[0:00] Let's turn again to the chapter we read in Romans, Romans chapter 8, and reading again at verse 16 and 17.
[0:19] The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
[0:40] One of the great desires in people's hearts in this world is to belong, to be part of. And that's what makes family and friends so important to us in this world.
[1:00] Family, friends give us a sense of identity, give us a sense of security, and a sense of strength. But the wonderful thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's great work of salvation, is that in this world, this salvation gives us the greatest sense of identity and the greatest sense of belonging that can be known in the world.
[1:30] Even when every other relationship may break down and ultimately fail, this is a relationship that cannot. And that is one of the wonderful things that the Bible teaches us. And it's one of the wonderful things that the child of God knows.
[1:47] Now, some people believe and teach that in some ways, in every way, that God in heaven is the Father of all.
[2:02] They teach the fatherhood of God in a way that can be very dangerous. And some people look on preaching as simply reminding everybody that God is their father, that everything is all right, and as long as you are aware that God is your father in heaven.
[2:21] Now, there is a sense in which God is exercising his authority and his work, where you could argue that it is like a father, because God is our maker, he is our sustainer, he is the one who is providing for us at all times.
[2:45] But the way in which the Bible talks of our father in heaven is through a particular relationship. And that relationship is in Jesus Christ.
[2:56] So I always feel it is important that the starting point is to show people the need of salvation in order that they may come to know for themselves the Father in heaven.
[3:12] We cannot know the Father except through the Son. Jesus reveals that to us, makes it very, very clear to us. But coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, through that we come to know the Father.
[3:29] And surely this is the greatest blessing that we could ever enjoy in this world, is to be adopted into the family of God. If you are a believer today, if you are a believer today, if you have come to peace with God in Jesus Christ, if you today are able to say by faith, Jesus is mine, that I have come to that point and place where I have recognized, however dimly, however faintly, that the Lord Jesus has forgiven my sins, that the Lord Jesus has made sacrifice for my sin, that God the Father has pardoned my sin because of what Jesus has done for me.
[4:19] If you are able to see that and have experienced that and know that, then you are the most privileged person in the world. And you couldn't trade the position you are in for all the wealth, for all the power that this world has to offer.
[4:38] Because the person who has everything in this world is the person who ultimately has God as their Father. And that's what this chapter, this chapter in Romans, and of course many of the chapters in the Bible, are chapters that are so full of the privileges and the blessings that belong to those who are in Christ Jesus.
[5:03] Now, as we know, at the end of the day, that a person doesn't become, say for instance, a prince, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, any prince, a prince doesn't become a prince because of his wealth, or because of his learning, or because of anything other than his birth.
[5:27] Because he was born into a royal family. And it's the same for the child of God. They become princes through birth, through a new birth.
[5:41] No other way. And that is a wonderful thing. It is God who does that work. And that is one of the humbling things. And you know, when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, you know, that's one of the wonderful things.
[5:55] It's that a person who comes to faith in Jesus Christ, as time goes on, will never, ever, ever take the glory to themselves. Because they know that their standing in the kingdom, they know that their being brought into the kingdom, has nothing to do with any worth, or value, or merit, or work in themselves, or that they have ever done.
[6:21] But that it is all because of the work of another. And that's what salvation is. That's what salvation does. Salvation is saving.
[6:33] A person drowning has reached the point where they cannot do anything for themselves. And that's where we were, drowning, as it were, in a pit of sin.
[6:44] And it is where God has done the work, where he has reached out and saved us. And it's wonderful. Now, when salvation takes place, when a person is born again, several things happen.
[7:00] There is an order and a sequence, but they all happen simultaneously. And yet, there is an order. For instance, a person is not adopted until they are first regenerated.
[7:11] And yet, everything happens simultaneously. And yet, there is a sequence to it. When a person is regenerated, it is the seed where God plants his seed, as it were, in the heart.
[7:28] And when a person is regenerated, they are justified. And there is a difference between the regeneration and between the justification with regard to state and condition.
[7:43] One affects our condition, and one affects our status. When a person is born again, their heart is changed, and we come to know it.
[7:54] Sometimes it takes a while for us to come to know it, but we will come to know it. We will know that God has worked within our heart. And that is changing our condition.
[8:06] Justification, on the other hand, affects our status. It's an act of God. Where he pardons the sinner.
[8:16] Where he accepts us as righteous through what Jesus has done. And then he adopts us. Justifies and adopts. It's, as we say, all happening together, but it's simultaneously.
[8:29] And yet, there is a sequence in it. Where we are brought into the family of God. And then there is the sanctification. Now, on Wednesday night, we were looking at sanctification.
[8:41] Where we are sanctified. And we saw that there's two aspects to it. There is a once and for all sanctification. Where we are set apart for a holy use. And that's what God does with his people.
[8:53] He sets you and me apart. We are no longer our own. We have been bought with a price. But then there is the work of sanctification. The ongoing work.
[9:04] Which again affects our condition. So, justification and adoption affect our status. And the regeneration and the sanctification affect our condition.
[9:18] It's our work. The sanctification is an ongoing work. Where the Holy Spirit is changing us. And conforming us to the image of Christ. That's God's great purpose for us.
[9:30] It's his greatest purpose in the whole wide world. Whatever. There are mighty works going on in this world today. All over. Great projects.
[9:40] Great plans. But there is no work as great as the work that is going on in your soul, my friend. Changing you. To become like Christ.
[9:54] Amazing work. That is the great work in this world. And we've got to realize it. That it is the great work. We were talking about this on Wednesday. I'm not going to go over that.
[10:05] There is God's work. But there is our work. And we've got to see to it. Whatever we give time to. That we give time to our souls. Because this is God's great purpose for us.
[10:19] So, in order to become a child of God. We have first of all, we've got to be born again. We have to be justified. And then brought into the family.
[10:30] If we could look at it. If we could try and picture it. Here is the sinner. The sinner under condemnation. The sinner in the cell.
[10:42] In the prison cell. The sinner under the sentence of death. And then the sinner is drawn. The sinner is taken into the courtroom.
[10:54] And an amazing thing takes place. Because the judge is now going to do something amazing. Because he is going to put himself.
[11:05] Into the heart. Of this person. Who has been lying in sin. And under condemnation. And then he will say to the sinner.
[11:17] Because of what I have now done to you. You are pardoned. All the condemnation. All the guilt. Everything that condemned you to death.
[11:30] I have now lifted off you. You are now free. And the person in the courtroom. Will say. This is more than I can believe.
[11:43] You mean that the door is open for me to go out. And the king and judge there will say. Yes but don't go. There is more. You are not going anywhere.
[11:55] I have not only set you free. I have not only pardoned you. But I am taking you in now. Into my family. You are now part of my family.
[12:07] You have now become a son. A daughter. More than that. You have become a prince. You become an heir. Of the inheritance. Of glory. And you know when you think about it.
[12:19] This is the most amazing thing. That can ever ever happen in the world. There is nothing more glorious. Nothing more awesome. And if today you have been a recipient.
[12:31] Of God's grace and God's work. You have. What you should be praising God. And you will be praising God. For eternally.
[12:42] There is nothing greater. In all the world. And so. This is what we read about here. That the spirit himself. Bears witness with our spirit.
[12:54] That we are children of God. And if children then heirs. Heirs of God. And fellow heirs with Christ. Now. As we know.
[13:05] The wonderful thing is that. Today. If you are a believer. Faith. And remember. The faith that you have. Is God given. It is not something you worked.
[13:15] Up within yourself. The faith. It is God given. It is a God given faith. That faith is able to lay hold. Upon this truth. First and foremost.
[13:26] Because it is here in the word. And that is why it is so important. For us to be in the word. Because in and of ourselves. We can't work out what is happening. But God has revealed to us.
[13:38] What has happened. And is happening. And is yet to happen. And faith believes it. That is what faith does. Faith says. I believe that to be true.
[13:51] Even although Lord. I still feel such a sinner. And we are. Yet this. Is how it really is. But the wonderful thing is.
[14:03] The Lord. Doesn't just tell us in the word. And the Holy Spirit. Doesn't just enable us. To accept this by faith.
[14:14] The Holy Spirit. Also. Ministers to our spirit. So that there is not only. A sense where faith lays hold upon it. But there is a witness.
[14:26] In our own spirit. So that we. We are. We are able to lay hold upon this. And fully persuaded of it. It's a wonderful thing.
[14:36] When the Holy Spirit. Applies. The truth. Into our heart. And. The Lord often does that to us. Say for instance. There are times. Sometimes we're really low.
[14:48] And the believer gets low. And we're. Let nobody. Kid us on. Yes. We have the joy of the Lord. And yes. We are to rejoice always. But there are times.
[14:59] Because of the. The world we live in. And the nature of sin. But there are times. That the believer will get down. And there are times.
[15:09] Our hearts are sore. And there are times. We can be confused. And there are times. We can be sad. And there are times. We can feel. And there are times. Sometimes we're afraid.
[15:20] That we've lost everything. And there are times. Maybe you feel. You've never been saved. And then the Lord. Will apply his word. And.
[15:32] Whether it's. In your own. Personal reading. Or whether it's. During the preaching. Or even just. In a moment. Where the Lord. Takes his word. He reassures.
[15:43] Your heart. The Holy Spirit. Convinces. Your own spirit. By bringing. The word. And it's. There's nothing.
[15:54] In this world. That will give you. The joy. That is. The equivalent. Of this joy. Where you are. Once again. Reassured. Because sometimes.
[16:05] The Lord. Sometimes. The Lord. Will test his people. Sometimes. The Lord. Allows us. To go into darkness. Us. And we've got to realize. That. The Bible. Is full of instances.
[16:15] Of that. There are times. That the Lord. Will. It's just. Remember. How it says. Of Israel. That he humbled them. To test them. To prove.
[16:26] Whether they loved. The Lord. Or not. We can never know. The reality. Of our faith. Until it's tested. When everything's. Going well. We may be. It's so easy. To say.
[16:37] Oh. I'm a believer. Yes. Oh. I'm at the forefront. Of Christians. But it's when the wind blows. When the cold blast comes.
[16:48] When our own world. Is shaken. And tried. That's when we come. To the reality. To really see. Is this. Do we really have faith. Or not. And sometimes.
[17:00] It's. And it can be hard. We find. The Psalms. Are full of that. The Psalmist. Is crying out. I don't know. Where to find. Him. There are times. You hear.
[17:10] The haunting. Cry of the Psalmist. In darkness. But the Lord. Sometimes. For our good. Takes us.
[17:21] Into these places. In order. Eventually. To reveal himself. To us. More clearly. And to persuade us. And reassure us. All the more.
[17:33] Times. That the Holy Spirit. Will pour himself. Into our heart. For flowing. As it were. God's love. Into our heart. Now. When a person.
[17:45] Becomes a believer. That's one of the things. That happens. As it's used. In the Bible. It says. The love of God. That's shed abroad. In our heart. It's poured out.
[17:57] In our heart. And you say to yourself. How do I know. That I really love the Lord. Because a lot of people. Lament their lack of love. Well. It's evidenced. In. Your love.
[18:07] For the things of God. You have. That's why you find somebody. Where the Lord is working. In their heart. And they. They say to themselves.
[18:18] You know. I'm enjoying. Reading my Bible. I love reading the Bible. I've started. Enjoying. Coming to. To. To church. I used to come to church.
[18:28] And it was a. Well. I went there. Just to. Be. Out of a sense of duty. And. But now. I want to go. I love going. I love my Bible.
[18:40] I actually. I love God's people. I'm being drawn. To God's people. I love God's day now. I. Sometimes. I try to keep.
[18:51] Keep the Sunday. But now. I. I want. It's. It's. It's a. It's a love of my heart. And you see. That is. That is God's love. In your heart. Being expressed. To the things.
[19:01] That belong. To the Lord. But there are times. The Lord. As it were. It gives you. An even greater. Sense of his love. And when you have. These moments.
[19:12] These are special moments. You will never. Never forget them. It's like a little. Taste of heaven. And the Lord. The Lord may never.
[19:23] Give you that. But he may. You'll never forget it. But there are other times. The Holy Spirit. He'll give you such a sense. Of. Peace. And pardon. All these things.
[19:35] But. Anyway. The Holy Spirit. Ministers. When bears witness. With our spirit. That we are. The children of God. That's an ongoing work. That we belong. We know it.
[19:46] We know. That we have passed. From death. To life. Yes. Because we love. The brother. The brothers. Yes. Because we love. God's people. But we also know it. Through this ministry. But.
[19:57] God deals with us. We see. As children. And if children. Then heirs. And heirs. Of God. And fellow heirs. With Christ. Now. The Lord. Of course. Deals with us. In the same way.
[20:07] If we were to think of how. Parents. Deal with their children. We can apply that. Spiritually. Parents. And we think.
[20:17] When we think of children. We think of very little children. Helpless children. Dependent children. When they're wee. What do we do? We clothe the children.
[20:28] We put on their clothes. Jesus. And the great clothing. God has given to us. Is our robe. That's what it's described as. In the Bible. Our robe.
[20:39] Of righteousness. That's what's wrapped around us. The righteousness. Of Jesus. That's a wonderful thought. And as the father. Looks upon us today.
[20:51] He looks at us. In Christ. If you're a believer. That's how the father. Is looking at you. Covered. In Jesus's robe. It's elsewhere. Described as the garment.
[21:02] Of salvation. Again. Parents. Feed their children. That's what the Lord. Does to us as well. He feeds us. He feeds us.
[21:13] You see. The little children. Sometimes. When they're wee. And they've just learned to. Walk around. Or run around. And they go out. And they come in. And they say. I'm hungry. Can I have something to eat? The Lord.
[21:25] Gives us. Spiritual food. To begin with. He gives us. The milk. The sincere milk. Of the word. As we develop. We go on. Into the strong meat. Our prayer is.
[21:38] Give us this day. Our daily bread. Yes. That includes. The temporal things. But more importantly. Includes. The spiritual things. Every day.
[21:49] We're saying. The Lord. Give us. If you are. Spiritually hungry. Let me. Guarantee you. And may I say. To myself. If we are ever. Spiritually hungry.
[22:00] The fault. Is never. The father. Remember Israel. Going through. The wilderness. Every day. There was. Provision. There was.
[22:12] Enough. For. Everybody. As the Lord. Rain. The manna. Down upon them. And it was. Sufficient. For the day. My friend. We don't.
[22:22] Go on. We don't. Look ahead. To tomorrow. And we don't. Try and go through. We don't. Try and go through. Today. And yesterday's grace. The Lord. Is saying. My grace.
[22:33] Is sufficient. For you. He's dealing. In the present. And that's. The way. We are to go on. Day by day. Being nourished. Being strengthened. We must.
[22:43] Day by day. Feed upon the word. Let's not. Try and go through. The week. On Sunday's feeding. The Lord. Does not expect. Us to do that. That's not the way.
[22:53] Israel went through. The wilderness. It was. Every day. They had to gather. The manna. And every day. We have to gather. The spiritual manna. Every day. We have to cry.
[23:04] To the Lord. In order. To feed us. But you know. He's the Lord. Who feeds us. And he satisfies. Us with that feeding. And again. Parents.
[23:14] Teach their children. One of the important things. In life. Is teaching our children. What's right. What's wrong. We always want the best for them. We seek to direct them. In what we assume.
[23:25] Or think is the right way. And that's what the Lord does for us. He's teaching us. He disciplines us. He educates us.
[23:37] He shows us a way to go. And sometimes discipline is difficult. And it's painful. But it's necessary. And one of the things. We should be always praying. Lord.
[23:48] Give me. A teachable spirit. Teachable. So that we will understand. What the Lord is doing with us. And that we may.
[24:01] Hear. Hear him. As he's guiding us. Throughout the word. And again. We know that. Every parent. Will protect their children. Parents would give their life.
[24:12] For their children. My friend. Your heavenly father. Has already done that. He has given. The life of his son. Isn't that amazing? Jesus gave his life.
[24:25] For you. And again. If we were to. Follow through Romans. That is part of the argument. If God. Spared. Not his own son.
[24:37] How shall he not. Freely also. In him. Give you all things. There's the argument. From the greatest. Working down. If God has done the greatest.
[24:48] Surely. He will do. The lesser things. As well. But the father. Has not only adopted. Us into his family. As we saw. But he has made us. Heirs.
[24:59] With Christ. It's quite an extraordinary. Thing. Jesus. Who is not ashamed. To call us.
[25:09] Brothers. In this world. Is also not ashamed. To share. The glory. Of his inheritance. That he has won.
[25:19] For the church's. Redeemer. It's not an amazing thought. Every single one. In glory. Will be.
[25:30] Filled. Because ultimately. The glory. The inheritance. Is God himself. And every single one. Will be completely satisfied. You know. In this world. Sometimes you.
[25:41] Hear of people. Contesting wills. Well you know. The wonderful thing. In glory. Is that. This. If we can call it. God's will. To us.
[25:51] And there are so many. Wonderful things. In that. It is. Where there will be. Absolute. Satisfaction. In himself. Forever. In this life.
[26:02] We have already. Tasted. That God is good. But in glory. We will feed. And feast upon that. Eternally. You know. The wonderful thing.
[26:14] Is that. This inheritance. Is not going to be. Shared out. So that. Some people. Will get this thing. And other people. Will get that. For instance. We're told. In revelation. Some of the things.
[26:25] That we will get. We will get a new name. We'll get a crown of gold. A crown of gold. We will. Reign with Christ. In fact. We're told. We will sit on a throne.
[26:36] Reigning with him. Now it's not that one person. Will get this. And another person. One person. Doesn't go to glory. And was told. Right. You're getting the crown of gold. Everybody gets.
[26:48] A share. Of the inheritance. We all do. In totality of being. But Paul adds. This qualification. Provided. We suffer. With him.
[26:59] In order. That we may also. Be glorified. With him. Now. Let us be clear. That suffering. Some people have this idea. That. If we suffer in this world.
[27:10] This is our way to heaven. It's not. Some people have. Suffered terribly. But if we are. Out of Christ. Irrespective of what suffering. We have in this world. It will not gain heaven for us.
[27:22] It is our identification. With Jesus. By taking Jesus. By faith. And it is inevitable. If you are a Christian.
[27:33] That it will involve. Some form of suffering. Because to be a Christian. It means. Denying yourself. Taking up.
[27:44] The cross. And following him. And it is. Inevitable. That in. Denial. And cross bearing. And following.
[27:55] There will be times. When you will suffer. But I think. As we were going through. Peter. We saw a lot. About suffering. And the identification. With Christ. In suffering.
[28:05] That is why the apostle Paul. Prayed. That I might know. That I might know. And the power. Of his resurrection. And the fellowship. Of his sufferings.
[28:16] That is what the apostle. Was praying for. It is an amazing prayer. Because. Naturally speaking. We would. We would recoil. From that. Oh yes. I want to know. The power of his resurrection.
[28:26] But not. The fellowship. Of his sufferings. My friend. Yes. The fellowship. Of his sufferings. And this is. Where we identify.
[28:37] In and with Jesus. Jesus. But we shall reign with him. Forever. And ever. Some people. Have to suffer.
[28:47] Far more than others. In this part of the world. Where we are. Yes. There might be some Christians. And I always have to be careful.
[28:58] Because maybe today. For you. It might be very difficult. You might be the only. Christian. In your home. In one.
[29:08] For some people. That might be true. And you might have a home. That is very sympathetic. To the Christian faith. There is a pain. In your heart. In the sense.
[29:19] That you want. All others. In your family. To come to know. Jesus Christ. As yet. They don't. But you're long. And you pray for that. That's caused you. An element of suffering.
[29:31] There's always suffering. When those whom we love. Are outside the kingdom. And we long. For them to come in. But. Maybe you're in a home.
[29:41] I don't know. Where you are suffering. Because there might be. A member of your family. Or more than a member. Of your family. Who does.
[29:51] Not have any sympathy. For the Christian faith. Who's making your life difficult. Because of your love for Jesus. That's hard. Maybe it's through.
[30:02] At work. That there are those. Who have no love for Jesus. Who are opposed to Christ. And for no other reason. But that. Than that you're a Christian.
[30:12] They're making things. Awkward for you. The Bible shows us. That there are times. When Christians. Are put to death. For no other reason. But that they love.
[30:23] The Lord Jesus Christ. That's the ultimate. Suffering for Christ. Christ. But for many of us. That is not the suffering.
[30:33] That we're called upon. But we will all. Be identified. With. His suffering. The all important thing. Today. That I have to leave with you.
[30:45] Is this. Are you. A child of God. Are you. A joint. Aire. With Christ. Are you. An heir. Are you going to share. With Christ.
[30:55] Eternally. If so. Not that you can take any glory. In it for yourself. Not that there can be. Any trace of pride. The glory.
[31:07] And the pride. Or the. Or being proud. Is all. In what. What he has done. For you. But there has to be. Rejoicing. And thanksgiving.
[31:18] An amazement. That someone like you. Has been brought. Into the ultimate. Royal family. If you today.
[31:29] Are without. Christ. Do you know what the Bible says. Without God. And without hope. In this world. And it's an awful situation. And condition to be in.
[31:41] Today. You are in the presence. Of the great king. Today. He's inviting you. To come. Into his family. That's a great. Gospel invitation.
[31:52] And he's saying to you. Seek me. Seek me. And the Bible says. Seek him. While he may be found. And the Bible tells us. If you seek him. With all your heart.
[32:03] You will find him. Isn't that wonderful. On the one hand. It's telling us. What will happen. If we do. We can't save ourselves. He will save us.
[32:14] Our duty. And obligation. Is to seek. And the seeking soul. Will find. That is a cry. The Lord will never. Ever turn away from.
[32:25] A soul. That is crying. With all that heart. Save me. The Lord will never. Turn away from that cry. You cry it.
[32:35] My friend. And he will save you. Let's pray. Oh Lord. Our God. We give thanks. For this word. That we have here. Before us today.
[32:47] And we. Could never. Even. Dream up. Or imagine. What is told us. In the word. And we glory. In. What God.
[32:57] Has done for us. In Christ Jesus. May our joy. Be in the Lord. May that. Be our strength. As we journey. Through life. Bless us all.
[33:08] With health. And strength. In body. Mind. And soul. And part us now. With thy blessing. We pray to bless. The cup of tea. That will be in the hall.
[33:19] And that we might be able. To enjoy. Every privilege. And blessing. Given to us. Help us to remember. That every good. And perfect gift. Is from above. Guide us then. We pray.
[33:30] And do us good. And take away our sin. In Jesus name. Amen. We're going to.