Now I'd like for you to open
your Bibles to the eighth chapter of Romans. The eighth chapter of Romans.
Now the title of this message, and I hope that the title will
be the experience of everyone here, the assurance of hope. the ground
and assurance of hope. Now, I may have bitten off a
whole lot more than I can chew tonight. I may be attempting too much in covering the entire
eighth chapter of Romans, but someone said this chapter is
like the Garden of Eden. which had in it all manner of
delights. Another writer said if God's
preacher had only the eighth chapter of Romans from which
to preach, that's all he had, just the eighth chapter of Romans,
that he would have enough material to last a lifetime. Every line of this chapter could
serve as a text, every single line. It is indeed an inexhaustible
mine of treasures and riches. Paul sets before us in the eighth
chapter of Romans a golden ladder, and from every step he climbs
to something a little higher and a little richer. and a little more comforting.
Now let's begin with verse 1. In verse 1 of chapter 8, it says,
there is therefore now, right now, no condemnation, and the
word is no judgment, no condemnation and no judgment, to them who
are in Christ Jesus. That's right now, at this present
time. There is no condemnation, no judgment, there's no curse.
The curse of the law is gone. There's no wrath from heaven
against those who are in Christ Jesus. There's no charge in heaven
against them, heaven, earth, or under the earth. There is
no mark on their record in the presence of Almighty God. That's
right now, those who are in Christ Jesus. Now to get the full meaning
and effect of this glorious, blessed declaration, we must
go back to chapter 7 and read a few verses beginning at verse
18. And here, beginning in verse
18, the Apostle Paul lays no claim to perfection in this flesh,
but rather he mourns over his inner conflicts, he mourns over
his sinfulness. We're still sinners and Paul
is led to cry, Oh, wretched man that I am. In other words, the
people I'm talking about who have no condemnation and no wrath
and no curse and no judgment are people who are living right
here on this earth in the flesh daily mourning over their sinfulness. Listen to verse 18. I know that
in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. To will is present
with me." Our Lord said to his disciples, the Spirit indeed
is willing, is willing, willing to be perfect, willing to be
holy, willing to be like Christ. But how to perform that which
is good, that which is perfect, that which is perfectly righteous? Well, he said, I don't find it
in me. For the good that I would, the
perfection that I would perform and accomplish, I don't do it. But the evil that I hate, the
evil that I despise, the evil thoughts and imagination and
words, the evil that I hate and I would not do, that I do too
often. Now, if I do that, I would not. It's no more I. It's not the
regenerated me. It's not the one who loves Christ. It's not I that do it. It's that
sin that dwelleth in me. Sin does not reign in a child
of God, but it does remain, unfortunately. And a man's a liar who denies
it. That's what John said. If any man say he hath not sin,
he's a liar. If any man says he has no sin,
he makes God a liar. Verse 21, I find then a law that
when I would do good, that I would be perfect, that I would be without
sin, the thought of foolishness, that evil is present with me.
I delight in the law of God. Every believer delights in the
law of God. He loves the law of God. He loves the commandments
of his Savior. He loves the holiness of God.
He longs for the day when he shall be like Christ and never
again even imagine or think or consider an evil thought. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man. The believer does not love sin.
He may commit sin, but he does not love sin. He can't love sin
and love Christ. If any man loved the world, the
love of God's not in him. But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind. That's what he said in
Galatians. He said, the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and
the spirit against the flesh. It's a daily battle and conflict,
so that you cannot do the things you would. What would you do?
I would be perfect. I would be absolutely perfect.
I desire to be like Christ in every way, to have no pride,
no hatred, no malice, no arrogance, no covetousness, none whatsoever,
don't you? But I found the law, another
law in my mind, warring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to this law of sin, this body of sin, bringing
me into captivity. to the law of sin which is in
my members." Haven't you, in the most blessed time, in the
most holy hour, your mind just flies off into something you
shouldn't think, and you just say, under God, why'd I think
like that? And you turn and say something
to someone, and within your heart you say, why'd I say that? I
didn't want to say that. I wish I hadn't have said that.
I wish I hadn't have said that. I wish I could always speak kindly
and compassionately and lovingly and seasoned with grace and glorifying
to God, don't you? Well, that's that old Adamic,
I started to say damn Adam nature, but it's Adamic nature. And that's
what it is, it's a damned nature. And it just wars in us, doesn't
it? Bringing us into captivity to these thoughts and words and
deeds. Paul finally cries in verse 24,
he didn't say, oh, wretched man, that I was. I was a wretched
man, no question about that. But I'll tell you, considered
in my flesh and in myself, I'm still wretched. In Christ, I'm
perfect. In Christ, I'm holy. In Christ,
I'm sanctified. But in my flesh dwelleth no good
thing. Oh, wretched man that I am, who's
going to deliver me from this body of death? From this bondage? Who's going to deliver me? I
thank God. I've already been legally, before God, in God's
sight delivered. I'm just waiting until we put
this flesh in the ground and I go to be with the Lord, because
the victory is already mine. already mine. I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So with the mind, with the spirit,
with the soul, with the regenerated heart, I do serve the law of
God. I do delight in the law of God.
I do love the law of God. I do love that law which says
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind,
soul, and strength. I love that law that says love
your neighbor as yourself. I love that commandment of Christ
that says love one another as I love you. I love that law of
God which says be ye holy for I am holy. Be ye merciful as
I am merciful. But with this flesh, O my soul,
my soul. That law of sin is still so prevalent. And I'll tell you this, you'll
never be rid of it as long as you walk on this earth. Now you'll
never be rid of it. There's a growth in grace, and
there's a growth in faith, and there's a growth in love, but
don't you ever for one moment think that you stand alone. that you stand by your strength
or by your holiness or by your own power, you're kept by the
power of God. And any holiness in us is not
us, it's Christ. Any progress we make, any growth
that we, to which we attain, it's not you, it's Christ. And
he has to have the glory. And then even after all that,
even after that, even after confessing the truth, Even after facing
the glare and the blare of God's holy light, even confessing that
in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, O wretched man that I
am. The things I would not do, I do. The things I would do,
I do them not. Paul still says, but there is
therefore no condemnation. Isn't that good news? Isn't that
good news? No condemnation. Paul never justifies
sin. And a saved man won't. Paul never
excuses sin. He never blames God for his iniquities. He always blames himself. He
says, my sin, my flesh, my... David did. He said, my sins ever
before. And I tell you where the victory
is. There is therefore right now, before God, no judgment,
no charge and no condemnation to them who are where? In Christ
Jesus. Not to those who are in religion,
not to those who are in the church, not to those who are in the ministry,
but to those who are in Christ Jesus. They're in Christ through
a covenant of grace. God the Father gave you to Christ.
He put you in Christ before the world began. Christ be my first
elect, he said. and then chose his chief in their
head. God put you in Christ. And then
Jesus Christ assumed responsibility for you as your surety, and then
we're in the body of Christ, and we're in the church of Christ,
and we're in Christ in his obedience, and in his death, in his resurrection,
and seated with him in the heaven. We're in Christ. Now watch the
following verses. It says in verse 2, And I'll
get back to what, not after the flesh, but after the spirit in
a minute. But verse 2 says, for the law of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death. Christ has freed me by his obedience
and by his blood from the bondage and captivity of this law of
sin and death. He set me free. Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. That's
why there's therefore now no condemnation to us, it's because
Christ has freed us from the condemnation. The law had a charge
against me, but he took it in himself. The law had a charge. I was guilty before the law and
condemned by the law and doomed to die. And Christ came down
here and took my guilt and took my charge into himself and delivered
me from the charge. Look at the next verse. But what
the law could not do. The law can never save. It wasn't
given to save. The law can't make any man holy.
It can demand holiness, but it can't produce it. And I'll tell
you this. You can assemble a church together,
you can lay down, you can put the Ten Commandments on the wall,
you can put them on the pulpit, you can put them on the building,
you can preach them in the pulpit. You can stress them, you can
preach them, you can enforce them, but you can't make men
holy by the law. And the law can't do it. Why? Because it's weak through the
flesh. Now you may get some regimented, reformed, outward Pharisees,
but you can't do anything about this heart and this soul and
this spirit. So the law can't do it. But what
the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh.
The law wasn't weak, the law was strong. The flesh is what's
weak. God sending his own son, in the very likeness of our sinful
flesh, and foreseeing the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, perfectly
obeyed that law, perfectly, in every jot and tittle, and gave
to us a righteousness with which God's law is totally satisfied. The law can find no fault in
me when I'm in Christ. And then look at the next verse.
that the very righteousness of the law, the very righteousness
of the law, the very righteousness of God might be literally fulfilled
in us. Literally fulfilled in us. Christ
is made unto us wisdom and righteousness. In other words, this is what
Paul is saying in the opening verse of this chapter. There
is no condemnation to them who are in Christ because the condemnation
has been lifted. The bondage has been lifted.
The curse has been lifted. The law has been satisfied. And
literally, actually, even though I know my mind thinks things
it shouldn't think and my heart imagines things it shouldn't
imagine and my feet walk where they shouldn't walk and where
they don't, where my heart doesn't want to walk. Still, because
I'm in Christ by God's grace and in Christ by his own willingness
to assume responsibilities, my surety, in Christ, by his obedience
and debt, I am not only not condemned, but I am perfect. I have the
righteousness of God. That's what that says, literally
that says. I am holy, perfectly holy, as
holy as the Son of God. That's what it's saying. You
see that, that the righteousness of the law, this is not a somewhat lesser righteousness,
this is the very righteousness of the law that's fulfilled in
us. This is the very expectation
of heaven, this is the very perfection of God that is literally, realistically
ours because our substitute fulfilled the law. Literally, it's fulfilled
in thee, with his spotless garments on, and as holy as God's Son.
All right, here are two phrases now. Two phrases. Go back to verse 1 a moment.
He said, there's therefore now no condemnation to them who are
in Christ Jesus. They're in Christ Jesus. They're
in Christ in covenant mercies and representation. They're in
Christ in regeneration. They're in Christ literally by
faith. They're in Christ. They're new
creatures in Christ, created in Christ Jesus. And these new
creatures, now they know that they are not perfect. Paul said,
Dan read it, I count not myself to have apprehended. Paul said,
I hadn't arrived by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not like
Christ yet. But I'm not what I used to be.
And I'm not walking the direction I used to walk. And I'm not living
the life I used to live. I am a new creature in Christ.
And these people who are in Christ and who have no condemnation
and who have a perfect righteousness before God also have an imparted
righteousness in their daily walk. Now they do, they don't,
they walk after the spirit and not after the flesh. It says
that twice. It says they walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. They walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. What is a man's walk? Well a
man's walk is the tenor of his life. It's the tenor of his life. A man's walk is the general direction
of his life, is it not? It's the way he moves. It's the
way he's going. It's movement. It's progress,
isn't it, John? It's a movement. It's the tenor
of his life. It's the direction, the general
direction of his will. It is the greater desire of his
mind. This is the way I'm going. That's
my walk. Now, the natural man who's unsaved
and unregenerated, unbeliever, I don't care whether he's in
the church or out of the church, whether he's a professing Christian
or not a professing Christian, the natural man The natural man,
in heart and mind, his mind is fully set on the world and on
the flesh. That's the tenor of his life. The natural man, the tenor of
his life, the direction of his walk, the bend of his will, is
the flesh. He lives for the flesh. He thinks
of the flesh. He desires the flesh. He's uncomfortable
in spiritual atmosphere. He's uncomfortable under the
preaching of the Word. It's just not his direction,
it's not his walk, it's not the benefit of his will. But the
believer, though he has a conflict with flesh and a conflict with
the world and a conflict with sin dwelling in him, his mind
and his heart and his soul loves God and loves God's Word. and believes God's Word, and
rejoices in God's Word, and desires the things of God, and he's not
only comfortable in a spiritual atmosphere, that's where he'd
rather be. He's uncomfortable anywhere else.
He's just uncomfortable. Let's read these next few verses.
Let me show you this. Let me show you this. Down here
it says in verse in verse 5, they that are after the flesh,
that is, that's their natural people, they're carnal, they've
never been regenerated, never been born again, they've got
one nature, a fleshly nature. Or they may have the emotions
of religion, they may have some zeal for religion, they may have
some desire to go to a happy hunting ground. But they're unregenerated,
they're natural men, and they mind What's that word they do
mind, the things of the flesh? They're concerned about the things
of the flesh. They delight in the things of
the flesh. They seek the things of the flesh.
That's what they mind. That's what they think about.
That's what they want. That's what they desire. The
things of the world, the things of the flesh. They live in that
realm. But they that are after the Spirit,
they do mind, they're concerned for the things of God. a concern for the things of God.
They delight in the things of God. For to be carnally minded, to
be carnally directed, what's a man's walk? It's the tenor
of his life. It's the bend of his will. It's
the general direction of his life. And for that general direction
to be a carnal, dominated by a carnal mind, it's death. It leads to death. But to be
spiritually minded, to be spiritually oriented, to have a real spiritual
concern and delight in the things of God, that's life. That'll
lead to life. You walk in the light, God'll
give you more life. Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God. It's not subject to the law of
God. It doesn't delight in the law of God. It doesn't love the
law of God. It doesn't love the word of God. Neither indeed can it be. You
can't bring it into subjection. You can't make a man love God's
love. You can't make a man love God's
word. You can't make a man love God's
people. The love of God is shed or brought
in the heart by the Holy Ghost. And if it's there, it's there.
If it's not there, it's not there. So then they, they're in the
flesh, and fleshly minded, and fleshly oriented, and that's
their life. Flesh, flesh, flesh, world, carnality, materialism,
that's all they're interested in, the things of this world.
They can't please God. But you're not in the flesh.
That's not your direction, that's not the bent of your will. That's
not the tenor of your life, not if you know Christ. You're not
in the flesh, you're in the Spirit. You are, the true you. You've
got a flesh to contend with, you've got a nature to contend
with, but that new nature, that new heart, oh how it loves Christ,
how it loves his word, how it loves his people, how it longs
to be like him, how it hates those things that creep in, those
things that try to dominate, how it hates those things. You're
not in the flesh, you're in the Spirit. Watch it. If so be that
the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if any man have not this
Spirit of Christ, if any man have not this Spirit of Christ,
this Spirit of regeneration, this Spirit of new birth and
new life, this Spirit of God, this Spirit who reveals Christ,
who takes the things of Christ and makes them precious to you,
this Spirit that gives you a a love for the Word and a desire to
know the Word. It gives you a love for Christ
and a desire to be like Christ. It gives you a love for holiness.
It gives you a love for the people of God. It gives you a hunger
and thirst for righteousness. This Spirit of Christ, if He
doesn't dwell in you, and you don't have Him, then you're none
of His. I've often said, and I'll say
it again, repentance is not an isolated act. A man doesn't repent
once for all. Repentance is a state of being.
A man repents, repents, repents, repents, repents, repents, and
he keeps on repenting. He mourns over sin today, and
he mourns over it tomorrow, and he'll mourn over it day after
tomorrow, when he finds it in himself. He believes Christ. He has believed. He is believing.
He will believe. He perseveres in faith. And if
he doesn't have that spirit of Christ, then he's none of his. And what's this verse 10? If
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin. I'm crucified
with Christ. That old body of sin has already
been crucified. It's just waiting burial. It's
dead. It's under the condemnation of
God. It's already been slain. He that's
dead is freed from sin. But the Spirit is life because
of God's righteousness in us. Because, what's this now? Verse
11, but if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you, if God's mighty, powerful, sovereign Holy Spirit
dwells in you, if He dwells, if the Spirit of God that raised
up Christ dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead
will also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth
in you. Therefore, brethren, we're not
debtors. We're debtors not to the flesh.
The flesh never has given me anything but misery. I'm not a debtor to live after
the flesh. The flesh has never given me
anything. If you live after the flesh, you'll die. There's absolutely
nothing this world has to offer a believer. This flesh does not
make one contribution to your eternal happiness. Not one thing. But if you, through the Spirit
of God, now watch this, but if you, through the Spirit of God,
it didn't say you by yourself, You can't do it by yourself.
It's an impossibility. But if you, through the Spirit
of God, do mortify the deeds of this body and the inclinations
of this body, mortify it, and you'll have to mortify it tomorrow,
you're not going to mortify it once for all. You're going to
have to mortify it when you're 65, when you're 75, and probably
when you're 85. You're going to have to mortify
it. But if you, through the Spirit, suppress, push down, mortify
the deeds of this body, you'll live. For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Now here's the
beautiful, here's the third thing I want you to see. I told you,
every sentence makes a text. As many, you see, what he says,
there's therefore now no condemnation. He talks about what he said above,
what I am. I admit what I am, the struggles
and conflicts I have, but there's no condemnation, I'm in Christ.
And then he says, I walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit, and that's the Spirit of God that dwells in me, the
enabling Spirit of God. Then he says, being led by the
Spirit of God, you are a son of God. Now listen to me, listen
well. All men are not sons of God.
Now, I know you'll get a good fight going here with the folks
you work with, but God is not the Father of all men. No, I
beg your pardon. I can give you too many scriptures
for that. Listen. To as many as received him, to
them gave he the right, the privilege, to become sons of God. Isn't
that what it says? John 8. These Pharisees said
to our Lord, we have one Father. God. And our Lord said, your
father's the devil. Your father's the devil. You
know what he said? And then in 1 John 3, John wrote this, Beloved,
now, now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what
we shall be, but when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
So all men are not the sons of God. But listen, as many as are
led by the Spirit of God. regenerated by the Spirit of
God, who have been brought by the Spirit of God into a union
with Christ, they're sons of God. What a treasure, a son of
God. Now listen, listen carefully,
all over, if you're not in Christ, you're not a child of God, you're
a child of wrath. That's what the Word says, you're
not a son of God. I tell you, people ask questions
about heaven, are we going to know each other in heaven? People
who are not even going to be in heaven. I'd lay odds they're
not going to be in heaven. I'm not greatly concerned about
whether we're going to know each other. I want to know Christ
so that I'll be there. And if you're led by the Spirit
of God, you're a son of God. If you're not led by the Spirit
of God, you're not a son of God. And look at the next verse, for
we've not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear, but
we've received the spirit of adoption. We've been adopted.
We've been adopted. We call God our Father, listen,
whereby we cry Abba. That's Hebrew for Father. Father,
Father. We call God our Father, but why? According to His divine purpose
and will in Christ Jesus, He came down here to this awful
orphanage and He adopted us. He adopted us. He made us his
children, and he gave me, Tom, his name. He adopted me. I could read you several scriptures.
He said, in the fullness of time, 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 what? The adoption of sons. Now let me ask you this. Is a
child born in a home and a child adopted into a home, which one
is the heir? They're both heirs. That's right,
they're both heirs. And Jesus Christ is the only
begotten Son of God, and I'm an adopted son, and I'm a joint
heir with Jesus Christ. I'll read you that. Listen, read
on. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that
we are children of God, and if we're children, we're heirs.
Now, watch this. It doesn't say if we're creatures,
we're heirs. It says if we're children. It
doesn't say if we're circumcised, we're heirs. It says if we're
children, we're heirs. It doesn't say if we're servants,
we're heirs. It says if you're children, you're
heirs of God. Heirs of God. And that's not
all. We're joint heirs with Jesus
Christ. might do well sometimes you have
the time to look up that word h-e-i-r and h-e-i-r-s, heirs
of God. Talks about the angels are sent
to minister to them who are the what? Heirs of salvation. Titus
3 7 says we're heirs of eternal life. James 2 5 says we're heirs
of the kingdom of God. And 1 Peter 3, 7 says, together
we're heirs of the grace of life. We've inherited it in Christ. Oh, I tell you, and what an inheritance. You want to read about it, listen.
Verse 17, if we're children. Now, listen. As many as are led
by the Spirit of God. Where does the Spirit of God
lead men? To Christ. In Christ. To faith. To look
to Christ. To love Christ. to believe Christ.
And if we are led by, we're sons. And if we're sons, we've been
adopted, we can cry, Father. And if he's our father, we're
his heirs. We're heirs of God, everything
that God has and everything God is. And we're joint heirs with
Jesus Christ. And verse 18 says, For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time, and I don't care how acute
they are or how heavy they are, or what they are, they're not
worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed
in us. We have an inheritance undefiled that faded not away,
reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God,
sons of God. What a delight, what a joy. And
just to talk about the very roughest time here, it's not even worthy
to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.
Listen. For the earnest expectation of
the creature of the whole creation waits for my manifestation, the
sons of God. You know what the whole world
is waiting on? Paul's got a little article in the Bulletin today
about what's it all about. God's going to make a new heaven and
new earth. God's going to have a new kingdom wherein dwelleth
righteousness, where nothing entereth that worketh or maketh
a lie. No deceit, no lie, no unrighteousness. And all that's
waiting till the last elect, the last sheep is called in,
the manifestation of the sons of God when Christ comes again.
And then this whole new world is going to sing again. There
will be no more disease, no more tears, no more death, no more
sorrow for the former things have passed away. And all that's
waiting for these sons of God to enter their inheritance. That's
what's waiting them. Father, creation, verse 20, was
made subject to this vanity and death and corruption, thus in
it too, not willingly, but the whole creation was made subject
to vanity by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope
because the creation itself, you said creature, you're reading
creation, that says creature, that's creation. The creation
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption
into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The children
of God. The children of God. They keep
saying that. Sons of God. Sons of God. For we know that
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until
now under this curse of the broken law. And not only the creation,
but ourselves also. who have the first fruits of
the Spirit, we ourselves groan within ourselves. What are you
groaning about? I'm tired of it, aren't you? I'm not happy
with it. I don't find anything in this
world, of the world, that makes my spirit happy. Do you? Other than the scriptures, the
things of God, the things of Christ, the peace of Christ,
the joy of Christ, can you find happiness in this temporary knowing
that it's a soap bubble? No happiness there. And we grow. What are we waiting on? We're
waiting for the adoption, the fulfillment of our adoption,
namely, to wit means namely, the redemption of our bodies.
When Christ died on that cross, he bought my soul and body. And
I'm going to have a new body just like his. And I'm waiting
on that. I'm waiting to get out of this old leaky house. I feel
the wind. Too many cracks in this. I feel
the wind. I feel the draft. I feel all
the things like you do too. The roof leaks and it's got cracks
in it and the steps are broken down and just everything's going
wrong with it. And I'm waiting to get out of
it. and move. I don't want to live
without one. I want to move into a house not
made with hands, eternal in the heaven. That's the new body.
Now watch this. We're saved by hope. We're saved
by hope. Now watch this. This is what
that means. In this hope we're saved. In this hope we're saved. It's not by what we see or do,
read on, for hope which is seen is not hope. We're not saved
by what we do. We're not saved by what we see.
We're not saved by what we perform, because that can't be called
hope or faith either one. For what a man seeth, what does
he yet hope for? But if we hope for that, we see
not. Do you see the covenant of grace?
Do you see the incarnation? Not with these eyes. Do you see
Christ on the cross? Do you see Christ at the right
hand of God? Not with his eyes. But I have a hope, a blessed
hope in my heart. And that's what he's talking
about. We patiently wait for it. What are we waiting for?
Our salvation is through the grace of God, the goodness of
God, the sure mercies of God in Christ, the certain promises
of God in his word. And our salvation rests not on
our works and deed and righteousness, but our salvation rests on this,
a hope in the sure mercies of God. That's what it means by
we're saved by hope. It's not a hope, a hope, a hope.
It's not an empty desire. It's a desire based on his promise. It's a desire based on his purchase. It's a desire based on his intercession. That's what it's a desire based
on. And it's a good hope because it's the hope of God gave us.
It's a good hope in Christ through grace. You know something about
us? We're so spiritually helpless,
we don't even know what to pray for. You know, sometimes I get
a little aggravated. Some of these preachers that
are so, they just back God off in a corner. They're just so confident and
cocky and cocksure about praying. You just grab the television,
we're going to pray, and boy, they just start shaking the throne
of grace. And you know what it says here
in verse 26? Likewise, this same spirit of
grace, this spirit of regeneration, this spirit of Christ, also helps
my infirmities. You wouldn't know most of these
guys had any infirmities. He helps my infirmities. Boy,
it's hard to admit we have infirmities in us. But He helps our infirmities. We don't know what we should
pray for, as we all. We don't even know what to pray
for. Now, one reason why we don't
know what to pray for, because we want to pray according to
the will of God, and we don't know what the will of God is.
But the Holy Spirit does. That's what he's saying here
now. But the Spirit himself, and you
notice every time this itself, I feel like our translators just
kind of blew it there. It's a him-self. The Spirit of
God himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. You know what that says? And
he that searcheth the hearts, read verse 27, I'll tell you.
He that searcheth the hearts He who knows and searches the
hearts of men, God does, doesn't He? He knows what's the mind
of God. He knows the mind of the Spirit.
He knows the mind and intent of the Spirit, because the Spirit
maketh intercession for the saints, thank God, according to the will
of God. I'm not alone. I'm not alone. I don't know what to pray for.
You ever have a dear friend that's sick, and you go over and he
says, pray that God will make me well. Well, I want him well, but I
want God's will to be done too, don't you? I want God's will to be done
too. And so I don't know, and I have to lean on and look to
the Spirit of God to help me pray according to the will of
God. I may not even know what God's will. I'll ask God to make
him well. I'll ask God to make him well.
But I'll ask God, the Holy Spirit, to take this request to God in
submission to God's will and not my will. Is that all right?
That's the way it is because He knows the mind of God. He
that searcheth the heart, He knows the mind of God and He
makes intercession for the saints always. according to the will
of God, the Spirit who dwells in me. He's always right. He's never out of the will of
God, because the Godhead is in perfect unity. Perfect unity. All right, here's
the last one. And we know that all things,
all things, and basically, now I know we say all things good
and bad, all things past, present, and future, all things in life, all things wherever,
work for our good, who love God, called according to His purpose.
But the basic meaning here is all things in heaven, Father,
Son, Holy Spirit. And we know that all things,
you see, I read the verse, we don't know the things for which
we should pray. He knows, he who knows the intents of the
hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit, he makes intercession
for us according to the will of God. And we know that all
things, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and also all things in life,
that's true providentially, but the basic meaning is, and you
check it, is all things in heaven work together for our good. God
chose us to eternally save us. assumed our share of the ship
and died for us, and the Holy Spirit is indwelling you, and
teaching you, and comforting you, and guiding you, and praying
for you, for your good, your eternal good, not your temporal
good. I don't know what's going to
happen tomorrow or the next day, but it's going to be for my good,
because God's running this show. where I'm concerned. That's the
reason he says in verse 29, for whom he foreknew, whom the Father
foreknew, predestinated, ordained. He also predestinated to be conformed
to the image of his Son. That's what God's whole purpose
is in this thing to make us like Christ, that Christ might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestinated,
he called by his Spirit, and whom he called, he justified,
freed them from sin, delivered them from the curse, saved their
soul, washed their sins away, gave them new life, and whom
he justified, them he glorified. And you take verse 29, read that
first, whom, for whom, he, foreknew, and then read the last sentence,
them he glorified. You just take your little journey
back into eternity, and you see the will of Almighty God in choosing
a people out of Adam's race, every tribe, kindred, nation,
tongue unto heaven, whom? Them he glorified. That's who
will be in glory. And all these things in between
work together for that accomplishment. Now, here's four questions we'll
close with. What shall we say to these things?
What shall we say to these things? All these things. All these things
that he's been talking about. Predestination, fornication,
justification, calling, glorification, but also these things in this
whole paradise. No condemnation. Walk not after
the flesh, but after the spirit. All those things. Sons of God.
What do you say to these things? Well, I say, if God be for me,
Who can be against me? Isn't that great? If God planned
this thing, then it doesn't matter who is on the other side. I've
got to find out if God's in it. You can't condemn me because
Christ died. Yea, rather, he climbs a little higher. He said
he's even risen again. That's the evidence God accepted
what he did. Why, he's even at the right hand
of God. And he also makes intercession for us. See that? Here's the
last question. I told you he just takes this
golden ladder and just keeps climbing, just keeps climbing.
And here's the good news. Amid all the trials and struggles
and heartaches, all these things, who's going to separate me from
the love of Christ? Who? Who's going to separate
me from the love of Christ? He didn't say who's going to
separate me from my love for Christ. It's the love of Christ
for me. I love Him because He loves me.
Here in His love, not that I love God, He loves me. But who's going
to separate me from His love? Shall tribulation, shall distress,
depression, fear, doubt, persecution, famine, poverty, peril, sorrow,
Why, it's written, for thy sake we're killed all the day long,
we're counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we're more than conquerors through him that loved us, for
I am persuaded that neither death, and its coming, nor life, nor
this present life, nor angels, they have farmed me, not against
me, nor principalities, that's satanic Principalities in high
places, anybody talks about? We war against principalities.
No powers, no things right now. And I know all these preachers
are worried about the Antichrist and the beast and the false prophet
and the times, time and a half of time. Those things don't make
any difference, no things to come. I feel like this, what
difference does it make? Somebody says, well, millennium
or not, I don't care. Once I leave here, This flesh,
and that's not long, you know that, that's not long. Whatever
happens, fine, I'm with Christ, where He is, I am. If He wants
to go to Jerusalem, I'm content to go to Jerusalem. Things present
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, that's all the way
up to the throne or down to the deepest hell. Now, if I've left
anything out, Paul said, nor any other creature can separate
me from the love of God. And don't ever leave this out,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's where it is. There
is no condemnation to them who are in Christ. If we're in Christ,
we have the Spirit of Christ. If we're in Christ, we're sons
of God. If we're in Christ, we're not condemned. If we're in Christ,
we have the love of God, the kind, compassionate, tender love
of God that can never fail. What a book. What a chapter.