Back to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, I'm taking the title with a message from what is found in verse 14. Verse 14 of Romans chapter 8. For as many as, and I love that statement, for as many as. As many as were ordained to eternal life believe the gospel. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

God the Holy Spirit always leads us to trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone for all of our salvation. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. That's a miracle of God's grace. A miracle of God's grace. A miracle of God's love. He loved us with an everlasting love, a miracle of God's choice, his electing love, a miracle of God's purchase. He bought us. He bought us with his own blood. God purchased the church with his own blood.

Now, by nature, we're not sons of God. By nature, we're children of wrath, even as others, as it says in Ephesians 2. But God, who is rich in mercy, hath called us out of darkness and death and made us sons of God. Think of it. Son of God and heir of God and a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ. He's made us his little children. Remember our Lord said, except you be converted and become as a little child. You cannot enter into the kingdom of God. We are His little children totally dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ to accomplish all salvation for us. We are His workmanship created in the Lord Jesus Christ. He did it. God who had begun a good work in you, He'll finish it.

Seeing that the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in the hearts of his people by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that always leads us to trust the Lord Jesus Christ for all salvation, not to trust the deeds of the flesh or the works of the law, we have, as believers, we have in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have no confidence in the flesh. All of our confidence and saving faith is shut up to the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

In the prophecy by Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 17, we find this verse, verse 5, Jeremiah 17, 5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, that maketh flesh his arm, whose hearts departed from the Lord. Now that's a cursed man. Cursed is everyone who continues not at all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Cursed is that man that maketh the flesh, his arm, his rest, his strength, his salvation. But Jeremiah also gives the flip side to that in Jeremiah 17. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord, in the Lord Jehovah it's written. Trust in Him at all times, David writes. Trust in Him at all times, ye people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62. Remember?

Let's go back to verse 10. We'll start right there. And if Christ be in you, or seeing that Christ be in you, you think what's being said there. Christ in you. You remember Paul writes, Christ in you is the hope of glory. How did Christ get in you? By the power of God the Holy Spirit, He invades our mind, our heart, our will, He comes in. Seeing that Christ be in you, the body is dead for one reason, sin. You remember Romans chapter 5. By one man's disobedience, many became sinners. By one man's sin, death entered into the world, and death by sin. The only reason this body gets sick, dies, and crumbles is because of sin. If we were not, this flesh were not sinful, it wouldn't get sick, it wouldn't get old. But because this flesh is sinful, it's marching toward the dust. The body is dead because of sin. You remember the wages of sin is death. But, I love that word but, but the spirit is life. God the Holy Spirit, he brings life. You have the quickened who were dead. That's the quickening power of God the Holy Spirit. He gives us spiritual life. Man is body, soul, and spirit. In Adam we died. We spiritually died. When God the Holy Spirit comes in, He gives us spiritual life. We have life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Spirit is life. and the Spirit is in you, gives us life, quickening power of God. The Spirit is life because of righteousness. You can't get away from that word in the Gospel. Christ is all our righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ, blessed is the man in whom the Lord imputes righteousness without work. The Spirit, God the Holy Spirit, gives us spiritual life because righteousness has been established.

Now, never make the fatal mistake. And here's what religious people do. Religious people make the fatal mistake trusting morality for righteousness. Our morality, now I'm all in on that. Be the best you can. But our morality before God is nothing but filthy rags. There's a vast difference between the morality of the flesh and righteousness in Christ. One is filthy rags. The other, God said, I'm going to plead with my blessed Son. So we can read this, the Spirit is life because of Christ who is our righteousness. Christ is our righteousness.

Again, we go back to Jeremiah 23, verse 6. It talks about the Lord Jehovah. And those seven names that we have of the Lord Jehovah, Jehovah-Jireh, He will provide. But one of those names is Jehovah Sid Canu. What does that mean? He's the Lord our righteousness. Christ Himself. Now think about this. For the believer, my personal righteousness before God Almighty in His sight is the Lord Jesus Christ. When God speaks from heaven and says, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, He says that of every believer in Christ. How righteous do I need to be to stand before God? Perfect. That's only in Christ. We're complete in Him because of all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we are complete in Him because of Christ our righteousness.

Dead, the Spirit, Life. We have Life and Righteousness in Christ.

Now verse 11, But if the Spirit of Him, the Spirit of Him, and he's talking about God the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit, But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, Now, make no mistake. He was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. He really, really did die. The wages of sin is death. The guilty must die. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture. He really did die. But on the third day, God raised Him from the dead, right? delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification.

How do we know that everything that the Lord did and everything that he said and all that he accomplished as our substitute, as our representative, how do we know that everything that he did and said and all the work he did was accepted of God? How do we know that? God raised him from the dead. Not only that, he ascended to heaven to the very presence of God, and the God-man mediator, the body, the raised body of the Lord Jesus Christ is actually, literally sitting on the throne of God right now. Making intercession for us according to the eternal will of God. There's a man in glory with nail print in his hands. Who is that man? The God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Seeing that God raised Him up from the dead, you know what? The hope we have as believers shall also quicken your fleshly body by His Spirit. Again, the Spirit that dwells in you. God the Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of believers. Really, truly does dwell in the hearts of believers.

One day in this glorious resurrection day, this old fleshly body will be raised up, fashioned like unto His glorious body. That's what predestination is all about. People say, well, I don't like that doctrine of predestination. Wait a minute now. You're saying you don't want to be like Christ. Look right across the page in Romans chapter 8. For whom He did foreknow, verse 29, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified.

He did predestinate His people to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Next time someone says, well, I don't believe in that predestination doctrine, You mean you don't want to be like Christ? Because that's what it's all about. It's mentioned four times in the Word of God and every time it has reference to a believer being just like Jesus Christ. That's what's going to happen in the resurrection. We're going to have a new body like unto His glorious body. And it's going to be one eternal glorious day of worship, worship, worship. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory, blessing, and power.

We take our dear, dear loved ones out to the cemetery, and we plant the body of our dear loved ones, but we read in scripture he'll change our vile body that it might be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he's able even to subdue all things unto himself. He redeemed us body, soul, and spirit. Let me read this to you, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 23 and 24. The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, completely, and I pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless under the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who will also do it. He's gonna do it. Everything, all that God promised. I'm persuaded like Abraham, aren't you? We studied that in Romans 4. I'm persuaded. What persuasion are you? Well, I'm persuaded like Abraham. Of all that God promised, he's able to perform. He's able to perform.

Now, therefore brethren, verse 12. Therefore brethren, we are debtors. We are debtors. But not to the flesh. We don't owe this flesh anything. But death? We are debtors, but not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. We are debtors to the love of God, the mercy of God, the grace of God. because of all the mercies of God to us through Christ has been abundantly bestowed upon us, being raised from the dead by the power of God, being made new creatures in Christ, being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, being made righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ, being delivered from the curse of the law, having peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, being reconciled to God in Christ Jesus, waiting for the glorious resurrection of the body.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors To who? The Lord Jesus Christ. We're debtors. Oh, to grace, how great a debtor. Daily I'm constrained to be. We're debtors not to our wicked flesh. Our wicked flesh had no part in our salvation, did it? None at all. Let's find Titus, the book of Titus. Go over there to the book of Titus. You hold your place there in bookmark Romans 8. Timothy, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, right before the Hebrews. Philemon, Hebrews, Titus. There we go, Titus. Titus chapter 3. Look at verse 3, Titus 3, 3.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts, pleasures, living in malice, envy, hating, hateful, hating one another. That's the flesh, isn't it? Would you trust your flesh?

But after the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy. He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. There's that Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost. which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Heirs of God and joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are debtors to God's mercy. God's mercy, God's mercy alone. You remember in the book of John, where it says, the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by the Lord Jesus Christ. And of His fullness, have we all received grace for grace? Grace because of grace. The only reason for grace is grace. Of His fullness, have we all received grace for grace? Grace for grace.

Look right across the page, Romans 8, verse 32. Romans 8, 32. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? He freely gives us all things. We're justified freely by his grace. We read in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 12. Now, we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

All we have, we owe to His grace. I am what I am by the grace of God. All that we know, He taught us the Gospel. He revealed hid himself from the wise and prudent, revealed himself unto babes. And all that we owe, we owe to his grace. All that we have, we owe to his grace. All that we know, he taught us. All that we ever will be, we are made trophies of his grace in Christ Jesus. We're made object of his love.

The foundation of God stand assure having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. Those who are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, they love to serve Him out of love. His love constrains us. We sang a moment ago,

oh, to grace how great a debtor,
daily I'm constrained to be.
Let thy goodness like a fetter
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart.
Oh, take it.
Take it, Lord.
Seal it.
for thy courts above.

Back to Romans 8, verse 13. For if you live after the flesh, you'll die. Eternal death. If you seek salvation by the deeds of the flesh, you'll never have salvation in Christ. If you live after the flesh, you'll die. Our Lord said, if you believe not that I am, you'll die in your sin. If you live after the flesh, you shall die.

We don't, as believers, we're in the flesh, but we don't seek salvation by the flesh. Does that make sense? We're in this flesh. We have this body of flesh. But in the flesh, as Paul said in Romans 7, in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Do you remember the answer? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Look at it there, Romans 7, verse 25. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death. Boy, I can't deliver myself. He's the Redeemer that delivers us. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with my mind, I serve the law of God. that with the flesh, the law of sin, we still have this old... That's why there's a warfare in the believer now, between the flesh and spirit, and spirit and the flesh. Contrary one to another, so that you cannot do the things that you really would do. I would never sin again against God. But that's not reality. But in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have no sin. Does that encourage me to commit more sin? Absolutely not.

Look at verse 14 now. was many as, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Now, where do you reckon the Spirit of God leads us to? Our Lord said to His disciples, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, when the Comforter has come, when the Spirit of Truth has come, He'll take the things of mine, the Gospel that's mine, and He'll show it unto you. God the Holy Spirit never bears witness to Himself, but rather the chief paramount office of God the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ unto us. For as many as be led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The sons of God. By His choice, by His grace, by His purchase. Now God is not the Father of all men. God is not the father of all men. All men are sons of Adam, but all men are not sons of God. The scriptures do not teach the universal fatherhood of God.

Now a lot of people think, they talk about the universal fatherhood of God. He's the God of all men, but he's not the father of all men. Our Lord said to those Pharisees, you remember? They said, God is our father. You remember? They said, Abraham, God is our father. We like Abraham. Remember what the Lord said to them? You are of your father the devil, and the deeds of your father you will do. He was a liar, and you're a liar too. God is not the father of all men. Those that be led by the Spirit of God, they manifest that they are sons of God. He is the Lord and God of all men. That's true, but not the father of all men. He is the creator of all men and all things, but he's not the father of all men. And Jeremiah cried unto the Lord for deliverance. In Jeremiah 32, 27, the answer came back from the Lord. He said, Behold, I am the Lord, I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh. There's nothing too hard for me. He's a God of all flesh, but he's not the father, the spiritual father of all men everywhere. As many be led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Now, verse 15. and here we see a sharp contrast. Verse 15, for you have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear, but you receive the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, what do we cry? Father, Father, Abba, Father, dear Father, We cry, so we've not received this spirit of bondage. Bondage, bondage. Two distinct things here. The spirit of fear and bondage, and then we have the spirit of adoption, freedom, and liberty. Where the spirit of the Lord is, 2 Corinthians 3, 17, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. He set us free from the curse of the law. Stand fast, therefore, wherewith Christ hath made us free. We were in bondage to the law and sin and death, but by his grace and power, he has set us free. He has adopted us into his family by his grace. Now, if you bookmark the book of Galatians in chapter 3, turn back over there to the bookmark, and let's read

Galatians chapter 4, verse 4. Galatians chapter 4, verse 4. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman, and the fullness of the time was come. For as of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Now watch it. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your heart, crying, Abba, father, father, father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son, And if a son, then we're heir of God through Christ. An heir of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have not received the spirit of adoption whereby we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. but we receive the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, God is our father. He adopted us. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. One day he called us by his grace to reveal his son in me.

And we are bound to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you unto salvation through sanctification of the spirit which leads us to belief of the truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's 2 Thessalonians 2, 13 and 14.

So we look to Him as our Father. These little children. We have two little children in our nursery this morning. Those two little children are totally dependent upon their mom and dad, Cole and Katie. to take care of every need they have. They can't do anything for themselves. Mom and Dad has to supply all their needs, and that's what Mom and Dad does. The Lord Jesus Christ supplies all our need according to His riches in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Or you have not received the spirit of bondage and interfere, but you receive the spirit of adoption. We're adopted into His family. Verse 16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

God the Holy Spirit, the third person in the blessed Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, these three are one. The Spirit Himself Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Children of God that were born into the kingdom, adopted into His family, loved of God, blessed of God.

Let me read this to you. He says in Ephesians 2 verse 19, Now therefore you're no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God. and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are built together for habitation of God through the Spirit.

God, the Holy Spirit, dwells in the hearts of his people. The Spirit himself, verse 16, back in our text, bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. By nature, children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

In closing, verse 17. And if children, or seeing that you are sons of God, be sons of God, and seeing that you are children of the Most High God, then you're heirs of God. Heirs of God. and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together with him. Being made sons of God, we're in his household, called his children, totally dependent upon him, we are heirs of God. Heirs of God.

Now, I would encourage you to turn with me. Heirs of God, Ephesians chapter one. We're gonna look at a few scriptures, I'll let you go. Ephesians chapter 1, we've been made heirs of God. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. We've obtained an inheritance being predestinated.

Okay, Ephesians 1 verse 18. Let's read verse 17, starting there. Ephesians 117, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is exceeding working, exceeding greatness of his power To us were to believe according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places. We have an inheritance, an eternal inheritance.

One other, turn to 1 Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. If you don't want to turn, let me just read it to you. But I would encourage you to turn and mark this. 1 Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which or who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

My friend, do you see what he's saying here? We are heirs of God. Adopted, chosen, called, bought. Written in His will. He has an eternal will. Our names have been written in the Lamb's book of life. We're heirs to an eternal inheritance. If children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. Joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, you can turn to this one quickly. Find 1 Corinthians 3, just a few pages over. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 21. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 21. Therefore, let no man glory in men, for all things are yours. We've been blessed with all spiritual blessing and heavenly name, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, that's Peter, or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours and you are Christ and Christ is God. All things are yours, heirs of God, joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. He has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

And if children and heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together, for I reckon that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. Our light afflictions are just for a moment, but they work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, not worthy to be compared with the eternal blessedness and the glory to be revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

Peter, when he closes his epistle, I'll let you go with this. First Peter chapter 5, verse 10 and 11. The God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish you, strengthen you, settle you, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. The God of all grace. You'll do it. He said, I've spoken it. I bring it to pass. I purposed it. I will do it. Heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, children of God, sons of the most high God.