Like you, I get a lot of mail,
a lot of mail. Most of it goes directly into
the trash can. When I get something that is
addressed occupant or box holder, it just goes in that little round
file sitting beside my desk. I pay no attention to it. I presume
it's unimportant, insignificant, has no meaning to me. But when
I get a letter that begins, Dear Don, I usually look immediately
to see who signed it. If I don't know the person, generally
it goes in the trash can as well because it's usually a form letter.
But if I get a letter that begins, Dear Don, it gets my attention. And I find it's written specifically
to me, then I read it with great care. And I always answer the
letters that are addressed specifically to me. Those letters are important. Somebody thought about me. Somebody
took the time to write to me. I'm important enough to someone
that they have addressed themselves directly to me and taken the
time to write specifically to me. That's important to me. Well, I have a message from God
directly addressed to you who are His. A message of God directly addressed
to you who know the Lord Jesus Christ, to you who are redeemed
with his precious blood, to you who are the objects of his eternal
love. A message from God to you who
are loved of God, to you who have been caused to love God
because of the revelation of Christ in you. You'll find the
message in Romans, the eighth chapter. Now, if you're here
without Christ, I pray that you will listen carefully as I read
this message from God to his people. It may be just the thing
God will use to reveal his son in you. But everything written
here is written to you who believe. In fact, this book is God's book
to you. It is not God's book to the world.
It is not God's word to the unregenerate. It is God's word to his people.
This is manna from heaven sent by God to feed his Israel in
this wilderness where there is no other bread for our souls
but what we find right here. Now keep your Bibles open on
your laps at Romans chapter 8. Everything I have to say this
morning we'll find right here in this chapter. The chapter
begins with no condemnation. It ends with no separation. And everything between the beginning
and the end is grace upon grace. Romans chapter 8 is a glorious
description of the believer's freedom from all condemnation
in and by Christ Jesus. It is a marvelous description
of our privileges as Christ's brethren and as God's children
like him, with him, and in him. And it is a description of our
everlasting security. Our everlasting security, now
listen, listen, from all possibility of harm of any kind forever. Romans 8
is a declaration of our absolute security in the hands of our
God from all possibility of harm, injury of any kind forever. Absolute security that we shall
never be separated from our God or His love not for a moment,
not while we live on this earth, and not when we leave this world. Romans 8 declares God's grace
to believing sinners in this sin-cursed world of woe. Oh, this is what God declares
to you, His people. In this world, right now, tomorrow
and forever. You are blessed of God and you
live in perpetual blessedness. Oh God, write that on my heart.
I am blessed of God and I live in perpetual blessedness. Nothing can injure me. Nothing
can harm me. Nothing can do me wrong. Everything
is work of God for my good and His glory right now, tomorrow,
and forever. All right, our chapter begins
in verses 1 through 4 by declaring the believers complete freedom
from the curse, the bondage, and the condemnation of God's
holy law by reason of sin. There is therefore, there is
therefore, because of all that he has told us in the previous
chapters, because we are in Christ, because we are justified from
all sin, because we have been crucified with Christ, Because
we are risen with Christ because we are made the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus Because we are not under the law but
under grace Because we are dead to the law and married to Christ
there is therefore now There's therefore now Brother Marvin
called the other day And he was telling me about a message he
had heard Scott preach. He said Scott preached Romans chapter
eight. Marvin didn't have any idea I was working on this. And
he said he got to that word now. And he said he leaned over and
he said, you know what that word now means? That means now. That means now. There is therefore
now. Right now. Right now. Right now. No condemnation. This very moment, this very moment
and forever, no condemnation, no punishment and no possibility
of punishment. Because there's no sin, no guilt,
no possibility of sin being imputed to us, no possibility of guilt
being laid upon us. no curse, no judgment, no dread,
nothing to fear, not today, not tomorrow, not forever. There's
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. In Christ by God's sovereign
purpose of grace in eternal election. In Christ by God's sovereign
work of grace in regeneration. Christ lives in us and we live
in Him. In Christ, by the blessed union
of faith, we have taken Him for ourselves, believing God, who
walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now, I'll spend
more time on that another day, the Lord willing. But in this
day of charismatic Pentecostal tomfoolery, nonsense, and blasphemy,
and that's what Pentecostal religion is, it's tomfoolery, nonsense,
and blasphemy. Brother Don, you shouldn't say
that. I know. It's tomfoolery, nonsense, and
blasphemy. There's nothing but will-worship.
And much needs to be said concerning that folks have the idea that
somehow another walking in the spirit is you, uh, you just live
so good. You live on the mountaintop. You're just not affected by things
on the earth. You have such a spiritual mind
that your mind is in heaven all the time. That's just not so. What is it
to walk in the Spirit? To walk in the Spirit is to live
by faith in Jesus Christ. To walk in the Spirit is to trust
Christ. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in
the flesh, this life in the Spirit, I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Read on, verse
2. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus The law of the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. Now, there are some, how they
manage to do it, I don't know, but they'll tell you that's talking
about the Ten Commandments. The law of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus. But God says that's administration
of death. So that can't be what he's talking
about. What's he talking about? The law of the spirit of life
in Christ. That's the gospel of God's grace. That's the message
by which we've received Christ. hath made me free from the law
of sin and death. The law of life in Christ, the
gospel, has made me free from the law of sin and death, both
from the curse of God's holy law, the bondage of that law,
and the nature in which I was born by my birth through my father
Adam. For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, What couldn't the law
do? The law couldn't give me life.
The law couldn't put away sin. The law couldn't make me holy.
The law couldn't sanctify me because of the weakness of my
flesh. It was weak through the flesh.
What the law couldn't do? God sending his own son in the
likeness of sinful flesh. God sending his son into this
world in my nature. For sin that is by a sacrifice
for sin by the sacrifice of himself condemned sin in the flesh That
the law that the righteousness of the law the righteousness
of the law Wow, what's that? The righteousness of the law
it must be perfect to be accepted It must be perfect to be accepted
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and being. Love your
neighbor as yourself and you'll get the glory. The righteousness
of the law. The righteousness of the law,
the perfect obedience of manhood to God. That's the righteousness
of the law. How can that be fulfilled? That
the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. How is that? By the doing and
dying of Jesus Christ the Lord and the gift of life by His Spirit
in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. What
does that mean? That means, Merle Hart, that
we, through faith in Christ, establish the law. By faith in
Christ, we offer to God everything that God requires of man. perfect obedience and complete
satisfaction. All right. Beginning in verse
five, down through verse 14, the apostle is inspired of God
to describe for us the believers life in the spirit. Life in the
spirit. There is no condemnation to them
that walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. What is
it to walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit? Verse five. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit
the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because
the carnal mind is enmity against God. The carnal mind, the natural
man, in the depths of his depraved heart hates God with all his
being. For it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. The carnal man, the carnal
woman, the carnal little boy, the carnal little girl, lives
with his fist in God's face all the time. He hates God. So then,
They that are in the flesh cannot please God. Man by nature, fallen
man, dead, depraved, lost, unregenerate, unbelieving man can do nothing
to please God. Nothing. Nothing. But ye are
not in the flesh. What a statement. What a statement. And I'm looking at folks that
look to me like they're in the flesh. It looks to me like everybody
here is in the flesh. But God says otherwise. So what is it? You've got your
Bible in front of you. You're not in the flesh. You're
not. Well, wait a minute. I can feel
this body. You slap that hand and it hurts.
This is a body of flesh. This is how I live. who are in
Christ are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be that
the Spirit of God dwell in you. We have another life. We have another life. Another
existence. Another mode of existence. The
world knows nothing of. We live in the Spirit. If so
be that the Spirit of God dwell in you, Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his. And if Christ be in you,
the body is dead because of sin. The body has been made subject
to mortality because of sin. This body of flesh is dying. You're not living in the flesh. Honey, you're dying in the flesh. You're dying in the flesh. Oh, that's life. No, it's not.
That's death. You're dying in the flesh. But
the Spirit is life because of righteousness. We live in Christ. We live in the Spirit. But if
the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell
in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. This body
that's been made subject to mortality shall die for it is death. But
he will raise this body up from the death by the spirit that
dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors
not to live to the flesh, but to live after this, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh. Rather, we're debtors to the
spirit of God, debtors to Christ our Redeemer. For if you live
after the flesh, you shall die. But if ye through the Spirit
do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Ye
are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. What does that mean? It means the same thing that
John told us in 1 John chapter 4. As He is, so are ye in this
world. We live in Christ, and Christ
lives in us. That's what it is to live in
the Spirit. That's what it is to walk in
the Spirit. The Spirit's witness then is
given to us in verses 15 and 16. How do I know that I have
the Spirit of God? How do I know the Spirit of God
dwells in me? Here's the source of our assurance.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear,
but the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. There was a day when I lived
every day in the dread of God. in bondage. Scared to death to live and scared
to death to die. Always afraid of God. Always
terrified of judgment. Terrified of death. Terrified
by hell. All my life dreading the prospect
of taking my last breath. Dreading God. Dreading God. Terrified thinking of God. Go
to bed at night and have horrible nightmares of falling into hell.
Wake up terrified. Go back to sleep and have horrible
nightmares falling into hell and wake up terrified. And try
to make a bargain with God and try to persuade God to let me
live and promise God I'd do better and go on my day terrified of
God. Until one day, God revealed His
Son in me by His Spirit. And the God of whom I was terrified, suddenly, I could lift my eyes
to heaven and say, My Father, O my Father, Your little granddaughter, Sophie,
she's a little bit afraid of me. She's a little bit afraid
of me. I don't blame her. My soul, look
at this face. I'm almost big as a granddaddy,
and she's accustomed to his face. She's a little bit afraid of
me. Give it a little while. I'll have her bouncing on my
knee like she does yours, because she's not afraid of you. She's
not afraid of you. She calls you daddy. How come? Because he's daddy. That's daddy. That's granddaddy. Why should
I be afraid of him? That's my daddy. How is it that you lift your
heart to heaven and suddenly you're able to call God your
father and you have no dread of God looking on you and you
looking on God. Read on. Got your Bible open?
Romans 8, verse 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness,
continually bears witness with our spirit that we are the children
of God. How? Remember what our Lord Jesus
told his disciples? He said, it's expedient for you
that I go away. For if I go not away, The comforter
will not come. But if I go away, I'll pray the
father and he'll give you another comforter. And then it tells
us how the Holy Spirit comes to comfort his disciples. When
he, the spirit of truth has come, he will convince you of sin. Where is that comforting? Because
you believe not on me. He'll show you your sin, your
ungodliness, your rebellion, your hatred of God because of
your unbelief. But if he convinces you of sin,
he'll convince you of righteousness. Not righteousness you must perform,
righteousness that's been performed for you, righteousness you have
performed in Christ to substitute because I'm going to my Father.
And He'll convince you of judgment, of judgment, because the Prince
of this world is judged. I fulfilled the promise of God
made in the garden to our father Adam and our mother Eve. I've
crushed the serpent's head. Redemption's accomplished. My sin is gone. Judgment's over. Righteousness is mine. Oh, my
Father, my Father, my Father. Now, let's see if I can make
good on all this. The believer is a person born
of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, one who lives in the
Spirit. And living in the Spirit lives
in the constant, immediate hope of everlasting life, described
in verses 17 through 25. Paul tells us we're heirs of
God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. If children, then heirs,
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 sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
in us. And then he tells us we have
a sure pledge of this. We have the earnest of the spirit.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waited, waited,
waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. What what's
that talking about? The earnest expectation, the
the blessed pledge of everlasting glory given to us by the gift
of Christ causes us to live in the. Expectation. Waiting. Waiting for God to get
done with this thing. Waiting for the manifestation
of the sons of God. Waiting for a better day. Look
at verse 20. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not
willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in
hope. Because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption. into the glorious
liberty of the sons of God, the children of God. Paul says the
whole creation, the whole creation had been made subject to bondage
because of Adam's sin. And the whole creation is awaiting
the day when God shall make all things new. Paul's talking about
the resurrection glory, eternal life, Consumma perfection the
glorious liberty that now is ours and shall be perfectly enjoyed
by us when Christ comes again He's talking about the inheritance
of the Saints in light and the inheritance Christ Our forerunner
has already entered into heaven and taken possession of for us
He's talking about that glory that awaits us in heaven's eternal
day when God makes all things new read about it in Revelation
and all the riches and all the majesty and wonder, I have not
seen nor heard. Neither hath entered into the
heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that
love Him. God's revealed them to us by His Spirit, but He's
only revealed to us the fact, the reality, and the blessed
hope of it. We don't have a clue what it's
going to be. You read about heaven in Revelation 4 and 5, Revelation
7, Revelation 14, Revelation 21, 22, and you think, wow, oh
my, what can this be like? When you read it, you immediately
have to think to yourself, this is language that can only be
allegorical. It can't possibly be literal.
The streets of gold? Why would you want streets of
gold? Asphalt makes a better street. Why would you want streets
of gold? Oh, to live in a place where
gold matters no more than dust in the street. Gates of pearl? I'd lots rather have gates of
iron. Gates of pearl, they're not very
strong. Why Gates of Pearl? Gates open to us by him who is
the pearl of great price purchased for us by the sacrifice of him. Gates of Pearl. Walls with all
those stones in them. All those jewels in them. Rocks
that folks kill over using to build a wall. Oh, that's just
a picture. That's just a picture. These
things are but a picture we see like this. We can't get it. Eye hasn't seen. Ear hasn't heard. Oh, my soul. It's never entered into your
heart in your highest aspiration. what God's prepared for you.
That's what he's talking about. He's talking about glory. Glory that reaches beyond human
description. Here we groan within ourselves. Verse 22. For we know that the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. In the wintertime during an ice
storm, I will sometimes even now in These days when I don't
have as much appreciation for cold weather as I used to, I'll
put on my coat and hat, wrap a scarf around my face, and stand
outside just to listen to the trees pop. Man, they'll pop and
crack and pop and crack. And I like to stand there and
listen to them because I know the whole creation is groaning
for a better day. Groaning for a better day. The
earth's bowels move with earthquakes and the creation grows for a
better day. And we grow within ourselves,
not only they, but ourselves also, which had the first fruits
of the spirit. We've got the spirit of God in
us. We've got life in us. Even we ourselves grow within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our
body. The final completion of deliverance. Verse 24, Paul said,
we live in hope. For we are saved by hope, but
hope that's seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do
we with patience wait for it. Now, in verse 26 and 27, Paul
assures us of God's persistent grace, describing the Spirit's
groanings and intercessions in us and for us. In verse 26, he
speaks of the Spirit's intercession. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities. For we know not what to pray
for. What we should pray for is we ought. We don't ever know
what to pray for. We just don't ever know what
to pray for. But the Spirit itself. So that shouldn't be itself,
it should be himself. Spirit's a neuter word, therefore it's
translated itself. The Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. The Spirit has put
groanings in our hearts that baffle language. And then in
verse 27, he describes the intercession of Christ for us in heaven. And
he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit. don't know what I want but he
does. I don't know what's best but he does. And I'm groaning
in my soul for a better day. And he who searches the heart
knows the mind of the Spirit he's put in me. Because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Now look at verse 28. Here the apostle begins to describe
for us God's wondrous providence, assuring us that there are no
accidents in this world, assuring us of the absolute security of
God's elect in Christ Jesus. No accidents in this world. If I see two cars running each
other out on the highway, I still call that an accident. That's
all right. It's an accident. Neither of
those two drivers intended for it to happen. But there are no
accidents in this world. And I don't correct everybody
when they say to me, well, I'm going fishing. Well, good luck.
Well, I know better. I know better. They don't, but
I do. But no point in correcting them about that. No point in
correcting them about that. But no such thing as luck. No such
thing as luck. The lot is cast into the lap. What does the book say? What
does God say? But the whole disposing thereof
is of the Lord. What's that mean, Brother Don?
If you play Monopoly, or if you're shooting craps in a gambling
hall, it don't matter. And you got dice in your hands. And they come up snake eyes,
or they come up five and six, or they come up other numbers.
Whatever they come up, God Almighty ordained it before the world
was, and He caused them to tumble out just that way on purpose.
No accidents in this world. None. Well, Brother Don, how
can you say that? Because God says that. Look at
verse 28. We know, we know. We who are
taught of God, we who are born of God, we who know God. Everybody
who knows God knows this. Everybody who knows God knows
this. The rest of the world going insane. Everybody knows God knows
this. We know that all things work together for good to them
that love God. Who are those? To them who are
the called according to his purpose. for whom he did foreknow. 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 also called, and whom he called,
them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Whoo! What shall we say then to these
things? What can you say to all that? What can you say to all
that? I caught your smile, Teresa,
and I could jump up and down for it." What? What? What did Paul say? All things
work together for good to them who love God, to them who are
thee called according to His purpose. And they do so because
those who are called men and women God predestinated before
the world was to be conformed to his image of his son that
his son might be the firstborn among a great multitude of brethren
no man can number. And this is how he does it with
all these things. Well what shall we say then to
these things? And Paul answers and tells us
what to say by raising more questions. I love it. when questions are
answered by questions. Now you think about that a minute.
I don't love it when questions are quibbled at by questions.
I don't love it when questions are objected to by questions.
But when questions are answered by obviously answered and indisputable
questions, then I love it. What shall we say then to these
things? Well, this is what we'll say. If God be for us, who? In heaven, earth, or hell, who? No matter what their intent and
purpose, who? No matter what arms they have,
who can be against us? Well, nobody. Nobody. Verse 32,
how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 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? Verse 33. If God's for us, none
can be against us. If God gave his son for us, he
won't withhold anything from us. If Christ died for us, who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God who
justifies us. God God declares that I'm holy. God
declares that I'm righteous. That's not so. That's not what
it does. God has made me holy. God has made me righteous. God
has made me just before Him. Just with Him. Now, who did you
say is going to lay something against me? Who's going to charge
me with something? Well, Brother Don, don't you
know what men say about you? Talk to God about it. Talk to
God about it. Don't you know what folks think
about you? Talk to God about it. Look at verse 34. Who is
he that condemneth? Who is he that condemneth? Who's
going to bring us back under judgment? Who's going to bring
us back under the curse? Who's going to bring us back
under the law? It's Christ that died, yea, rather than is risen
again, who is even at the right hand of God. who also maketh
intercession for us. Christ died for me. Christ died
for me. Christ is risen for me. He's
at the right hand of God, and it is He who holds the reins
of the universe. He who determines the lot before
it's cast into the lap. It is He in whose hands is the
heart of every king and every man. And He turns the thoughts
of men's hearts as rivers of water withers whoever He will.
Who is it that does that? It's Christ that died. Who is
in heaven at the right hand of God. What's He doing there? He's
ruling this world. And Lindsay Campbell is making
intercession for the saints. Isn't that wonderful? That's
what it said in verse 27. He intercedes for us, makes intercession
for saints. Oh, but I'm such a sinner. I'm glad you know that. I really
hope you know that. But God never refers to you as
such. Your Savior never refers to you
as such. There's Joshua. Satan's resisting
him. He'd been down into Babylon,
and he got him a Babylonian woman for a wife. And he defiled himself
and defiled his garments. And Christ, the angel of the
Lord, standing by. While Satan says he's not fit
to be a priest. He's not fit for God's acceptance. You can't take him! And Christ
is standing by. Christ is standing by and he
says, take his filthy garments off of him. Put clean garments
on him. Put a miter on him. He's not
just a priest, he's a king. And he walks before me, holiness
unto the Lord. He is mine. We have an advocate
with the Father. Jesus Christ the righteous. And he's the propitiation for
our sins. I've often said the Lord Jesus,
and men commonly say He intercedes seeking the non-imputation of
sin. I don't know that that's wrong,
but I do know this is right. The Lord Jesus intercedes for
us as our mighty Redeemer and Savior on this basis. Father, Don Fortner, is righteous. Don Fortner owes you nothing.
Here's his sacrifice. Oh, he maketh intercession for
us according to the will of God. Now, in the light of that, Paul
raises another question. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? That takes in just about every
human experience in this sin-cursed world. Tribulation, distress,
persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. What's going to separate us from
the love of Christ? What's going to separate us from
the love of Christ? Nothing. Nothing. As it is written,
for thy sake we are killed all the day long. We're counted as
sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, in
all these things, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine,
nakedness, peril, warfare, in all these things, we're more
than conquerors through him that loved us. More than conquerors. My dear
friend, Brother Harry Graham, he's with the Lord now. He was,
as I've told you many times, many years my senior, probably
30 years older than me, maybe more. And we were reading this
chapter together one night, discussing it. And we got there to verse
37. He said, Brother Don, what do
you think that means? And I was always happy for him
to ask me. And I would always respond, I don't know, Harry,
what does it mean? He said, more than conquerors. You can whip
a fellow. and whip him good, but he may
get up and whip you again. You can defeat an enemy, thoroughly
defeat him, but he may raise up arms and come back and defeat
you. But through Christ the Lord,
sin and Satan and death and hell have been so thoroughly defeated
they can never raise their heads again. more than conquerors,
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, I am fully
convinced, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No
earthly trouble, no spiritual trouble, nothing
in heaven, nothing in us, nothing on earth, nothing in time, nothing
in eternity can separate us even momentarily from the love of
God that's in Christ Jesus. Nothing can separate us from
his love. Nothing can even separate us
from the constant expression of His love in all that He does
for us. For us. Can I claim these promises? Is this indeed written for me?
Indeed it is. I know it is. Because I'm in
Christ. The Son of God loved me and gave
himself for me. And I walk in the Spirit. I walk
in the Spirit all the time. All the time. I live by faith
in the Son of God. The Spirit of God is my witness. I live in hope. Oh, God's put
in me something that stands on the tiptoe of faith, expecting
resurrection glory. I have an intercessor in heaven,
Jesus Christ the righteous. I believe God. Oh, may God give
you grace to believe Him and go home rejoicing in his blessed
goodness revealed to you in this message to his people. Amen.