lesson 32c
Romans 8:14-18 · Courtney Hemenway · May 26, 2019
Romans (2018-21), No. 66
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926191502135

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

In Romans 8, lesson 32, and I think I'm just going to go back, because it's been three weeks, third week on this. I'm going to go back to this scripture again. We know what passage we're going through. We're going through Romans 8, chapter 8, verses 14 through 18.

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of slavery, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And of 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 consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Again, an incredibly good passage.

I thought about that last week. We discussed, I think, the past two weeks, this thought of going before God and calling Him Daddy or Father, the intimacy that we have with that. I think I thought more about that after our discussions last week, too, about who's the one who's prohibiting us from that? I asked you last week when we started the class, do you feel comfortable with addressing God as your dad or father or daddy? And I almost guarantee all of you feel strange in doing that, in that you, this is the God of the universe. What do you mean I call him Daddy? What do you mean I have this ability to go Abba, Father, Daddy?

You all feel uncomfortable. I thought about that last week, and somebody commented, I don't know if it was Don or whoever, but we were talking about, you know, who's the one prohibiting you from doing that? Is it social pressure? What is it that prohibits you from feeling okay with addressing God as your father, daddy? Sin nature. Start thinking about that as you feel uncomfortable and I ask you about it. Do you wake up in the morning and say daddy?

The one that's prohibiting that, because we're told in Scripture you can do that. In fact, He wants you to do that. John 17 and the intimacy that we have in that section of Scripture tells us that. He wants that same relationship that He has with the Father with us. He wants that same union.

So the one that's prohibiting you from feeling comfortable with doing that is your sin nature. So understand that. that the one who's prohibiting you from that intimate relationship is your own sin nature. So after those comments last week, I thought about that. It's like, that really is true. The one who makes us uncomfortable is the sin nature.

Because does he want you to have that relationship? Does he want you to feel comfortable going before God the Father anytime, anyplace, anywhere with that relationship? Absolutely not. So he's going to do everything he can to prohibit you from doing that.

So just understand that uncomfortable nature when you're either praying or you want that relationship, that's the sin nature of the one who's prohibiting you or trying to make you feel uncomfortable. That makes sense because Adam and Eve Wanted to get away from God. What was the first thing I did? Hi! Get me away from Him. I feel uncomfortable with this relationship. That was the first thing and still the sin nature is still trying to do the same thing.

So I just encourage you to try and have that attitude because it's called out in scripture to do that. to have that intimacy, that ability to come before him in the morning, anytime, daddy, father. And talk to him in a normal voice, in a normal conversation, because he wants that. And as you feel comfortable with him, you understand, you have a better relationship, you become more manifest in Christ as you have this comfortable relation, knowing who you are in Christ. Yeah, Abba was determined to do it. Children used to address their father with a term of endearment. So dad or daddy is the same thing. For us, when we use the term daddy, that's a very personal statement to your dad. That's still true today. The rabbi that used to live across the street, I was over there one day talking to his wife and one of the kids came up and had a question and she said, go ask Abba.

But yeah, just remember who's the one prohibiting you from that. That really gets you a different perspective on why you feel uncomfortable. The one who's making you feel uncomfortable is your sin nature. Because he wants you to speak with him in a normal voice, in a normal relationship. That's what he wants. Even when I look at John 17, there wasn't a lot of flowery, you know, statements, that was a very personal relationship between Christ and his father, and you saw that in John 17. That's the kind of relationship he wants for us in his tellings in John 17, and here, he wants that same relationship.

So again, I challenge you to, when you feel that uncomfortable nature, just to speak to God and get that relationship, because as we do that, we become more conformed to his image of his son. were in him. So again, some of the thoughts as we've gone through this I think are important in our relationship.

I think we got to question seven. Am I correct? We're in seven now. So, what good thing can I do that I may inherit eternal life? And that comes from 1617. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may be also glorified with Him. So, what good thing can I do that I may inherit eternal life?

Believe. Believe? Okay, you're saved. You have to believe. You're a believer. So, what? You already have it. Do you have to do something to get it? That's the question. Do you have to do something? No. Anybody have to do anything? So that you inherit, I mean, a believer, you're adopted, you're children of God, is there anything you have to do? No. One of the teachings in Galatians was that, one thing Tom Loy had said was that If we are trying to do anything to add to what Jesus did, we're fooling ourselves. Well, yeah, if there's something you have to do, then Christ wasn't enough.

Right. That's a pretty bold statement. You have to do something to become a son, but once a son, there's nothing you do from then on in terms of inheritance. And that's where heirship is a relationship. So what is the relationship that we have right now? Sons. Sons. Children. Children of God.

So it's a lot different. You know, that was the other thing I was thinking about. I thought that was an important thing that Bill brought out. And this is again a relationship and with our being able to say daddy. When you're in a family, earthly family, is feelings, and we addressed this last time, is it feelings that make you feel like you're part of a family or you just know? Do you feel like you have feelings today that you're It's only due to feelings that you're a son, or you know you're a son?

Oh, well, I didn't know he would be. You know him, right? Well, you know your dad. I'm going to stick him two ways from you. No, I mean, it's not feelings. It's not feelings. You know you're a son, a daughter. So as children of God, do we know that we're children, or is it just a feeling? We're operating off of feelings. We're in trouble. Exactly. Again, my point about this relationship.

Do you know, do you believe you are a child of God? It's knowing. I know I'm a child of God. Hence, I have the relationship that I have with Him. So I think that's an important thing about when we talk about all this family stuff, that it's not feelings that make us part of the family. It's knowing that we're part of the family. And that's the belief. I mean, first, you know, that we are But then, do we believe what he's telling us about this? We are children of God. We are his children. It's not a feeling. It's an understanding. It's a knowing.

There's a persuasion that goes on about that, vis-a-vis the Holy Spirit, that not only reveals Christ to us and the Father through Christ, but also reveals in such a manner that He is Father, that He is Abba, that this is about as you say, inheritance and all that goes with it. Because you can read it and it's just scripture. But there's a persuasion that goes on by the Spirit about the things that the Word reveals to us. The persuasion is the settling down by faith to reckoning that this is really what's true of me.

That's what the Holy Spirit is doing all the time. Think about what the sin nature is doing all the time. Countering that. And that's why I was trying to bring that up. The one who makes you doubt that is the sin nature. He doesn't want any part of that. So yes, the Holy Spirit is always convincing you, or trying to convince you, that make it believe and understand that this is true. But when you start to understand it's the sin nature trying to back you off of that.

So we're adult children of God. I like the way Newell put it, too. Remember the young ruler who came running to the Lord saying, what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? What's that an example of? A legal system. What do I do? How much do I pay? Where do I sign on a contract? Do you see a contradiction or a problem with what the young ruler had said?

He said, what must I do to inherit? What do you do to inherit? Someone else does it for you to inherit. Well, if I inherit something, yeah, it has to be like in a family. I have to be adopted into the family or blended into the family or part of the family. And then I inherit. It's not what I do. So there's a contradiction, you know, to what do you do to inherit something? You're a family member. You're, you know, you're part of the family.

So he goes on. Necodemus, beloved man, understood none of these things of being born again. The man is really a child of God by beginning and birth. He becomes in the This is a fact of such overwhelming magnitude that our poor hearts hardly grasp it. It is said of no angel, no cherub or seraph, that he is an heir of God. So do you know what kind of position you're in over the angels and all that? They don't have this. So he's never been told that they are a son or a child of God.

Believer, if you will reflect, meditate deeply on this. I am born of God. I am one of his heirs. Earthly things will shrink to nothing. So, JD Rockeville, Jr. inherited his father's wealth. Why? Because he was his father's born son. So we have that inheritance. Because we are born sons of God through Christ.

So again, a lot of just really cool stuff in this passage. I really like this. So question eight. Must it be as now, this is a great, so I've got to talk about the wonders of family. Now, must a believer suffer in order to be glorified with Christ? This is a great family to be melded into, right? Suffering now. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and heirs, 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. So, first let's look at the question. Will only those who suffer be, will they be glorified with Christ? Or only those who suffer will be raptured with Christ at His rapture?

Is that what this is saying? No. What's it saying then? if indeed you suffer. That's a sense if, isn't it? A sense if? Well, it's inevitable that a Christian will suffer, but it's not necessary. It's not a legalistic principle. If you suffer, then thou will be a child. It's not. It is a sense. Since you suffer, you will be glorified. So, yeah.

I think this is a really important point today because there are schools of theology today that are becoming more popular in which it isn't necessarily the suffering that they talk about, but they talk about serving. And as a believer, the theology is at the rapture. If you have not served, you get raptured, but you don't get the inheritance. You don't get blessed. These are guys like Joseph Dillow, and they're Dallas guys, and they're progressive dispensationalists. It's interesting what they teach because man just can't get into grace and stay there. This guy Dillow wrote a 550-page book called The Reign of the Servant King, and in that book what he says is that you have to obey and serve God as a believer, and if you don't, you get to go, but you're now a second-class, non-inheritable...

I read that book, and that scared me. But you know what? It's becoming more and more popular. I think one of the key things is the understanding of identification truths, what we went through in Romans 6. Because otherwise you don't understand this. That's right, you don't. You don't understand that you have been crucified and placed into Christ. There's no improvement society that you need. You're in Christ and the way they get around that is feed the sin nature. Feed that you need to improve yourself. They don't understand. Anybody who reads that doesn't understand that you've been separated from that. There's nothing in the family relationship that we have to do.

And we're going to come on those scriptures shortly about that we can't be separated from God. Well, the other trick phrase that you see today that lines up with that is called working for the kingdom. Yeah. Well, there's a whole bunch of offshoots that, you know, it's got service. It's got what you do. It's everything. It's the ritual ruler. What must I do to inherit?

But they don't understand that the root, again, I think goes back to identification. I still believe they're saved, 99% of them, but they just will never grow, because they're always... it's in nature to keep their eyes off Christ, and who they are in Christ. And they're always over trying to improve themselves, and you know... Which means that they either don't believe what they've read, in terms of it applicable to their life, or they never did understand it or believe it, or never read it. You know, in my confessions, I say this, how did I read through?

You know, I've been crucified with Christ, and there's no longer I live. How did I justify that? There's no engineering matrix. No, there isn't. It didn't fit the formula, so I couldn't do it. Or, you know, that I were a new creature in Christ. What does that mean? Oh, I think I justified that by an improved one. Now I'm new, because I now have the Holy Spirit indwelling me, so this nice old body of mine is now a new creature. in a lot of different ways, but there are some of them they just can't. Romans 6 is the key. How did I get through Romans 6? That I have been crucified with Christ, you know?

Is that because their understanding of even justification by faith is incorrect? No, I don't. I think there's, and that's what we, I argue simple faith if you believe the gospel message, the basic gospel message, Christ died for your sins. you know, and you need a savior. That was the Clinton's basic gospel message. But you got to study to know what it is.

There are a lot of people who have very simple faith that they believe the basic gospel message, but they never get out of that nursery because they never understand what this is, foundational material, Romans 6, 7 and 8. Yeah, but they don't even know 3, 4, and 5. Well, yeah, they may know parts of it that they're a sinner. Some of the stuff that's brought out in True Romans 3.

Well, I was just going to say, basically, I think that folks, from an evangelical perspective, largely understand justification by heart. into something that is more mature. Yeah, there is maturity and sanctification is a process, but it doesn't remove the fact that you are 100% in the realm of grace in the same way that you had faith in the gospel message, you have faith in the Christian life.

And I think that's where our people get lost is, I believe, Now what am I going to do? Well, and it's kind of this weird contradiction when you think about it. There's nothing I could do. I just had to simply believe Christ and what he did on the cross. But now I have to do everything. Yeah. Well, and I had another thought earlier. We talked about, I think it was question six or seven, whatever. Is faith good? That's my question for you guys. Is faith good? A good thing? Or a bad thing? Or is it one or the other? Faith is the only thing. So if we say faith is good, it implies that there's a merit to it, right?

There's no merit to it. There's no merit. Yeah. So faith is not good. It is simply a choice which brings good, right? Or bad. Or bad. Right. You can place faith in the wrong thing. Faith in becoming a tree. But it's the result of faith that is Meritorious, right? Or good or bad, in your point. Faith is the appropriating factor. It is. It's how it gets from you to me. And the merit's in what I get, not the fact that I appropriated it. Well, that's when you really look, and this is my study of faith, it's more and more, you know, everything is based on faith. It is.

Everything. You look through scripture, you know, amazed at how much it has faced it. Faith comes up. Grace is great. It comes through. Unbelievable. But faith is the key. Fight the good fight of faith. Everything is about faith. And that's the key. And that's all that's left of it.

And that's the only unmeritorious It's interesting because you think about, not necessarily faith in the gospel, because that's a historical event for us, right? So we think about now that same act of faith is required of us in the Lord's Word to trust Him for this very next moment that we're going to face. When we walk out this door, we're going to have something that confronts us. But we often times think it's a good thing to trust the Lord. You convince yourself, this is good, this is the good thing to do. This is the right thing to do.

Well, it is right, but it's His good. Is it based on your good or the fact? And I think sometimes when we try to motivate ourselves, trust the Lord, it's the right thing to do, it's the good thing to do. But the truth is, He's good. And it's that relationship with him that is good. He's given you a will to make a choice about being in the person who is good. We sometimes have to give ourselves a pep talk, but we may sometimes incorrectly motivate ourselves.

He's like, this is good. This is the right thing. You need to do this. This is good. Right. But he's good. And it's that father, that daddy relationship that you've been talking about. I want to be back in that fellowship with him. And that's the act of faith. It's not a big meritorious effort that I need to... That's why I say it's not good in our perspective.

You know, it's that we believe and trust in Him. And this is, you know, I think goes back a little bit, besides identification, it's also understanding position and condition. You know, understanding position, if you understand position, that changes a lot, too. That there's nothing we can do to change our position.

I often think of it as like, the Lord has just got His hand in all this. He's got his hand there and our opportunity is to trust him and take that hand. That's my point. Who's the one fighting that? God isn't the one fighting it. It's your sin nature not wanting you to have an intimate relationship with him. God is telling us, his arms open wide, wanting that relationship. It's not God doing this.

The fact of him is good. What we believe or not is whether it's good or not. He's already told us what's true. It's just a really unique opportunity that we have as believers. And it's not a progressive thing. It's not a salvation by faith and then sanctification by works. That's a sad place to be. And we've all been there. We realize that salvation is only through Christ, but then we're on our own, or he's going to empower us through some magical power to work it out. No. No, it's not. But we somehow contort it to make it our effort that's going to do this, and it's not. It's by simple faith, which is no merit.

Alright, we were looking about how we had to suffer Romans 5-2 all exalt the hope or fact of the glory of God. 2 Thessalonians 1-10 When he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, for a testimony to you was believed. Colossians 3-4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Again, there is no legalistic you have to suffer in order to get this glory.

Does that mean that our adoption or being an heir of God is dependent upon our suffering? The answer? No. Nothing is dependent on us. If it would, we'd fail. So also looking at that, what Carol said, that if is zodiac is by implication meaning since. And it's the same as A-G or E-I-G-E. So it's not a conditional statement. Since you suffered, you'll be glorified. It is not a conditional. If this, it's since you suffered, you'll be glorified. So just it's not a conditional. So also, later on, I think Mill puts out suffering. Suffering with is not a voluntary matter, but one necessitated by the relationship. Did Christ suffer? Are we in Him? How did the world treat Him, Christ? Crucified Him. How are they going to treat us?

Any different? Nope. You know, I think this is, we talked also about light and dark. The darkness hates light. And we're light. You know, when you come, you know, sometimes I know, like on the drill rig and when I'm on a drill rig and all that, I think There's a lot of earthly, worldly things going on. And when I show up, a lot of times, they feel uncomfortable sometimes because I don't engage in all that. And it's amazing how much, at first, they kind of really rejected it and gave me a bunch of grief. But after a while, they begin to understand that the light is exposing it. And they change, which is kind of an interesting twist. All right.

Is there suffering in this present day? I want anybody to answer this one and say no. Somebody please say no. Is there any suffering in this present day? Yes. Suffering. And suffering is a result of what? Sin. Yeah, all men suffer. So, is all suffering in the believer caused by the same factor? Suffering is all caused by the same issue. Suffering can be the result of following desires of the flesh, and suffering may also result from being in Christ in the sinful world. If I go and shoot somebody, am I going to suffer? So is that the suffering he's talking about here? No, it's a completely different one. His suffering is for being in Christ in a fallen world.

If you look at John, I think very clearly in John 17 verse 14, I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. So, as I was saying, they didn't like Christ, or they didn't like you, if you're in Christ. Absolutely not. So our native tells us, I've given you your, the world has hated them because they're not of the world. So where are we? If we're not of the world, where's our citizenship? Philippians 3. Is that right? The believer simply, by the fact that he is in Christ, will share in his sufferings. A believer can't be positioned in Christ and function in the enemy's territory and avoid the consequences of the opposition.

On the phrase, suffer with him, Vincent says, mere suffering does not fulfill the condition, it is suffering with Christ. So you can suffer that, I guess the point being is you can suffer for doing stupid things and worldly, or you can suffer because you're an ambassador for Christ. So again, the two aspects, you can suffer for sinful things, or you can suffer because you're an ambassador for Christ.

And what it's saying here in verse 17, if indeed we suffer for him, so that we may also be glorified. The suffering there is about suffering with Christ. We're an example, we're an ambassador. And the world hated him and he hates us. So that's the suffering it's talked about. I think we can get that on ICA. Expand the phrase, glory that will be revealed to us in 18.

For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Paul begins this with reckon or consider. So what is he saying to reckon or consider? For I consider or reckon the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. So what is he telling us to compare?

Sufferings and glory. Sufferings and glory. Okay. Sufferings this time with the glory that's going to be revealed to us. So, as in the sufferings, think about what he's talking about and what he knows at this point. So I went back and said, think about all those who are called out in Hebrews chapter 11, the hall of fame for the faithful, or Paul, what he suffered. And he's able to say, consider all that suffering is nothing compared to the glory that's going to be revealed to us. And if you look at Hebrews 11, you're familiar with that, and it's all the heroes of faith, hall of fame of faith. And then it says this about them. And this is Hebrews 11, 35 through 40.

And others were tortured, not accepting their release so that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others experienced mockings and scourging. also stone, they were summoned too, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskin and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us." A little bit of suffering there, huh?

Or, if you think about Paul, who wrote this, in 2 Corinthians 11, 23-28, Are they servants of God, or servants of Christ? I speak as if insane. laborers and 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 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 a concern for all churches."

So, he says, this is not even to be compared with the glory to be revealed to us. Pretty amazing statement. The new King James is revealed in us. In us. Yeah. The glory to be revealed in us. And if you see in John 17, the glory. Yes. You know I remember Malloy telling us one time that the sufferings, the emotional and psychological sufferings are far greater than the physical ones. And I think that's right.

And you see it all. in this chapter 3 that we're studying in the main service when he starts out and says, oh you foolish Galatians. I mean he's really, he has expended a lot of time and effort to bring these Galatians to Christ and then he's exasperated because they so quickly went back to legalism. It breaks his heart don't recognize that we suffer that way probably more so than we do physically for Christ because I don't know if anybody is going to saw you in half because of your faith but you may suffer rejection and all of those kinds of things that happen all the time. Yeah, you have to read all those things I read Paul, the last thing he says apart from external things, so he kind of Wipes that all out. And he said, there's a daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

There you go. There it is. So, I saw that in the scripture too and I want to bring that out. Thank you. Because that was, all this stuff is about physical. But apart from this, he kind of wipes that going, yeah, I got some, I got that, yeah. Well, it's like J.D.' 's talking about married couples. That's what I was thinking too.

And you know because you're in Christ and because you've grown in him what it takes for a marriage to function the way the Lord designed it. And you know that if the people sitting across from you, who you care about, will listen and believe that their marriage will be that or better.

But when they reject the information, that hurts. That hurts. Oh, yeah. Yeah, when you tell somebody, it hurts. But I also think, you know, we work on God's time. We can't say essentially that that person May in 10 years. That's what they meant. We're just supposed to be instruments.

And it hurts because we don't see immediate response. We're a fast food microwave culture. But of course we want them and it hurts when they're going through pain and you have an obvious out for them to relieve that pain and they don't take it. It's painful.

But I always think too, God's using us and has us there for a purpose and a time and he's using us. It may be for something that's five years later. Yeah, we will touch on it or maybe touch on about the glory on the last part of this, but we'll let's close.

Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you again just for this passive scripture again. Just what it reveals to us about our relationship with you, which is intimate and personal. And there are no barriers between us and you. And we are so thankful for that.

You are the one desiring the intimate relationship with us. And it's usually us that keeps you at arm's length. And we're just afraid that the Holy Spirit will convince us of the relationship that we are children. We have the ability to come before you and call you Daddy, and you want us to do that. And it's only sin nature that is prohibiting us from having that intimate relationship with you at any time, any place, anywhere.

And we just thank you again that we haven't been left alone. We have the Holy Spirit and the Word that we're studying now that tells us about all these relationships that we have. comes down to, and it's spread throughout all of Paul's epistles, it comes down to faith, which is no merit on our part. You've given us a will to believe, and through the Holy Spirit convicting us and convincing us of those truths, by faith we believe all that's true about us in Christ. And we thank you again for this time. We do pray for Mike in the next time, just for being able to stand with the leg and also just give us the message. So prepare our hearts to receive that and we just thank you for all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.