escape death, unless the Lord comes during our lifetime. Our outer man is perishing, but our inner man is being renewed day by day. There is a sense in which, on the outside, we are growing older and decaying. But on the inside, we are alive and becoming more and more like Christ. This is the juxtaposition that takes place in the believer. Our physical bodies are wearing out and dying “because of sin.” Let us remind ourselves the reason there is death in the world is because of sin. Sin is the root, death is the fruit. Paul wrote, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Lust gives birth to sin, and sin brings death (James 1:15). We cave in to lust and sin, and when we sin, the result is death. It will never bring spiritual death to the believer, but there is still a physical death. This trajectory begins the moment we are conceived within our mother’s womb. This is evident by the fact that there are miscarriages and death even in the womb. At the moment of conception, Adam’s sin nature is passed down into the embryo of the baby that is formed in the womb. There is death in that body that has been passed down from Adam. Adam’s sin has been imputed. David declares, “In sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). In a sense, from the moment we are conceived, death is at work. Sin was already in the fabric of our physical body. Spiritual Life “Yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Some translations use a capital “S” for Spirit in this verse, but others use a lowercase “s” meaning the human spirit. It is a translator’s decision that could go either way in this instance. In the new birth, our spirit was made alive. You were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins, and God acted upon your spiritually dead soul so that there was a spiritual resurrection and you were made alive in your spirit. That is true, and it is also true that the Holy Spirit is life. Our spirit was made alive by the Holy Spirit who is life. Either way you translate it, it is saying the same thing. We were made alive by the Holy Spirit in our human spirit. Jesus is the One who accomplished, achieved, and secured righteousness for us. Because Jesus was successful in His mission of salvation, the Spirit of God can now work to make us alive and apply the salvation that Jesus accomplished. We are made alive in our spirit by the Holy Spirit, therefore, we have a new power to live the Christian life that we never had before. We are now alive unto God, the truth of Scripture, and the kingdom of God. IV. A New Prospect (8:11) Fourth, we have a new prospect, which means a new future. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (verse 11). “Him” refers to God the Father. We established in verse 9 that the Spirit of God dwells in the believer. Notice He is the Spirit of God the Father in verse 11 and the Spirit of Christ in verse 9. It is interesting how interchangeable each person of the Trinity is. It is not modalism, which means just one person. There are three Persons within the Trinity. These verses point us to the reality of the Trinity. “Give life to your mortal bodies” refers to the resurrection at the end of the age when our physical body will be resurrected. Paul will talk more about this at the end of verse 23. Our spirit has been redeemed on the inside by regeneration, and at the end of the age, there will be the redemption of our body. Our total person will be redeemed, both spirit and body. This will be brought about “through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Paul obviously wants us to know that the Spirit of God dwells in us. Notice the personal pronoun “who.” It is not a “what,” but a “who.” The Holy Spirit is not an “it,” but a “who.” The Holy Spirit is a “He,” meaning He is a person just as God the Father and Jesus Christ are persons. Never refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it” or a “what.” He is a “He” because He has all of the distinctive marks of personhood. The Spirit of God has a mind, emotions, and a will. Just like God the Son and God the Father. You can grieve the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God has a sovereign will. He searches the things of God. The Spirit has a mind: “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is” (Romans 8:27). When Paul refers to the Spirit in verse 11, he refers to Him as a “who.” The Spirit of God indwells us and will never leave us. Even when we go to heaven at the end of the age, the Spirit of God will resurrect our body and reunite it with our soul and spirit, suddenly transforming our body into a resurrected, glorified body. The Spirit’s ministry will continue even after we go to heaven. He is the One who will resurrect our body even when our body is laid in the grave. The Spirit of God will raise our body. V. A New Pursuit (8:12-13) Lastly, there will be a new pursuit of personal holiness. Paul writes, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (verses 12-13). “So then” is a conclusion that is drawn based on what was just stated. Paul declares that we are not under obligation to the flesh. We have moved out of that realm. We are no longer duty-bound to our old master of sin. We are no longer slaves to the flesh. “You must die” refers to eternal death, not physical death. This refers to an unbeliever. No believer will live according to the desires of their flesh as the main emphasis of their Christian life. They are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. This is not teaching moral perfectionism, nor is it saying that we do not sin anymore. But we are no longer living in that realm. We have a new citizenship in a different kingdom. Therefore, we no longer live according to our flesh, but according to the Spirit. We will still stumble and fall, but it is not the main characteristic of our life. “You will live” refers to living eternally in the presence of God. This is a statement of fact that believers are being led by the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the body. “The body” refers to our unredeemed humanity, the unredeemed body of sin in which we live with its fleshly appetites. The Spirit of God leads the believer to put to death the deeds of the flesh. The Spirit of God does not lead us to play with sin, or simply to slap its hand. Rather, the Spirit of God is leading us to deal ruthlessly with our sin. We are to mortify our flesh, to crucify the deeds of the flesh. The weeds keep trying to grow back, but we must continue to pluck them from our life. The Spirit of God is the active Agent in our life that directs us to deal with these sins. He will not allow us to continue in sin. We must continue to put to death the deeds of the flesh as long as we live in this fleshly body here on the earth. Our perishing body still has fleshly appetites. We never escape the conflict, but we must make progress. The Spirit of God ensures that we do make progress. If we decide not to deal with our sin, the Spirit of God will continue to convict us, as well as bring discipline into our lives. Eventually, there is sin that leads to death. There is a reality that God does take some home to heaven because they refuse to crucify their sin and turn away from the sin in their life. But the point is that we have been birthed into the kingdom of heaven, and therefore, we have a new pursuit towards holiness. There are no conditions for us to meet to be granted this new pursuit. It is a matter of fact when we are born again. It is something that has already taken place in the life of the believer. We now have this new pursuit and will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to strive towards righteousness. Conclusion In conclusion, remember that each of these characteristics is an accomplished reality for the believer. Knowing this truth results in four outcomes for us today. First, recognition. You must recognize that if you are a believer, these are real life actual facts that have happened in your life. This has already happened in your life. Second, examination. You must examine yourself to see if this has happened in your life. It is one thing to go to church and be religious. It is something else entirely for you to be transferred from the realm of the flesh to the realm of the Spirit. The Spirit of God takes over your life and leads you to put to death the deeds of the flesh. Do you see this taking place in your life? Third, confirmation. As you see these things taking place in your life, it should be confirmation to you that you are no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit. This should be affirmation in a positive way. It is part of the assurance of salvation. God is at work in the believer both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Before this took place, I was going with the flow of the world, insensitive to the things of God. But now that I have been made alive to the Spirit and have a heightened sensitivity to the things of God, this should be a great encouragement to me. God is at work in my life. How can you know that you are saved? You see that this has taken place in your life. Fourth, mortification. We bear human responsibility to work in partnership with the Spirit of God to be putting to death the deeds of the flesh. Paul states in the imperative that we must be “putting to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). It is both the Spirit of God working in us to do this and also us actively working to put to death the deeds of our flesh. We must pluck these weeds out of our life so that we can be made like Christ. Sin is still a part of our lives because we are still in this body of sin. So there is a conflict within us. But praise God that we are not doing this on our own. The Spirit of God within us is far more powerful than any sin in our life. He is omnipotent, which means He has all power. Whatever temptation we might be wrestling with, the Spirit of God is more than powerful to help us overcome the temptations.

Only Two Kinds of People – Romans 8:5-8

OnePassion Ministries June 15, 2018

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For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:5-8). Romans 8:5-8 makes it very clear that there are only two kinds of people in the world. This passage draws a sharp line of distinction between these two classes of people. There are believers and unbelievers. According to this passage, there are those who have been justified, and those who are condemned. There are those who are according to the flesh, and those who are according to the Spirit. There are those who have set their mind on the things of the flesh, and there are those who have set their mind on the things of the Spirit. It is very obvious that there is a black and white distinction in this passage. Paul wants to be crystal clear that if you have been justified by faith, you will be sanctified. There is no one who is justified by faith whose life is not dramatically changed. Everyone who has escaped the condemnation of God has undergone a radical work of God in their person life. Paul lays out a clear contrast so that there is no confusion for his readers. There is a back and forth in these verses between the two classes. There is clearly not a third or fourth class, but only two. This is important because a few years ago, there was much talk about the “carnal Christian.” It was said that there were actually three classes of people. First, those who are not Christians. Second, those who are Christians. And third, those who claim to be Christians but live like non-Christians. Obviously, that is impossible. This text will show us very clearly that no one who has been justified by faith will continue to live as they once did. The outline is very simple. In verse 5, there are two mindsets. In verse 6, there are two destinies. In verses 7-9, there are two dispositions. I. Two Different Mindsets (8:5) Everyone in the world has one of two mindsets. Paul tells us, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh” (verse 5). Those who are “according to the flesh” are those who are “in the flesh” in verse 8. This means that the realm in which they live is a carnal, fleshly realm. They are governed by their flesh, rather than by the Spirit of God. The “flesh” refers to their carnal appetites, sinful desires, worldly pursuits, material pleasures, secular beliefs, self-interest, and self-promotion. Their minds are set on these things. They have a worldly mindset. The phrase “set their minds” (phroneo) is one word in the Greek. It means to be absorbed with something, to focus sharply on something. It is not just occasionally glancing at fleshly things, but living life with their mind set on the things of the flesh. Their whole life revolves around living for the things of the world. This describes every unconverted person in the world. They live according to the flesh. Their mind is set on the things of the flesh. This mindset is impossible for a true believer and the complete opposite of a Christian. “Of the Spirit” Then note the stark contrast in the middle of verse 5, “But those who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Paul makes a clear distinction, using the word “but” to mark the stark contrast. He is now referring to a believer. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We all entered this world living according to the flesh with our mind set on the things of the flesh. It is only by the new birth and the truth of regeneration that we are transferred from the fleshly realm where we lived for the flesh to the spiritual realm where we live for the Spirit. The “things of the Spirit” are those things that belong to God, such as the kingdom of God, the Son of God, the word of God, the truth of God, and the will of God. We who are “according to the Spirit” have a totally different mindset than those who are of the flesh. We see the world different and have different affections and desires. The contrast could not be any greater. Previously, we desired the things of the flesh, now we desire the things of the Spirit. To become a Christian is to be moved from the first realm into the second realm. We no longer live in the old realm. We cannot have one foot in and one foot out. We cannot live according to the flesh Monday through Saturday, and then live according to the Spirit on Sunday. When you are born again, you are completely uprooted and replanted in this totally new realm, the realm of the Spirit. You now have the mind of Christ with a totally new worldview and perspective on life. You now see with a divine and eternal perspective. It brings about a radical change in your life. The two realms are totally different and you cannot live in both at the same time. You entered the world in one realm, but upon salvation, you were transferred to the other realm, the realm of the Spirit. Your mind was once set on the things of the flesh, but now it is set on the things of the Spirit. The two mindsets are completely different. II. Two Different Destinies (8:6) As we move to verse 6, we see that these contrasting mindsets take lives in two totally opposite directions that end up in two totally different places. Paul writes, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (verse 6). “The mind set on the flesh” is obviously not talking about the believer, but rather the unbeliever, who was born in and continues to live in a spiritual state of death. When Paul says, “the mind set on the flesh is death,” he is really referring to the outcome of this life, which is eternal death, the second death. Paul previously wrote, “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). This clearly states that sin results in death. Likewise, the life that lives in the realm of sin results in death. You are already in a spiritual state of death before you are converted, so it is really like you are going from one death to the next death. Almost like a corpse going to the grave. Paul continues, “Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death” (Romans 6:21). Then, he again emphasizes, “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Verse 16 said the result is death, verse 21 said the outcome is death, and verse 23 said the wages of sin is death. This is saying the same thing three different ways in three different verses. This does not refer to physical death, but spiritual death. It is eternal death, eternal destruction, eternal condemnation. The one whose mindset is according to the flesh will end up in eternal death. “Life and Peace” The second half of Romans 8:6 is the total contrast. It refers to true believers, those who have been born again. Paul writes, “but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (verse 6). This describes every true believer in Jesus Christ, those who have been born again. Their mindset has been totally reversed. There is a total turnaround in their life so that their mind is now set on the Spirit and the things of the Spirit. The resulting outcome is the total opposite of death—it is life and peace. This “life” refers to eternal life in the ages to come. There is a completely different destiny that lies ahead for the one who belongs to God. “Peace” does not refer to the peace of God, which is subjective, but peace with God, which is objective. In the next verse, you will note a contrasting word, “hostile.” This means enmity with God, being at war with God. But in verse 6, “peace” refers to the opposite of hostility. It is the opposite of being at enmity with God. Those who have a mind set on the Spirit are now at peace with God, because they have been reconciled to God through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. This peace refers to the eternal state of reconciliation and acceptance with God. Romans 5:1 first introduced us to being at peace with God: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” What did you have before you were justified? The very opposite of peace with God. You were hostile towards God, at war with Him, and God was at war with you. You were under the wrath of God. Romans 1:18 reminds us that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” There is more to the story than “God loves sinners.” God is also angry with sinners and His wrath abides on every unbeliever. When we believe in Christ, we are no longer at war with God, and He is no longer at war with us. We enter into a state of peace with God and God is at peace with us, because the wrath of God has been propitiated by the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The two different mindsets lead to two different destinies. There could not be a more dramatic difference than death and life. It is like the difference between light and darkness. It is a total juxtaposition. Every person’s life is headed to one of these two outcomes, either to eternal life or to eternal death. III. Two Different Dispositions (8:7-9) In verses 7-9, we see two different dispositions that are indicative of these two different classes of people. Verses 7-8 refer to those who are unbelievers, who are according to the flesh, whose outcome is death. Verse 9 refers to true believers, who are according to the Spirit, whose outcome is life. These verses talk about the totally opposite dispositions of the two groups. Disposition means the heart, the nature, the inner person, the bent of their life. Disposition of an Unbeliever There are four things to note about the unbeliever in verses 7-8. First, we see their hostility toward God. Paul writes, “Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God” (verse 7). Again, the mind “set on the flesh” means the mind that is governed by the flesh, controlled by the flesh, and set upon fleshly things. This person is “hostile toward God.” “Hostile” means hatred, enmity, and bitter opposition against God. This is clearly not a neutral state. This person is not sitting on the fence with one arm around the flesh and one arm around God. Rather, their whole life is hostile toward God. This hostility can be represented either in active rebellion against God or in passive indifference toward God. Either way, Paul says it is hostility toward God. The unbeliever is “hostile in mind” toward God (Colossians 1:21). It goes deeper than their actions, it is the very mindset of the unbeliever. They push against God. They do not want God to tell them how to live their life. They want to go their own way and do their own thing. They do not want to be bound by God. James also says that unbelievers have “hostility toward God” and are “an enemy of God” (James 4:4). This refers to every unbeliever on the earth. They may be someone who attends church, grew up in a Christian home, or went to a Christian school. But until they come to faith in Christ, they are still keeping God at arm’s length. They only want God on the superficial exterior façade of their life. They do not want Him on the interior, governing and controlling their life. They reject and refuse God, wanting to continue to go their own way. Second, we see the mindset of superiority within the unbeliever. They are arrogant, self-elevating, and prideful. Paul continues, “for it does not subject itself to the law of God.” “It” refers to the mind set on the flesh. There is no humility, submission, or surrender within them. They refuse to come under the authority of the word of God. They may have some outward morality, but in their heart, they refuse to come under the authority of God’s word. There is a superiority about their mindset that they are above the word of God, rather than in submission under it. They have the superior mindset of a critic who picks and chooses which parts they will apply to their life. They want God a-la-carte, where they can pick and choose which parts to follow and which parts to ignore. They are determined to run their own life by their own standards and will not submit to the authority of the word of God. The psalmist writes, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!’” (Psalm 2:1-3). This is a worldwide conspiracy of rebellion and anarchy against God. It is true in every generation. It is the doctrine of total depravity. The unbelieving world refuses to be tied down by the moral constraints of God’s word. They want to redefine the family, gender, marriage, ethics, and the terms of coming to God. They want to throw off all moral restraints given by God. Romans 8:7 shows the very same picture. They will not subject themselves to the law of God because sin is ruling their life. Third, we see the moral inability of the unregenerate flesh. It is incapable of submitting to the word of God. Paul continues, “For it” referring to the mind set on the flesh, “is not even able to do so” (verse 7). There is a stubborn resistance in the nature of every unbeliever who has not been birthed from above by the Spirit of God. Note that they are “not even able to do so.” They need God to dramatically lay hold of them and to intervene, interrupting their life, and transplanting them into His kingdom. Unless God grants salvation, they are unable to follow the Law of God. Fourth, we see that it is impossible for the unbeliever to please God. Paul continues, “And those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (verse 8). To be “in the flesh” is the same as being “according to the flesh” (verse 5) and “setting your mind on the things of the flesh” (verse 6). That is the realm of your lifestyle and it “cannot please God.” This clearly means that this person has no ability in their flesh to please God. The very first step to pleasing God is to believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Paul is intentionally moving these two classes to opposite extremes so that we understand that they are not even touching. There is a chasm that separates the believer from the unbeliever. Disposition of a Believer In verse 9, Paul moves to the believer. He begins with, “However,” which is a way of stating a stark contrast to what was previously said. Paul now turns away from describing the lifestyle, nature, and disposition of the unbeliever to addressing the believers in the church in Rome. He writes, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you” (verse 9). No believer lives in the flesh. We still retain the flesh and make fleshly choices, but the pattern of our life is not in the flesh. We live in the Spirit. It is a whole different kingdom. There is no straddling the fence. There is not a third category that is in the middle of these two. You are either in the flesh or in the Spirit. To be “in the Spirit” means that you are in Christ. You have been placed there by the Spirit. When you are “in the Spirit,” the Holy Spirit lives within you. The believer’s body is the royal residence of the Holy Spirit. Our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Paul says that the Holy Spirit dwells in every true believer, and therefore, we are in the Spirit. For us to be “in the Spirit” means that we are living under the governing power and control of God the Holy Spirit. When we take a wrong step, the Holy Spirit convicts us and brings us back. We will never lose our salvation because the Holy Spirit seals us in Christ and we cannot escape. Conclusion To sum up these verses, the first half of verse 5 refers to unbelievers. The second half of verse 5 refers to believers. The first half of verse 6 refers to unbelievers. The second half of verse 6 refers to believers. Verses 7-8 refer to unbelievers. And verse 9 refers to believers. The reason that Paul stresses this in the middle of his teaching on sanctification is for us to understand that every true believer is in the Spirit, is indwelt by the Spirit, is living according to the Spirit, and has set his mind on the things of the Spirit. That is categorically true. As we look back at these verses, I have three points of application. The first is self-examination. Every one of us needs to examine ourselves of whether we are in the flesh or in the Spirit. Are you in Adam or in Christ? Are you of the world or of Christ? Are you lost or are you saved, unconverted or converted? Every one of us needs to examine ourselves to see whether we have been born again. Are you birthed by the Spirit of God into the kingdom of God? Paul draws a clear line in the sand and every one of us is on one of two sides. In order to be right with God, in order for there to be no condemnation, we must be in Christ. There is only one way to be in Christ, and that is to be born again by believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. When that happens, you are taken from this old realm in which you previously lived, and you are transplanted into a totally different realm—the realm of the Spirit of God and of Jesus Christ. Where are you in relation to Jesus Christ? When did this happen? It was a divine act of God upon your soul that happened at an exact moment in time. It did not happen over a long period of time. You may not remember the exact date or time, but it did happen on an exact date at a specific time. When did this transfer take place in your life? It is the most important question. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I say to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:6-7). “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Self-examination is between you and God. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Second, self-renunciation. If you realize that you are living according to the flesh, then you need to repent and turn away from your carnal pursuits and desires. You must deny yourself and take up your cross. You must renounce your old way of life. You cannot have one foot in the old way of life and one foot in the new way of life. You must renounce your old way of life. We live in this world, but we do not live for this world; we live for the world to come while we are here upon the earth. Have you renounced your old way of life? Have you renounced living for the kingdoms of this world so that you may live for the kingdom of God? “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). For those of us who have renounced our old way of life, it is good for us to be reminded that we have burned the bridges behind us and there is no going back to living for the things of this world. This does not mean that we cannot work in this world. There is a vocational call of God upon our lives to work diligently in this world. But there is a difference in working in the world and working for the world. We no longer live for the things of this world. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. Third, self-presentation. Having renounced our old way of life, we now present ourselves to Jesus Christ to live out this new manner of life. We must entrust our life to Christ. We must submit to the law of God and live in obedience to it. Verse 7 said that the unbeliever will not subject himself to the law of God. This clearly implies that the believer does subject himself to the law of God. This means that we live in purposeful obedience from the heart, motivated by the grace of God, to please God in all things. Verse 8 says that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But we are in the Spirit, and our life’s goal is to please God. What pleases God is when we trust Him and live for Him. We must continually present ourselves to God. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1). We must be like the priest who presents the sacrifice on the altar. We must present our lives on the altar to God. In Old Testament times, the priest presented a dead sacrifice. However, in New Testament times, we now present the living sacrifice of our very lives. May we give careful thought to how we need to daily present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.

Life in the Spirit – Romans 8:1-4

OnePassion Ministries June 7, 2018

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Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4). Many people have called Romans 8 the greatest chapter in the Bible. It has been said that if the Bible is a ring, then the book of Romans is the diamond, and chapter 8 is the apex of the cut on that diamond. The focus of Romans 8 is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer to enable one to live the Christian life. The chapter begins in verse 1 with “no condemnation” and ends in verse 39 with “no separation.” Nothing could be more positive than this. It is an entire chapter about the spiritual victory and eternal security that we have in Jesus Christ. We have the whole of the Christian life in this one chapter. In verses 1, 30, and 33, we have justification. In verses 2-17, we have sanctification. And in verses 18-39, we have glorification. Paul puts his arms around the entirety of our Christian life. As we walk through Romans 8, we see the believer’s union with Christ (verse 1), liberation in Christ (verse 2), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (verse 9), regeneration (verses 10-11), mortification of sin (verse 13), adoption by God (verse 15), assurance of salvation (verse 16), inheritance with Christ (verse 17), future glory (verse 18), the intercession of the Holy Spirit (verses 26-27), the providence of God (verse 28), foreknowledge (verse 29), predestination (verses 29-30), effectual call (verses 28, 30), and our eternal security (verses 35-39). This is a theological treasure chest. The vaults of heaven are contained in this one chapter. It is so rich, and yet so practical, as the whole chapter is about our daily Christian living. Paul presents the doctrine of sanctification in Romans 6-8, with chapter 8 being the crowning piece. Romans 6 reveals our vital union with Christ. We have been crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, and raised with Christ. Romans 7 reminds us of our ongoing struggle with sin. Then, Romans 8 shows us our ongoing victory in the Holy Spirit. The Work of the Spirit The first half of Romans 8 is all about the Holy Spirit’s work in our life as a Christian. This is the only way a believer can live out the life to which God has called him. No one can live the Christian life in their own strength. The only person who ever could was Jesus Christ Himself. The only way that you and I can live the Christian life is by the power of God’s Spirit, which He has put within us in order to reproduce the life of Christ. The Holy Spirit is mentioned nineteen times in the first twenty-seven verses of Romans 8. The Holy Spirit is described as “the Spirit of life” (verse 2). We are to walk “according to…the Spirit” (verse 4). Our mind is to be set on “the things of the Spirit” (verse 5). The “Spirit of God” is the “Spirit of Christ,” and both the Father and the Son have sent the Spirit (verse 9). The Spirit “raised Jesus from the dead,” and this Spirit “dwells in you” to recreate the life of Christ (verse 11). It is by the Spirit that we “put to death the deeds of the flesh” (verse 13). Even our resisting temptation and putting sin to death is by the enablement of the Holy Spirit. We are “led by the Spirit” to pursue holiness (verse 14). It is the Holy Spirit who testifies to our spirit that “we are children of God” (verses 15-16). It is the Spirit of God who gives us the assurance of salvation. How do you know that you are a Christian? How do you know that you are not one who says, “Lord, Lord,” and to whom Jesus says, “Depart from Me, you who work iniquity”? It is by the inner working of the Holy Spirit who testifies to our spirit that we are children of God. We have the “first fruits of the Spirit,” which is our adoption into the family of God (verse 23). It is the Holy Spirit who “intercedes for us” and prays for us according to our weaknesses (verses 26-27). Even in areas where we are not aware of our weakness, the Spirit of God intercedes for us. This chapter is all about the Holy Spirit’s impact on the life of the believer. As we focus on verses 1-4 in this study, we see clearly that sanctification is a work of all three Persons of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In verse 1, we see justification in the Son. In verse 2, we see liberation by the Spirit. And in verses 3-4, we see condemnation by the Father. All three persons of the Godhead are mentioned in these four verses. The entire Trinity is involved in our Christian life. I. Justification in the Son (8:1) Verse 1 begins with the word “therefore.” Paul reaches back and pulls forward the entire book of Romans to this point. The theme of the book, which began in 1:16-17, is that the believer has the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Because this is true, Paul writes, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (verse 1). The word “no” is the most important word in this verse. In the Greek, Paul uses a compound word for “no” (oudeis) which is even stronger than the normal word for ‘no.’ Paul is affirming that there is absolutely no condemnation for the believer. “No” is actually the first word of the sentence in the Greek manuscript, which means the primary emphasis is placed upon “no.” Translators have moved the word in order to make the sentence read better, but Paul is strongly declaring that there is absolutely no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. “Condemnation” (katakrima) is also a strong Greek word that means ‘death sentence, damnation, eternal death.’ As a believer, there is no damnation sentence hanging over your head. The noose has been removed from your neck, and there is now no eternal death sentence for you. Paul actually uses a double negative, which makes it even more emphatic. “No condemnation” actually means a positive justification. This is a way of saying that you are justified in the Lord Jesus Christ. “In Christ Jesus” The status of “no condemnation” is reserved exclusively for those who are “in Christ Jesus.” There are only two classifications of people in the world: those who are not under condemnation because they are in Christ, and everyone else who is under condemnation because they are not in Christ. There is no gray area. To be “in Christ Jesus” means that you have union and communion with Christ. The Holy Spirit has placed you into the Lord Jesus Christ. You now have a vital, personal relationship with Christ. Everything that is true of Christ is now true of you regarding all that He has provided. Because you are in Christ, Christ Himself would have to be condemned before you could be condemned. Christ would have to be cast into hell forever in order for the believer to be cast into hell forever. The Bible says that we are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Before you go to heaven, you have already been to heaven. You are just as certain for heaven in this moment as if you had already been there ten thousand years. When God says, “no condemnation,” it is irrevocable, irreversible, declared by God to be true forever. This truth frees us to live the Christian life. We are not on a performance treadmill trying to gain God’s eternal acceptance. It is already a done deal. Rather than trying to live our lives to earn God’s favor, the grace of this status of “no condemnation” by the Father should fuel the fire of our motivation to live the Christian life. What amazing pardon God has given us in Christ Jesus. We can rest assured that, as those who are in Christ Jesus, we have no condemnation before God. Notice that Paul writes, “there is now no condemnation.” “Now” is a word that denotes time. It clearly implies that before now, there was condemnation. Before the elect were converted to Christ, we were under the condemnation and wrath of God. It began the moment we entered this world. We entered into this new state of “no condemnation” when we believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Fuel for Evangelism We need to tell this to people as we witness to them. Sometimes we put so much emphasis on the love, grace, and forgiveness of God that we hesitate to tell them that they are under condemnation at this very moment. They are under the wrath of God and should flee to Christ, believing in Him, so that now there can be no condemnation. Fleeing from the wrath of God is a legitimate motivation for turning to Christ, because God’s wrath is a real thing. It sweetens the reality of where we are as believers. If we were never under condemnation, this verse would mean nothing to us. But we were previously under the wrath, damnation, and death sentence of God. But now, there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! That is why this is the greatest news that could ever be made known to man. It is amazing grace. This is justification exclusively in the Son. Outside of the Son is condemnation. Inside the Son is no condemnation. II. Our Liberation by the Spirit (8:2) Second, we have been liberated by the Holy Spirit. As Paul begins verse 2, he uses the word “For” (gar), which introduces an explanation of what was just said in verse 1. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (verse 2). This word for “law” does not refer to the Mosaic Law or the Ten Commandments. It refers to a regulating principle, like the law of gravity. It is a governing power. The “Spirit of life” refers  to the Holy Spirit who is life and gives life. The Holy Spirit of God enlivens, empowers, and enables us to live the Christian life. There is this new principle, a new governing force and influence that is the Holy Spirit, and He gives us new life that is in Christ Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). “Set Free” This law of the Spirit “has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” This is the emancipation in which you and I were set free from another governing principle that once dictated our life, the law of sin and death. “The law of sin and death” is the law of total depravity and the power of sin that had a grip on our mind, affections, and will. In order to move forward in the Christian life, we have to be released from the death grip that the law of sin and death once had upon our entire life. The moment we believed in Christ, God said, “No condemnation,” and at the very same moment He also set us free from the law of sin and death. This is very important, because it tells us that justification and liberation are inseparably bound together. There is no one who is justified who is not at the same time set free from the law of sin and death. Sometimes you hear bad Christian teaching that you can be justified, yet continue to live a life of sin. Then maybe a few years later, you will finally decide to be committed and change your life. The Bible says that you cannot be justified and continue to live the same life of sin. The Christian has been “set free from the law of sin and of death.” There has been a break from your old way of life. Justification and sanctification cannot be separated. All who are justified are also immediately being sanctified. John Calvin put it this way, “As Christ cannot be divided, so also these two blessings which we receive together in Him are also inseparable.” Christ cannot be divided and neither can these two blessings be divided. “In Christ Jesus” is the common theme in verses one and two. A whole new life in Christ began the moment you were justified. You may have been in need of additional biblical teaching about what God had done in your life, but the reality of this change, nevertheless, began in that moment of justification. Being “set free from the law of sin and of death” has put you on a new course with a new governing power in your life. The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual life with the power to pursue holiness, righteousness, and love. We do not live perfectly, but we do live in stark contrast to the way we used to live. III. Condemnation by the Father (8:3-4) Third, we see condemnation of sin by God the Father. This sounds very negative, but it is an incredibly positive negative. The Father has condemned sin in the flesh so that we can now pursue holiness and walk according to the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.” (verse 3). Paul’s use of “Law” in verse 3 does not refer to a governing principle as in verse 2, but to the moral law of God, the Ten Commandments. God requires all believers in all ages to abide by this moral law. The Law has power to tell us what to do, but it does not give us the power to do it. This is what Paul means when he writes, “weak as it was through the flesh.” This weakness refers to the impotence of the Law to enable us to do what it requires. There is nothing wrong with the Law. The weakness was not in its teaching, because its teaching points us into the very center of God’s will. The weakness was in its inability to give us the power to obey what it requires of us. “The flesh” refers to our own human limitation. The weakness is in us. This is why we need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to keep the Law. God has intervened. What “God did” refers not to the pardon for sin that we need, but to the power He gives us to live the Christian life. God intervened and made provision for our sanctification. The Sinless Flesh of Christ Then Paul explains what God did, “sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Please note that He did not send His Son in sinful flesh. Only in the likeness of sinful flesh, which is a reference to the incarnation and virgin birth. Jesus always remained holy. The deity of Christ goes back to eternity past and is without beginning. Jesus has always existed and always been God. Regarding Christ’s human conception, the Holy Spirit conceived in Mary, and the result was the Holy offspring (Luke 1:35). In the womb, Jesus took upon Himself a human nature. The Divine nature took on a human nature such that they are two natures in the one Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. His human nature was sinless because it was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by Adam’s seed. Jesus entered the human race so that He could deliver us from sin. He had to be in the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin. “As an offering” is not in the original text, but has been added by translators to help us as we read. The literal wording is “and for sin.” The wording is emphatic and to the point. Jesus was sent by the Father in the likeness of human flesh to deal with sin in our lives. Not only to give us the pardon of sin, but also to break the stranglehold that sin once had as it governed how we lived. We are now enabled to live a brand new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sin Condemned In the phrase “He condemned sin,” “He” refers to the Father. God sent the Son in the likeness of human flesh to deal with our sin. By this, God the Father condemned sin and pronounced a judgment upon the power of sin in our life such that it is no longer the dominant ruling force in our lives. It is still present within us, but it is no longer the dominant power in our lives. We can now live this new life in the pursuit of holiness. The word for “condemned” has the same root word as “condemnation” in verse 1. There is no condemnation for the believer in verse 1, but in verse 3, we see that God “condemned sin in the flesh.” He overthrew the power of sin in the life of the believer. “In the flesh” refers to Jesus’s human nature. Jesus was “born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law” (Galatians 4:4-5). Jesus had to enter the human race in order to deliver us from the power of sin in our life. He had to stand in our shoes, get in our skin, and, by His obedience to the Law of God, break the power that sin once had in our lives. He had to become experientially involved by becoming like us, though yet without sin. The noose that was once around our neck was removed by Christ. The Father placed it upon His Son so that we could be delivered from both the condemnation and the power of sin in our daily lives. Empowered to Obedience Paul continues in verse 4, “So that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” “So that” (hina) means ‘in order that.’ It denotes the purpose. This is a potent statement. There is still the requirement of the Law in our Christian lives that we follow and live the Ten Commandments. We are not free to live however we want. It needs to be “fulfilled,” or lived out, in our Christian lives. To be “fulfilled” means that holiness is realized in our life through our obedience to the Law of God. We once walked “according to the flesh.” We lived under the direction and dominance of our sinful flesh. But as believers, we no longer walk that way. “Walk” refers to our daily conduct. Putting one foot in front of the other as we daily live our Christian life. “We now walk “according to the Spirit.” We now live by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Law is being realized and fulfilled in us as we live in obedience to what God requires. God commands us to have no other gods before Him. We shall not make a graven image and worship it. We shall not take the name of the Lord our God in vain. There is some alteration with the practice of Sabbath, but we still are to prioritize Sunday as the Lord’s Day and worship the Lord with God’s people on Sunday. We are to honor our father and mother. We are not to steal or bear false witness. We are not to covet our neighbor’s wife and possessions. All of that requires our obedience. This can only be realized in our Christian lives as we walk according to the Spirit. Without the Spirit, we are like a paraplegic who cannot take one step. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can win the gold medal. The Spirit of God enables us to do what God requires of us. Conclusion You and I must live moment by moment in the power of the Hoy Spirit. We must walk according to the Spirit. Here are five words to practically describe how to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. First, intentionally. We must be consciously aware of our own weakness and purposefully live yielded to the lordship of Christ. We must be aware of our need for the power of the Holy Spirit. This must be intentional. Throughout the day, as we are faced with challenges that stretch us, we will either walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. We must intentionally choose to walk according to the power of the Holy Spirit and rely upon His power. Whether we pray aloud with words or silently within our heart, we must acknowledge our need and ask for His strength. As we are sitting at our desk, driving our car, talking with others, arriving at home, disciplining our children, and communicating with our wives, we must be consciously aware and dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit to live in a God-honoring way. We cannot pull this off in our own strength. Second, continually. We must be always walking according to the Spirit. At home, at work, at play, there is no timeout or time off from walking according to the power of the Holy Spirit. From the moment we wake up, throughout the day, and until we are asleep in our bed, we need to commit to continuously walk according to the power of the Holy Spirit. Third, humbly. We must be yielded and dependent upon the Spirit. Yielding, submitting, and surrendering our lives to the Person of the Holy Spirit. We cannot try to do this in our own power. We must admit and confess our constant need for the Spirit’s help. Fourth, obediently. God’s holy Law requires obedience. We must keep and obey the Law from our heart, meaning willingly, joyfully, voluntarily. Not with a sense of coercion or against our will. The Spirit of God enables us to obey the law from the heart. Fifth, prayerfully. We need to ask God, both in our personal prayer life and consciously throughout the day, to give us the power of His Spirit to live in a way that glorifies Him and honors the Lord Jesus Christ. We must pray that we would react to people in a God-honoring way, that we would answer people in a way that honors the Lord, that we would make the right choices and keep the right priorities. This requires our prayer, participation, and responsibility. We must be praying for God to enable us to walk according to the power of the Holy Spirit. These are incredibly important verses that lay a foundation for our understanding of how to live the Christian life. There is now no condemnation. We are not living the Christian life with a sense of guilt. Rather, we are motivated by grace. The Spirit of God has set us free from the law of sin and death. The Spirit is now the operative, dominant, ruling force in our lives. That is a reality. You do not have to pray for that—it has already happened. What the Law could not do, the Spirit of God is working out within us, both to will and to work for God’s own pleasure. The Spirit inclines us toward obedience and empowers us to live in a way that is compliant with the word of God.