We are going through Romans 8 with the overall theme of assurance of salvation in Christ.
So two weeks ago, David Coylewood spoke on reason number one for the assurance of our salvation.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
because Christ has taken the condemnation on the cross.
And last week, Rob Patterson spoke on reason number two, the Holy Spirit has come to give life.
The law of the spirit of life supersedes the law of sin and death.
It is like the law of aerodynamics supersedes the law of gravity.
When the law of the spirit of life is at work in us,
the law of sin and death no longer has anything to do with us.
This week, I would like to speak on reason number three,
that is how the Holy Spirit helps us to live like children of God.
And Rob has been very helpful in explaining the term of Abba Father.
And then Marty gave us a very good illustration in terms of being adopted by God.
All right, before we start, shall we pray?
Father God, we thank you for the fact that we could call your Father,
even as we come before you, the Holy God.
And it is such a privilege for us to come before you as our Father,
no longer fearing any condemnation.
Oh, Father, we know that you want us to have more, more than no condemnation,
but a life that is worthy of your calling,
a life that is totally out of our own expectation.
For you have prepared for those who love you,
things that we have never thought of, never seen, never heard before.
Oh, Father, help us to see you clearer this morning as we come into your word.
Thank you, Father. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
For this sermon, there will be quite a number of verses that I will be going through.
I'm sorry, it will be a bit rushed, I thought.
But I'll put those verses on the screen.
Hopefully Marty can follow.
So we start with Romans 8.12.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
We are debtors.
We can understand that many of the adults in Australia are debtors to the banks,
but are we all debtors?
We are debtors in the sense that we will,
we all have needs that we cannot supply ourselves.
Needs like happiness and recognition.
Our flesh tells us that it can give us happiness and recognition
if we live according to its ways.
We try the way of the flesh,
and it just seems to get what we want,
and so we became debtors to the flesh.
So to illustrate this point,
I will go to the Old Testament.
The books of Exodus and Numbers
tells us about the Israelites
spending 40 years wandering in the wilderness
before they were ready to enter God's promised land.
So one of the problems they faced was the supply of food,
and so they became hungry.
To satisfy their hunger quickly and easily,
the way of the flesh was to grumble.
They grumbled against Moses and against God
for bringing them out of Egypt
and now starving them to death in the desert, in the wilderness.
Despite their grumbling,
God sent them food from heaven.
So they seemed to get what they wanted by grumbling.
They did not realize that,
or they did not know that God would have given them food
if they asked for it humbly.
So after some time,
so they haven't learned their lesson,
they haven't changed.
After some time, they grumbled again
because the food they ate was the same every day.
They wanted more variety.
And so the character just remained the same
throughout those 40 years.
So God was preparing them to live in the promised land
where there would be plenty of food for them to enjoy,
but they would spoil the enjoyment of such food
if such enjoyment had become more important
than the enjoyment of God.
So God was taking time to prepare the Israelites for the promised land.
However, the Israelites lived according to the flesh.
They were impatient.
They could not see the bigger glory that is to come.
They just wanted to enjoy the small things there and then.
The flesh is short-sighted
because it knows that it does not have forever to live.
It wants to enjoy quickly and easily.
When we are debtors to the flesh,
we satisfy the desires of the flesh
by the deeds of our bodies.
The deeds of the body are mentioned in Romans 1,
verses 18 to 32.
So they include idolatry, sexual immorality,
covetousness, malaise, gossips,
and disobedience to parents.
Such deeds are designed to get what the flesh wants
quickly and easily.
All right, we go to Romans 8, 13.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.
But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
The Israelites who grumble against God all died
before they could enter the promised land.
I do not know what they all died from,
but I know that at least some of them
did die from the effect of overeating
because God gave them food
and they ate so much that they died.
It is a scary thing when God gives us
what our flesh wants.
Romans 1 again mentioned three times
about God gave people
according to what they wanted.
Number one, according to the lust of their hearts,
in verse 24.
Number two, according to the dishonorable passions,
in verse 26.
And number three, according to their debased mind,
verse 28.
We know that instant noodles are tasty,
quick, and easy to make.
However, if we eat instant noodles every day,
we will certainly die young.
Eating just instant noodles every day
is not only harmful to our bodies,
it is also harmful to our characters.
So, you see, preparing food,
cooking, presenting food
are all part of training for patients
and for servanthood,
for hospitality.
And amazingly,
as we spend time to prepare
and cook and present food,
we become able to taste an enjoyment
that we never tasted before.
If by the spirit we put to death
the dish of the flesh,
we will live.
We will suddenly find that
the things we enjoyed before
were dishonorable,
debased, or silly.
And far glorious things
have come to be part of our life.
So do you know that
there is a kind of love,
a kind of joy,
a kind of glory
you can only have
if only you would listen to God,
trust him,
and put to death
the dish of your body.
How do we put to death
the dish of the body?
The first step is to
crucify ourselves with Jesus.
So we read from Romans 6,
verses 6 to 8.
We know that our old self
was crucified with him
in order that the body of sin
might be brought to nothing
so that we would no longer
be enslaved to sin.
For one who has died
has been set free from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ,
we believe that
we will also live with him.
So now if we have died with Christ,
we will also live with him.
We no longer live as
debtors to the flesh.
Once we are free from the flesh,
the Holy Spirit can then
help us to remove
the dish of the body.
Does it mean that
we now become debtors to God
instead of debtors to the flesh?
Yes, in a way, it does.
In fact, we are always
debtors to God
because God created us
and everything else.
Now that God has redeemed us
in Christ,
we have become twice
indebted to him.
There is a debt
called the debt of gratitude
in many cultures.
This is very common
in Asian countries
because of the big gap
between the rich
and the poor.
So for example,
if I'm very poor
and I got a medical bill
that I couldn't pay
and that's very common
in the Philippines
and my boss
or friend,
whoever,
who I'm rich,
helped me to pay
the medical bill,
so under the practice
of the debt
of gratitude,
I will be forever
indebted to my boss.
He can always tell me
to do something for him,
expect me to
comply to his wishes.
It is a debt
that I could never
finish repaying.
While it is proper
for us to be thankful
to God's grace
and mercy,
God does not have
the debt of gratitude
in mind when he saves us
because in Matthew 11,
28-30,
Jesus said,
Come to me,
all who labor
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am gentle
and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest
for your souls.
For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.
The yoke of the flesh
is heavy
because it is a debt
that we could
never finish repaying.
The yoke of Christ
is light,
even though it is also
a debt that we could
not repay
because we have,
it is light
because we have been
adopted as sons of God
and fellow as with Christ.
We note that
while Romans 8-12
says that
we are debtors
not to the flesh,
it does not
continue to say
that we are debtors
to the Spirit.
So in Romans 8-14,
it says,
For all who are led
by the Spirit of God
are sons of God.
So Romans 8-14
says that
we are a lot more
than debtors
to the Spirit.
The Spirit is making us
into sons
of God.
We are not
only redeemed
by our Master,
we are also adopted
as sons of our Father.
Sons are all those
who will receive
the inheritance
and have all the
privilege at home.
So in the sense
of inheritance,
it does not matter
if we are male
or female,
we are all sons
in Christ.
If Christ
died to just
secure the forgiveness
of our sins,
we will always
live in fear
because we do not
know how
or when
we could
fully repay Christ.
But Christ
died also
to secure
our adoption
as sons of God.
I owe my Father
a lot,
but such debt
is different
to the debt
to my rich boss.
I know that
my Father
delighted in giving
me everything,
even his own life.
I would
sadden my Father
if I tell him
that I want
to repay
all that he has
done for me.
However,
I will also
sadden my Father
if I decide
to live a life
unworthy of his name.
That is why
it is only those
who are led
by the Spirit
are sons of God.
As the Son
of God,
Jesus was led
by the Spirit
to spend 40 days
in the wilderness
to be tempted
by the devil.
The devil's strategy
was to appeal
to the flesh
of Jesus.
He said,
if you are
the Son of God,
you should have
the power
and privilege
to satisfy
yourself
instantly
and easily.
So in Matthew
4,
3-4,
we read,
And the tempter
came and
said to him,
If you are
the Son of God,
command these
stones to become
loaves of bread.
But Jesus
answered,
It is written,
Men shall not
live by bread
alone,
but by every
word that
comes from
the mouth
of God.
Jesus was
telling the devil
that it was
exactly because
I am the Son
of God,
I will not
grumble
when I am
hungry.
My Father
tells me to
fast for 40
days,
and I will
gladly live
by his word.
Jesus
showed us
what it is
like to be led
by the Spirit
to live
like a child
of God.
He delighted
in God's
word.
He obeyed God
not out of fear,
but out of joy.
So we go to
Romans 8.15,
For you did not
receive the spirit
of slavery to
fall back into
fear, but you
have received the
spirit of adoption
as sons, by whom
we cry,
Abba,
Father.
For many of us
who grow up in
Christian families
under the case
of loving fathers,
we may not
appreciate the
full impact of
calling God
Abba,
Father.
And if we have
a chance to
visit the orphanage,
we might start
to understand
what a privilege
to have someone
for us to call
Abba,
Father.
Many children
there would
long to be
accepted as
someone's children.
But for
many of us
who are adults
who have been
living independently
from God,
either
rebelliously
or religiously,
God
tends to become
a stranger
and we have
no interest
in knowing
him
intimately.
many.
But when
the spirit
of life
comes to
us,
our hearts
are drawn
to God
and a miracle
happens
as we start
to taste
the love
and sweetness
of calling
God
Abba,
Father.
The sweetness
of no longer
living like
an orphan,
we are love
and we belong.
Romans 8,
16-17,
the spirit
himself bears
witness with
our spirit
and 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.
In the
Gospels,
we see
Jesus calling
God as
his father
very laterally.
If we are
not used to
calling God
Father,
we may feel
a bit uncertain
calling God
as our father,
especially in
front of other
people,
we may feel
we are being
presumptuous to
address God
as our
father.
The Holy
Spirit himself
helps us to
be sure of
our status
as God's
children,
reminds us
God's promises,
he helps us
to delight in
God's word,
he helps us
to pray,
especially when
we pray,
we just
suddenly feel
so lateral
to call God
as our
father,
and he
helps us
to sing
songs of
worship to
God.
He moved
us to
care for
God's
other
children,
so calling
God as
our
father also
means that
we would
care for
others in
the same
family.
So all
these things
bear witness
that we
are children
of God.
It is
difficult for
us to
comprehend
what being
heirs of
God and
fellow heirs
with Christ
means.
We are
more than
privileged to
be accepted
by God,
but God
wants to
give us
more.
We shall
come to
this point
a bit
more when
we get
to Romans
8.32,
which says,
He who
did not
spare his
own son,
but gave
him up
for us
all,
how will
he not
also with
him graciously
give us
all things?
In
Christ,
we have
the equal
status as
heirs of
God as
Christ.
God wants
to give
us all
things.
God wants
us to know
life as
life should
be,
full of
truth,
love,
full of
beauty,
full of
joy,
and full
of
righteousness.
However,
verse 17
sounds like
a fine
print in
the contract.
It says,
Provided you
suffer with
him in
order that
you may
also be
glorified with
him.
But verse 17
is not a
fine print,
it is just
a repeat of
what has
been front
and center
of Romans.
So in
Romans 5,
verses 1 to
5,
we read,
Therefore,
since we
have been
justified by
faith,
we have
peace with
God through
our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Through
him we
have also
obtained
access by
faith into
his grace
in which
we stand,
and we
rejoice in
the hope of
the glory
of God.
More than
that,
we rejoice
in our
sufferings,
knowing that
suffering
produces
endurance,
endurance
produces
character,
and character
produces
hope,
and hope
does not
put us
to shame,
because God's
love has
been poured
into our
hearts through
the Holy
Spirit,
whom has
been given
to us.
So the
Holy Spirit
has been
given to
us,
and the
Holy Spirit
changes our
longings.
In the
past,
we seek
greatest
enjoyment
from this
world
before we
die,
and therefore
we tend
to grumble
when things
don't happen
according to
what we
like it
to be.
Now,
with the
Holy Spirit
in us,
we long
for something
far greater,
the glory
of God.
We are
waiting for
the time
when God
appears in
all his
glory,
and we
share in
this glory.
Such a
longing is
so strong
that we
want to
prepare for
this.
We rejoice
in suffering
because we
know suffering
produces
endurance,
and endurance
produces
proven
character.
it would
be a
great thing
when we
can rejoice
in our
suffering
with Christ
as evangelists
or missionaries.
However,
before we
get there,
we can
start with
more mundane
sufferings,
sufferings that
we go through
day by day,
such as
injuring our
knees in
soccer games,
needing to
get up
every day,
every morning,
very early,
to go to
work,
doing
ministries or
laundries for
20 years
before getting
much appreciation.
So all
these things
that we
meet every
day,
and see
what's our
attitude,
we go
through them.
Do we
grumble and
say,
God,
why do you
let me
go through
this?
Or do we
learn to
rejoice in
it,
knowing that
suffering
produces
endurance,
and endurance
proves our
character that
has been
changed by
the Holy
Spirit.
So when
we can
rejoice in
such mundane
suffering,
we will
look back
with amazement
that we
have the
patience to
go through
them without
grumbling.
So just like
preparing the
Israelites for
the promised
land,
God is
preparing us
for the
land of
glory.
Suffering is
necessary to
put to
death the
deeds of
the body.
Suffering is
necessary to
build our
character.
Such
character,
at least the
beginning of
such character,
is necessary for
us to enjoy
and appreciate
the glory of
God.
So through
the redeeming
word of
Christ,
through the
transforming
word of
the Holy
Spirit,
through the
adopting
word of
God,
we can be
free from
the foolish
and short
sighted ways
of the
flesh,
and we
have the
hope of
glory.
So I
would like
to sum
up with
three points.
Point one,
we are
debtors.
We are
debtors,
however,
we sometimes
live more
like creditors.
Creditors are
people who
think they
are entitled,
to everything.
They
grumble when
they do
not get
what they
want instantly.
The story
of the
prodigal
son tells
us about
a young
man who
wanted to
enjoy his
inheritance
instantly.
When he
used up
his money
and suffered,
he came
to his
sins and
remembered
his father's
kindness and
wanted to
return to
his father
as a
slave,
but his
father welcomed
him as
a son.
A few
days ago,
it was
requested
by an
elderly
woman to
do a
home
visit
for her.
When I
went to
the house,
it was a
very run-down
house,
one of the
worst
houses I
have ever
seen.
The
woman
had oxygen
all the
time.
He's very
thin because
he's
difficult
breathing.
He's only
very thin
clothing on
and there's
no heating
in the
living room.
after the
consultation,
this patient
insisted on
paying me,
which is
very,
very surprising
because I've
done my
home visits.
Hardly
anyone ever
even asked
me whether
they should
pay me
anything.
They just
expected that
it's all
free and
provided.
I'm very
surprised that
this woman
would ask.
I said,
no, you don't
need to pay.
She insisted
on paying
me.
I said,
no, you
just call
the practice
and the
next day
they will
settle that.
When she
called the
practice,
the girls
would look
at the
account and
say,
it's been
paid.
But the
fact that
she's
living in
such a
poor
condition
and wanted
to pay
me,
it just
shows the
character
of someone
who's
suffering.
But she
also
considers
other
people.
And that
moved me.
In Matthew
5, 3,
Jesus said,
blessed are
the poor
in spirit,
for theirs
is the
kingdom of
heaven.
God is
not holding
us to the
depth of
gratitude.
However,
God would
be delighted
if we
show him
our
gratitude
of
depth
when we
let our
request
be
known to
him
with
thanksgiving.
Point
number
two,
be a
children
of God.
We
are
children
of God,
however,
we
sometimes
live more
like
orphans
of God.
Orphans
of God
are people
who know
God
but live
by their
own strength,
unlike
children of
the world.
Children of
the world
are people
who don't
know God
and live
by their
own strength.
Orphans
of God
are people
who know
God
and then
live
by their
own strength.
Orphans
of God
worry about
many things.
They rely
on their
performance
to gain
validation.
They envy
people
who get
more
recognition.
They try
their best
to appear
strong in
front of
people.
Suffering
breaks their
heart and
draws them
closer to
God's
heart.
Suffering
frees us
from being
orphans
of God
and transforms
us into
children of
God.
In 2 Corinthians
12, 9-10,
God told
Paul,
my grace
is sufficient
for you
for my
power is
made perfect
in weakness.
Therefore,
and then
Paul said,
therefore I
will boast
all the more
gladly of
my weaknesses
so that
the power
of Christ
may rest
on me
for the
sake of
Christ
and I
am content
with
weaknesses
in
some
hardships,
persecutions
and calamities.
For when
I am weak,
I am strong.
point number
three,
adopted for
glory or
adopted for
a true
life.
Many
times when
we are
suffering,
we start
to wonder
what we
did to
deserve
such
hardship.
You may
think that
God was
still punishing
us.
In times
like this,
maybe remember
the fact that
we have been
adopted for
glory.
The Holy
Spirit is
leading us
to the
land of
glory.
the present
suffering is
not only
not worth
comparing with
the glory
that is to
come.
That is
going to
be the
next week's
sermon.
So the
present
suffering is
not only
not worth
comparing with
the glory
that is to
come.
It is also
necessary to
mold us into
the children
of God.
As we
move towards
the land
of glory
with the
help of
the Holy
Spirit,
we put to
death the
deeds of the
body.
we learn
to relate
to God
as our
father.
We rejoice
in
sufferings.
I will
end with
a testimony
from John
Anderson.
This
testimony
was forwarded
to me by
David
Coderwood,
written by
a great
foreign
auditor of
the
Australian,
appeared
in an
article
on the
Weekend
Australian
magazine
May 11,
this last
month.
the
article,
the
article
says,
Anderson's
youngest
son,
Andrew,
was born
when
Anderson
was a
BC
cabinet
minister.
For
those of
you who
don't
know,
John
Anderson
was the
deputy
prime
minister
of
Australia
about
15
years
ago.
At
that
time,
the
youngest
son was
born,
called
Andrew.
Andrew
was profoundly
disabled.
He lived
only a
few
short
months
and was
constantly
in and
out
hospital.
Julia,
his wife,
wrote an
essay
recalling
that the
couple
they were
considered
an
abortion,
but in
fact gave
thanks for
Andrew's
life.
So in
his
urology
for his
son,
delivered
on
August
19,
1998,
Anderson
said,
Andrew's
life often
saw us
wondering
what we
have done
to
deserve
so much
difficulty.
His
passing
sees us
wondering
what we
did to
deserve
so rich
a blessing.
This
little
fellow
was
quite
defenseless,
yet he
totally
and utterly
disarmed
us.
God
taught us
something
we have
heard about
but not
really
understood,
that his
grace is
sufficient for
us,
for his
power is
made perfect
in
weakness.
Let us
pray.
Father,
we have
heard so
many promises
in your
word.
Father,
may you
make them
realities
in our
lives.
thank you,
Lord.
We want
to be
your
children
and live
out
that
life
they
intend
us to
have.
For we
ask in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.