in your Bibles tonight to the
Book of Romans, the eighth chapter. I plan to speak tonight and next
Wednesday night from this eighth chapter of Romans. Tonight I'm
beginning with verse 15. The title of this message is,
Joint Heirs with Christ, Joint Heirs with Christ. Now here in verse 15 of Romans
8, Paul writes, look at verse 14 first, verse 14, For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Now
the idea of a divine fatherhood of God extending to the whole
human race was not taught by our Lord, nor his disciples. That's not what Paul is saying
here. He says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. If you'll just hold that place
there and let me read you a verse or two over here in John chapter
8, When our Lord was speaking to these Pharisees, he said,
you do the deeds of your father. And they said to him, we be not
born of fornication, we have one father, God. And Jesus said unto them, now
listen, Jesus said unto them, if God were your father, if he
were your father, which he's not, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came
from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me." Now listen,
you are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you
do. He was a murderer from the beginning and a bowed knot in
the truth because there's no truth in him. And when he speaks
a lie, he speaks of his own. He's a liar and the father of
lies and liars. So here in our text, Paul doesn't
say as many as are living on this earth are sons of God. That's
not what he says. He says as many as are led by
the Spirit of God. He doesn't say as many as claim
God to be their father as those men did are sons of God. He doesn't say as many as are
religious and are members of churches are sons of God. No.
He said as many as are led by the Spirit of God. are sons of
God. Who leads them? The Spirit of
God, the Spirit of Truth. How does He lead them? Well,
let's find out. John 16, let's let the Master
tell us. How does He lead them? As many
as are led by the Spirit of God. Well, how does the Spirit of
God, the Spirit of Truth, lead these sons of God? Well, He regenerates
them, we're born of God, born of the Spirit of God, but now
Look at John 16, verse 7. Nevertheless, I'll tell you the
truth, speaking to his disciples. It is expedient, it is necessary
for you that I go away. If I go not away, the Comforter,
you know who that is, that's the Holy Spirit, He will not
come to you. But if I depart, I'll send Him,
the Spirit of truth, to you, and when He's come, He will reprove
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He'll convince
you of sin, convict of sin, of sin because they believe not
on me, of righteousness because I go to the Father and you see
me no more, of judgment because the prince of this world is judged.
You see, I have yet many things to say to you, but you can't
bear them now. How be it when He, the Spirit
of truth, is come? He will guide you, as many as
are led by the Holy Spirit, the sons of God. Now what? He, the
Holy Spirit, when He comes, He'll guide. What is it to guide? It's
to lead, led by the Spirit. He'll guide you into all truth. He'll not speak of Himself. He'll
not speak of Himself or about Himself. But whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak, and he'll show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall
receive of mine, and show it to you. All things that the Father
hath of mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of mine,
and show it to you." The Holy Spirit who leads them as many
as are led, guided by the Holy Spirit. are sons of God. How
does he guide them? He regenerates them. He convicts
them. He quickens them. He gives them
life. He sheds abroad the love of God
in their hearts. He teaches them. He sanctifies
them. Where does he lead them? As many
as are led, guided by the Holy Spirit, these are the sons of
God. Where does he lead them? He leads
them to Christ. First and foremost, He leads
them to repentance and faith. He leads them to the Word. The
Holy Spirit never, never teaches God's people through feeling,
but through the Word. If they speak not according to
the Word of God, there's no truth in them. He leads them to Christ. He leads them to repentance.
He leads them to faith. He leads them to the Word. He
leads them to a godly walk, for we walk not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit, he leads them. Now look at verse 15. As many as are led, guided by
the Holy Spirit, they are the sons of God. Verse 15, now Romans
8. For you have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear. Now let me show you how that's
worded. You have not received the spirit
of bondage to put you in fear, to put you in fear. He's talking
here about the bondage of the law. That's what he's talking
about, the bondage of the law. The Holy Spirit, you've not received
the spirit of bondage like the old Jews had under the law. Let
me show you that in Galatians 4. This bondage is the bondage
of trying to perfect and perform a righteousness by works and
not by faith. That's what they were under bondage.
Look at Galatians 4 and listen to this. In Galatians 4 verse
1, now I say that the heir, as long as he's a child, differeth
nothing from a servant. Though he be Lord of all, though
some day he'll take his father's place as Lord, But he's under
tutors and governors until the time appointed of his father.
Even so, we, when we were children, were in bondage. Bondage to what? Days, and feasts, and ceremonies,
and sacrifices, and laws, and regulations, the elements of
the world. Now, when the fullness of time
was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under
the law to be them that were under the law, in bondage, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you're sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your heart, as
many as are led by the Spirit, sons of God. And every son has
the Spirit of God, whereby you cry, have a father. Wherefore,
you are no more a servant, a slave, but a son. And if you are a son,
you are an heir of God through Christ. How be it when you knew
not God? You did service unto them which
by nature were no gods. But now after you have known
God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements? Don't go back to the Sabbath
days, ceremonies, law, tithes, feasts. Where unto you desire
again to be in bondage? See the word there, that's the
bondage he's talking about in verse 15 of Romans 8. You don't
have the spirit of bondage. These fellows out here in Summit
Penitentiary, they're in bondage. They're prisoners who are in
bondage to their masters, wardens and guards. And that's the spirit
that prevails out there, the hateful spirit. They do what
they have to do. They shut in by bars and doors
and gates and fences and barbed wire, guards. That's the law. And then this bondage is also
the bondage of a slave to a master, the bondage of a prisoner to
a captor. But we've been redeemed. Look,
you've not received the spirit of bondage to put you in fear,
you've received the spirit of adoption, whereby you cry, Father,
Father, Abba is Father. You've got a spirit of adoption.
What is this? What is this frame of mind? The
frame of mind, Alchondor, the spirit and attitude in that prison
is a prisoner in bondage. What's the attitude of children
of God? Sons. The frame of mind, the
attitude is the spirit of a son. He respects his father. He obeys
his father. He loves his father. He does
what his father wants him to do. He wants to bring glory and
praise to his father. Not out of fear. Not because
he has to. Not because there's a guard on
the wall with a gun. because he loves him. He loves
him. That's why he loves him. We don't have the spirit of bondage,
laws and rules and regulations to fence us in and hold us captive,
force a will upon us that we don't love. We're sons and we
share the Father's love. We share the Father's will. We
share the Father's purpose. What is an adoption? See that
where we've received the spirit of adoption. Now stay with me
a minute. Here's the definition. Adoption is receiving as a son,
one who's not a son by birth. That's right. And that's true
of us because we were born the first time of the flesh, born
in sin. We were not children of God,
we were children of wrath, even as others. We were born in Adam,
dead in Adam, dead in trespasses and sin. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh. But God has adopted us by his
will into his family and legally made us his heirs, his sons.
And an adoptive son is just as much an heir as a naturally born
son. But we're sons of God in a twofold
manner, not just by adoption. Making one a son of God who was
not a son of God by nature, but now wait a minute. I'm a son
of God by nature, by birth. By born, you're born of God.
You're born of God, that's right, born of God. That's what Scripture
said in John 1. Joe, you just read that a while
ago, born of God. born not of blood, not of the
will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but born of God. And we have the right to become
sons of God. So really, we're twofold the
children of God, by adoption legally, accepted in the beloved,
but by spiritual birth, sons of God. So we cry, Abba, Father,
Abba, Father to the Jew, Father to the Greek. That's right. Abba,
Father. Also, that means my father. But
it also means this, too. My father, by adoption, legally,
righteously, before the law, I'm an heir. But my father by
birth, born of God, a son of God. Son of God, that's right. And then it says in verse 16,
the spirit, I like to, I love the King James Version, it's
the best, not going to change. But there's a word or two that
could bear some improvement. The spirit, not itself, himself. The Holy Spirit is not an it,
person. The spirit himself, now watch
this, beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of
God. Why would he have to bear witness
with our spirits that we're children of God? I'll tell you why. Because
we're always ready to doubt it. We're always ready to doubt it,
this blessing. And I'll give you three good
reasons. I don't think they're too good, but they're good on
their subject. Three reasons why we're always
ready to doubt that we're sons of God. You ever doubt you're
a child of God? Sure you did. And here's the
reason. Because of the greatness of the
blessing. Son of God. David said, who am
I? Well, what an awesome, monumental,
unexplainable, unspeakable blessing. I'm a son of God. Everybody's
not a son of God, but I'm a son of God. Boy, that's so great. So great. So unspeakable. That these minds of ours say,
oh, you reckon that's really so? I'll tell you another reason
why we doubt it, and that's this nature of ours. This nature. This nature of ours, sinful nature. Boy, I tell you, unbelief comes
easy for me, doesn't it, you hear? Doubts and fears and grumbling
and murmuring, that just comes so easy. I tell you, unbelief
comes easier than belief. Murmuring comes easier than praise,
does it not? Naturally thinking comes easier
than spiritual thinking. It's a whole lot easier to read
the sports page than it is the Bible, most of the time. That'll
make you doubt your son of God, won't it? Your nature. And I'll
tell you another thing that causes us to doubt is our falls and
failures. When Paul said over there in
Romans 7, when I would do good, evil is present with me. I wake up in the morning, I pray,
Lord, keep me from sin this day. I go to bed at night and pray,
Lord, forgive me of my sin this day. Spirit's will in the flesh
is weak. All these things. And we have
his word of promise. That's our foundation of faith. That's our assurance. His word.
He said this, I believe. And we have the death of his
son. He died for sinners. I know that. Why did Christ die?
For sinners. Why was he buried in Rosie? For
sinners? To save lost people? Why is he
interceding in heaven? For sinners? That's assurance. But I tell you, look, but the
Spirit Himself Himself who dwells in you, who
guides you, who leads you, the Spirit Himself bears witness. To others? No. with our spirit. To our ears, does he speak to
me? No. To my eyes, does he give
me signs? Do I see visions and see the
Lord at the foot of the bed? No. He doesn't bear witness to
my ears or to my eyes, he bears witness with my spirit. See that? He bears witness right in here
that I'm a son of God. I can say with Peter, Lord, you
know I love you. I know that in here. You know
I believe you. I know that in here. The Holy
Spirit doesn't come and try to convince somebody else that I'm
a child of God. He comes to bear witness with
my spirit that I'm a child of God. I know His Word is the foundation
of my faith. He's given me the peace of God.
Not all the time, but it prevails, it predominates, it dominates,
doesn't it? Rest, joy, peace. Sure, the Holy
Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we're sons of God. Look at verse 17. And I'll tell
you this, if you're a child of God, you're an heir of God. Children of the same father,
whether they're naturally born or adopted, They're both heirs.
So you can base that on either one. Born of God, I'm an heir.
Adopted of God, I'm an heir. I'm an heir. He won't cut me
out of His will. He says in Galatians 3, we're
heirs according to His promise. He says in Titus 3, being justified
by His grace, we're heirs of God according to the hope of
eternal life. In Hebrews 1.14, it says the
angels are ministering spirits sent to minister to those who
are the heirs of salvation. James 2, verse 5 says, we're
heirs of the kingdom. Now, here's the key. If we're
sons of God, we're heirs. We have an inheritance undefiled,
incorruptible, reserved in heaven, fate is not away. Heirs of God. Here's the key. Join heirs with
Christ. Now, let me tell you something.
Christ is the heir. In Hebrews 1, when it talks about
who he is, the Son of God, who is the heir of all things. He's
the heir. He's the only begotten, well-beloved
Son of God's love, and he's an heir. But we are joint heirs. Joint heirs with Christ. Heirs
of all things in Christ. Now watch this. If so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Now,
there's a twofold meaning here. The scripture is bifocal. But I know this. We're heirs
of God because when Christ suffered, we suffered with him. That's
right. When he died, we died. When he
was buried, we were buried. When he was condemned by the
law and condemned by sin and judged and put to death, we were
judged and put to death. We've suffered in Him, with Him,
through Him, and we're exalted and glorified with Him. But here,
he's talking about another suffering, another suffering. Turn to Acts
9, Acts chapter 9. It's another suffering. And Brother
Ronnie mentioned this in his message Sunday morning. Acts chapter 9, verse 15, when Ananias came to
Saul of Tarsus, the Lord said to Ananias, verse 15, Acts 9,
but the Lord said to him, Go your way. He is a chosen vessel
unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and children
of Israel. I will show him, for I will show
him how great things he must suffer, for my name's sake." When Christ suffered, we suffered,
that's true. When he paid the debt, in him
we paid the debt. But this is talking about our
oneness in Christ, being sons of God, and the world doesn't
know you're a son of God. Our Lord said, let me read you
this, what he said over here, over here in I'll just read it
to you. He said, now, if the world hate
you, you know it hated me before it
hated you. Now, if you were of the world,
the world would love you. But because you're not of the
world, I've chosen you out of the world. You're sons of God,
therefore the world hates you. But remember the word I said
to you, the servant's not better than his Lord. If they persecuted
me, they'll persecute you. If they kept my sayings, they'll
keep yours. If they refuse my saying, they'll
refuse yours. So you're going to suffer. And
that's what he's talking about here, because of our oneness
with Christ, we'll suffer with him. But if so be, verse 17, Romans
8, if so be that we suffer with him, we'll be glorified together. Now look at the next verse. I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time, and there's
lots of them, because of our oneness with Christ and the gospel
we preach and believe, the stand we've taken, here I stand, there'll
be suffering for the sake of Christ and the gospel. I'll tell
you another suffering too, because we're still in the body of flesh.
And I don't care what the preachers say about if you have faith and
love God and are saved, you'll have all your finances taken
care of and your health will be perfect and you'll live to
be a ripe old age and your children will all be saved and all these
things. That's just not so. We have too many evidences through
the scripture that this is not so. Because we're still in this
body of flesh, we're subject to the afflictions of the flesh.
We're subject to the infirmities of the flesh. We're subject to
the diseases of the flesh. We're subject to death. Not spiritual
death, not eternal death, not the second death, but we're going
to die. You see a lot of empty places
here in this congregation. Our dear, dear, dear precious
believing friends have left here at various ages. God called them
home. But we're going to die. But no
trial is easy. But what he's saying here, I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Not to be compared. Brother Walter
Gruber, he comes up with some of the Best things, best sayings. We were down in Mexico one time,
Darce and I, and we got ready to leave. Been
there about two weeks, and we got ready to leave, and we was
going to catch the plane next morning. So Darce went to the
beauty shop and got a manicure and a pedicure and all kind of
cures and a hair cure and all that sort of thing, you know.
She looked good. And Walter spoke up and said, boy, you look better
than that today than when you came. And that just, you know,
that wasn't a thing to say. And he came up with this. He
said, now I know better than that. Got me a sight. He said,
I know better than to say things. I always get in trouble when
I compare. He said, if I could have just
said, you look good, but I had to compare it. You look better
than you did. I like that dress better than
that one. Just don't compare, because you always come up short. And this is what he's saying
here about our suffering. Compared to what we deserve,
they're nothing. Compared to what they could be, They're not much. Compared to what he suffered,
they're not much. And I'll tell you, compared to what some other folks
have gone through, they're nothing. I was talking to a friend on
the phone. He's asking me how my eye was doing. I said, well,
it's doing fine, you know. Doing fine. But it hurts sometimes. I feel like something's in my
eye. And I kept on telling him about how I felt and all, and
I got to thinking, he just got over cancer. And here I am talking
about a little... I said, I apologize. What you've
been through, I got no right to complain. And that's right. So compared to what it could
be, compared to what I deserve, compared to what others have
gone through, compared to what my Lord suffered, and compared
to what he's going to give me in Christ. Of times the day seems long,
our trials hard to bear, and we're tempted to complain, to
murmur and despair. But Christ will soon appear to
take his church away, and all tears will be forever over in
that eternal day. So it will be worth it all when
we see our Lord. Life's trials will all seem small
when we see him. And one glimpse of his dear face
All this sorrow will erase. So believer, run the race till
you see Christ. I reckon, verse 18, the suffering
of this present time, sufferings, whatever, are not worthy to be
compared with the glory. It shall be revealed, listen,
in us. We're going to be like Him. And let me read you this. I'll
just read this. Substitute the word creation
for creature. For the earnest expectation of
the creation waited for the manifestation
of the sons of God. Longs earnestly for God's sons
to be made known. For the creation, the trees and
the earth, And the nature was subject, made subject to the
sin and vanity and the fall, not willingly. The creation didn't
rebel against God, man did. When man fell, the creation partook
of the same death. There's a reason the earth quakes
and breaks open, trees die and grass dies and storms come. By reason of him who has subjected
the same in hope, hope of what? Redemption. I'm going to make
everything new, he said, because the creation itself shall be
delivered from this bondage of corruption. There's going to
be a new heaven and a new earth. Into the glorious liberty of
the sons of God, when God takes every son and daughter and makes
them like Christ, he's going to make this world over, brand
new. It's going to be a beautiful world. No sin, no sorrow, no
death, no pain, no tears, no darkness, no death. But we know, verse 22, that the
whole creation groans and travails like a woman in pain, travailing
in birth pain, together until now, groaning. And not only they,
but ourselves also. in this old flesh under the weight
of sin, the burden of the old nature, the things I would do,
I do them not, the things I would not do, I do, O wretched man
that I am. We groan within ourselves, even
we who have the firstfruits, the firstfruits, the firstfruits of the Spirit.
You know, when you go out in your garden, you plant your tomato
plants Tie them up and water them and give a miracle grow
and all these things and see these green ones. And one day
you go out there and can't hardly wait. There's a red one. There's
a red one. It's red, but it's not real red.
If it's red enough to eat, the rest of them are green. You pick
the first fruit. Bring it in, peel it and slice
it. Oh, that tastes good, the first
fruit. But let me tell you, that's just a taste of what's to come.
That whole patch out there is just going to be loaded with
tomatoes. All you need. And right now, this fellowship
is just a taste of what's to come. It's still a little green,
isn't it? Not plum ripe. It has little
spots. But that's going to be perfect.
This is just a taste. First fruit. And this forgiveness
and love and grace and peace and rest He's just the first
fruit. And we have those first fruits,
and we enjoy them, but we, even though we do, we groan. What
are we groaning about? Listen. Verse 23, and not only
the nature, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. What
part? Waiting for the adoption, namely, to witness, namely, the
redemption of these bodies. Paul said, I'm tired of this
place. I want to go home. That's what
he said. I have a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, for you
it's expedient that I stay. But I'll tell you, I'm in a straight
matrix of two. I have a desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is far better. I'm waiting for the redemption,
for the setting free of this body. My spirit's already been
set free, but my body is still bound by the flesh, chained,
still subject to all of this nothingness. That's right. But we're saved by hope. What's
that mean? Well, you know, the Bible says
we're saved by faith, justified by faith. But now wait a minute. Faith doesn't justify you, Christ
does. But this is the sense in which
you're justified by faith. Christ justifies you. Christ
saves you. But no man, no man knows Christ,
loves Christ, or is saved by Christ who doesn't have faith
in Christ. Isn't that right? That's what he's saying. It's
Christ that saves. But a man's not saved if he doesn't
believe Him, who doesn't know Him, who doesn't trust Him. As
many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God. No man's a son of God who's never
believed on Christ or received Christ. And that's the sense
in which we're saved by faith. We're saved by Christ. But faith,
by God's will, reveals Christ. brings us to Christ, unites us
to Christ. And that's the way we're saved
by hope. I'm not saved because I hope. I'm saved because Christ
loved me and died for me. But because He loved me and died
for me, I have a good hope. And without this rest in Christ
and without this hope, I couldn't call myself saved. Could I? Do you believe Christ is at the
right hand of God? Yes. Do you believe he intercedes
for us? Yes. Do you believe he is there
and we are accepted in him? Yes. Do you believe he is coming
again? Yes. Do you believe he will receive
his people to himself? Yes. Do you believe when we see
him we are going to be like him? Yes. For he that hath this hope
in him is saved. Saved by hope. That's right.
Saved by hope. It's a living hope because he
lives. It's a good hope because we're made righteous in him.
It's a sure hope because it's by grace and not work. It's a
blessed hope because he's gone to prepare a place and he'll
come again receiving us unto himself. And it's a hope of glory
because he said, the glory which you gave me, I give them. And that's our hope. And we're
saved by faith and we're saved by hope because Christ is the
object of our faith and Christ in us is the hope of glory. All right, I pray that'll be
a blessing to you and God will make it effectual and give us
a strong assurance, a full assurance of our inheritance in him.