...then to Paul's letter to the Romans, and
we're at chapter eight this evening.
Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter eight, and
you remember last week we dealt with the
first verse, and then I pointed out that
from verse two to the end of verse
twenty-seven was a palimpsestical portion, and we
left the parenthesis to the five, and we
took the first verse, and then we went
on to verse twenty-eight, and we went
through to the end of the chapter, to
the end of verse thirty-nine.
And that was a very comforting and, I
trust, consoling portion for all the believers last
Tuesday.
It's a portion that you can go back
to at all times and rest your head
upon its breast, and you'll find it was
like John resting his head upon the breast
of the Savior.
Great comfort and great consolation in that portion
last week for all of us believers.
Now we're going through from verse two tonight
to the end of verse twenty-seven, twenty
-six verses this evening.
And I believe that there are tremendous things
in this particular portion for us believers to
glean this evening.
Let's try to just get the hold of
the books so far for all the young
believers, always the first by which it's the
young ones.
You young believers, you remember that in the
first chapter, and in the second one, and
the first twenty verses of the third one,
Paul brings the whole world in guilty before
God.
Yes, Jews and Gentiles.
By the moment that he puts the law
against mankind, every mouth is stopped, and the
whole world becomes guilty before God.
Why, we've learned that the last commandment, the
tenth one, thou shalt not covet, closes every
mouth.
Not one of us guiltless this place for
days.
So in the first and second and first
twenty verses of the third, Paul brings the
whole world in guilty before God.
Paul was a great preacher.
You see, he put through the needle of
conviction before he started to draw through the
thread of grace.
This is a very wonderful line for all
you preachers to follow.
I think we need to remember that men
need to know that they're going down for
the last time.
And when they're perishing, perishing sinners, you know,
they call out, What must I do to
be saved?
Then you can bring in the glorious message
of the gospel then.
And so the first, second, for twenty verses
of the third, we just scribble across them
so that we may know their general teaching.
We scribble the words, the condemnation of sinners.
And then we start at verse twenty-one
of the third chapter, and go right through
that chapter and chapter four and chapter five.
And in these wonderful verses, and in this
wonderful section, Paul is pulling out all the
stops that he might get this great doctrine
of the justification of believers.
Over to us.
You see, when the Holy Ghost came and
condemned us, and the light of the gospel
was brought into our hearts by the power
of the Spirit, and we were led to
put our trust in the Lord Jesus, the
very moment that we put the arms of
our faith round the Christ who died and
rose again, we were justified by faith alone,
without the virgin Mary, without any Pope or
priest, without pound or candle.
Justified by faith alone.
Remember how Paul put it in the fourth
chapter?
We conclude that a man is justified by
faith without the deeds of the Lord.
The chapter, the fourth chapter, the fifth chapter.
But then when we came to chapter six
and chapter seven and now chapter eight, you
know, Paul is teaching the saints that the
grace that saves us, because it's salvation that
gives us, it's grace that gives us salvation
and justification by faith.
The grace that saves us is the grace
that teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we believers who claim justification by faith,
we should live properly and righteously and godly
in this present world.
And so at chapter six we started that
third section, we're still at it this evening,
and it's sanctification for faith.
See the three sections?
Condemnation of sinners, we'll scribble that over the
first part, justification of believers, and now sanctification
of saints, those who have been born again.
This is practical sanctification, of course, teaching us
how to live.
And when we commenced this section I told
you that there were gateways here, great gateways
that lead to godly living.
And there are seven gateways leading us to
godliness.
And we've already passed by six of them,
and we're discovering the seventh one this evening.
And could I reach up through the gateways
for you very quickly?
All right, remember we're still just giving the
milk for the babies, but it'll do the
others no harm to listen in.
You remember how chapter six began?
And Paul said in the third verse, Know
ye not that so many of us as
were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism
into death.
That like us, Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness
of life.
Do you know, it takes us back to
see this great ceremony of believers' baptism.
Because in believers' baptism, and that's the only
baptism that's in the New Testament for believers
this day, the believer comes to the water
alone, and then he's put in and put
under, and then he comes out of again,
and the whole thing's a beautiful picture.
Because he's witnessing here that like us, and
was buried, and rose again.
So do I testify that I was with
him.
This isn't something just to argue about.
This isn't just a doctrine or a teaching
to argue about.
It's something that's really lovely.
It's my testimony in action.
Yes, I was in Christ when he went
to Calvary.
I died in Christ.
I was buried in Christ.
In Christ I rose again.
That's a tremendous testimony, isn't it?
It would never be a shame to testify
that.
It would never be a shame.
So that what Paul is saying to the
believers who've been justified by faith, who come
out of the condemnation chapters, he's saying now
you must remember that you are identified with
Christ.
That's the great thing for us all to
remember.
You know, we come to temptation.
There are all kinds of temptation.
Some people are tempted with money.
Some people are tempted with temper.
Some people are tempted with stocks.
Some people are tempted with the worldly thing.
But we all have our hours, and moments,
and days of temptation, you know.
The devil will see to that.
And when you become tempted and you're gazing
at the thing that really tempts you, then
you must remember, you know, I died for
that thing in Christ.
I died for it.
That's the first gateway, identification with Christ.
Now, down the chapter.
See that sixth chapter?
Verse 11.
Paul says, Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to
be dead indeed unto sin.
You see, when we testify in believers' baptism,
you know, we don't profess that we actually
died.
It's a testimony of something that took place
in the judicial sense before the eyes of
God.
But you know, we're called upon now to
reckon ourselves dead.
This is not identification, this is calculation.
This is what Paul talks about when he
says, But the people would love to go
into a back room and shut their eyes
and say they're holy forever.
Let me tell you, it won't work.
And there are thousands who have tried it.
And they have found out, if they were
only honest.
Now, you know, we come against temptation again
and again.
And when you identify yourself with Christ, the
way by yonder, now you've got to actually
calculate or reckon you die daily.
That's a great gateway.
So watch this.
When you get identification with Christ and calculation
for Christ right, then you go to verse
13 of chapter 6.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God.
You know what that is, don't you?
That's a presentation.
Here's how you live.
You're tested.
You say, you know, I've died to this
thing a way back yonder at the cross.
I'll have to die to it now.
And you present your members to God.
You've gone through the gateways.
Identification with Christ.
Calculation for Christ.
Presentation through Christ.
Ah, this is holiness now.
None of your nonsense.
This is holiness.
And then at the end of chapter 6,
verse 22.
But now being made free from sin and
become servants to God.
That's a lovely word, isn't it?
Servants to God.
That's not servants to the Baptist Union House.
Oh.
Servants to God.
This is my occupation in life.
And yours, this is something that you must
get into your very soul.
The fool, you may be only a young
girl working in an office, but just out
of school, let me get this over to
you.
If you're really born again, dear, you're a
servant of God.
This is your occupation in life.
Cary said, great old Cary, the great poignant
missionary who was a covenant.
He said, first and foremost, I'm a servant
of God.
And I may choose to pay the expenses.
That's good going, isn't it?
First and foremost, you're a servant of God.
That's your occupation.
Never mind what they say you are.
The other thing, you'll pay the expenses.
So have we got this?
Identification, calculation, presentation, occupation.
You know, you just look at the old
thing and you say, you know, I died
a way back yonder and I'll die now
and I'm presenting my members to God, and
you become a servant of God.
Then when we came into chapter seven, you
remember this, this was wonderful.
You know, he talked about the married woman
here, didn't he?
And that she wouldn't be loose from this
bond of marriage.
And then he said in verse four, Wherefore,
my brethren, ye also are become dead to
the law by the body of Christ, that
ye should be married to another, even to
him who is raised from the dead, that
we should bring forth fruit unto God.
You know, that's unification, isn't it?
Why I was saying a lot of things
on that night for the married ones, and
how they ought to do little things for
the one they're married to, just because they
love him.
And what unification really is, it's the binding
together of hearts.
Hearts knit together in love.
Oh, I trust that we've got this clear.
Identification with Christ, and then calculation for Christ,
and then presentation to Christ, occupation for Christ,
and now unification in Christ.
I'm joined for him, and I want to
please him.
Then, of course, we remember the wrestling that
went on in chapter seven towards the end.
Can't go through it all, the old clock's
running away with us.
And then Paul cried at the end of
chapter seven, O wretched man that I am,
who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?
And then came this wonderful cry, I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And there was liberation from this crippling old
nature through Christ alone.
You can't tame it or train it.
Only Christ can set you free.
So we've got the gateways halfway up to
now, six of them, and the other one's
coming.
Identification with Christ, calculation for Christ, presentation through
Christ, occupation for Christ, unification with Christ, and
liberation through Christ.
That's quite easy.
Now we start the wonderful part.
This is the seventh gateway, and you're out
in the open when you go through this
one.
Now watch this.
Verse one, verse two of chapter eight of
this evening.
For the law of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death.
And I think that before we are going
to get a real grip of what's being
taught here, we need an exposition of the
word law in relation to this whole section.
You know, we've had law and law and
law and law again.
See, I have two sons in the meeting,
and they come home at night and say,
Daddy, you know, you didn't really go into
that word law.
Well, you don't know why.
But it's good to just hear, you know.
We'll have an exposition of the word law
right through the whole section.
And that's why I pass it by once
or twice.
Because I think it's better to do it
all together.
Now let's try to find it out quickly.
Go back to chapter six where this section
began.
And we've already been down through that baptismal
part, and then how he was to reckon
and yield in verse thirteen.
And then we come to verse fourteen.
Paul is saying, For sin shall not have
dominion over you, for ye are not under
the law, but under grace.
And you know, he's balancing grace, contrasting grace,
if you like, with the law, the moral
law, the commandments.
And so that you will get what I'm
up to, I'll put it like this for
you.
The law intent.
You remember, God wrote.
The tables of stone, Exodus, verse 32 says,
God wrote.
And so we have the law intent.
It said thou shalt not, and thou shalt
not.
And you know, when man tried to live
up to it, why he was condemned, found
himself to be a wretched sinner.
Now that's what we call the moral law.
The law in principle.
And then when we came to chapter seven,
we got another law.
Did you remember that?
Verse one.
Know ye not, brethren, for I speak to
them that know the law, how that the
law hath dominion over a man as long
as he liveth, for the woman which hath
a husband is bound by the law to
her husband so long as he liveth.
And it's easy to see that this is
the people's law.
This is civil law.
This is the law of marriage.
The law of the land.
And he was writing to the Romans, wasn't
he?
And he says, know ye not, brethren, for
I speak to them that know the law.
They knew all about it, you know, especially
the civil law.
So that's two different ones.
The one we'll call the law in principle,
the moral law.
And this is the law of the people.
This is the civil law.
And then when we come a little bit
further, we come into chapter, we're still in
chapter seven, down at verse twenty-one.
You remember how Paul had described this experience
that he had, and we went into the
experience, and we can't go into it again.
Verse nineteen we'll take.
For the good that I would I do
not, but the evil which I would not
that I do.
Now if I do that I would not,
it is no more I that do it,
but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me.
Now this is another law.
This is the law of sin and death.
This is a force.
Shall I keep it in peace for you,
and for your good?
This is the principle that's within.
So that you understand the law in principle,
this is the moral law, thou shalt not
steal, thou shalt not.
And the chival law is the law that
binds us as husbands and wives, and many
other details of such.
And now this is the law within your
best.
You were born with this principle there.
It's the law of sin.
You don't get inoculated with this later on
in life, you were born like this.
The thing inside the day you were born,
it was called sin.
Your mother didn't teach you to tell lies.
No, there was a principle in there that
took you the wrong way all the time.
So that's the law in principle, isn't it?
Now watch this, verse 21.
I find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me,
for I delight in the law of God
after being good man.
The law of God is just the old
moral law.
But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind.
That's another one, remember.
And bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin, which is in my members.
The law in his members is this law
that we've just been out.
It's the principle.
The law that takes an evil ward all
the time.
Now this law in his members wars against
the law of his mind.
That's why I was positive that the man
in chapter 7 at the end of the
chapter was a born again man.
Because he had a renewed mind.
And you know, this is the pilgrim's law,
shall we say, or the law of the
pilgrim.
The man that's born again who is a
new creature, who's got new life.
My, he's got an inward delight after the
law of God.
He's got a mind.
Oh, I know he's got another thing that
those evil words.
And that's where the cash comes, doesn't it?
So he must have been a saved man.
So here we have this law.
It's out of the people's out now.
The law in Prince.
The law of the people.
The law that's a principle.
The law of the pilgrim.
Renewed mind.
Now we're at the other one, isn't it,
aren't we?
Verse 2, we're back there.
Chapter 8, verse 2.
For the law of the spirit of life
in Christ.
Oh, that's it.
This is the law of power.
You know, the only way we're going to
live for God is to be constantly being
filled with the Holy Ghost.
There isn't any other way.
It's the law of the spirit of life.
And this is the law that's more powerful
than any other law.
You know, I was almost tempted to bring
a very beautiful flower.
We've got beautiful hyacinths growing.
I don't suppose I would have been allowed
to touch them anyway.
But I was really tickled about this today.
And I had a look at this.
And this hyacinth, it's growing so lovely, and
it's got such a lovely spike on it,
and beautiful perfume.
And I said to myself, you know, if
I just draw the knife through that, it
will fall down.
Why?
Because the law of gravity will pull it
down.
Now, why does it not fall down now?
Because the law of grace keeps it up.
That's why.
There's a far greater law inside now, and
it depicts the law of gravity.
If you just put the knife through it,
it will topple.
If you can try to stand it up,
up and back, whatever way you like, it
will topple, I tell you.
Because gravity will pull it.
But you know, with this force that's inside
you now, it went up and down there,
and it depicts, oh, but this is a
wonderful sense, the thing's name, the law of
the spirit, of life, when you're in Christ.
It's the Holy Ghost.
You know, friends, this is what we need
for godly living.
We need to be constantly filled with the
Holy Ghost.
Remember, there's not one filling.
Right?
I think that's a mistake that's made.
I think that everybody noticed, without me running
through the scriptures, the old flock is really
getting me on this evening.
Now, watch.
You remember that Peter was filled with the
Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost.
You remember that.
Find it next to it, if you like.
Then when you go to Acts 3, you
remember that he was arrested in the next
four years, before the Sanhedrin.
And you remember that he made his defense
before them.
And the defense begins with his words, Peter,
Peter filled again.
And then you remember that when he defeated
the Sanhedrin, because of a spiritual defense.
You remember he went to his own company
in the heart of prayer meeting, and they
rejoiced.
And at the end of the prayer meeting,
the place was shaken, and they were all
filled with the Holy Ghost.
Filled again.
But you know, sixteen years after Pentecost, Paul
met Peter at Antioch, and Paul said, I
have to withstand them to the faith, for
he was to be blamed.
Because that when Jews came down from Ben,
from Jerusalem, my, when these old Orthodox Jews
came, he just turned his back on the
Gentiles, and he wouldn't eat any more.
And Paul says, I'm telling you, Holy Ghost,
Doctor, this is sick.
He wasn't filled at all.
I saw a trap once, you know, and
it said on that page, Peter before Pentecost,
always afraid.
It said on that page, Peter after Pentecost,
never afraid.
It's a lie.
It's a sword in the fire.
It's from hell.
It's a lie.
Galatians 2 says, he won't have faith.
So we need to be constantly, the actual
word in the Bible is, we need constantly
being filled with the Holy Ghost.
You see, you need to be filled as
you start preaching the message.
And you need to remember this the whole
way through.
Because this old flesh is so subtle, it
could take over half way through the message.
And you could end in flesh what you
began in spirit.
And so when you see me taking a
breath and having a look round, you'll know
I'm praying to God.
It's not that I'm tired or anything.
I just keep reminding myself, it's not I,
but Christ and me, through the Holy Ghost.
This is how you live, every day.
And so here's the other gist with this
evening.
It's animation through the Spirit of Christ.
It's animation because this is the Holy Ghost
and he's now filling the child.
And the Spirit of, the law of the
Spirit of life has made me free from
the law of sin and death.
You see, it's the Holy Ghost that's conquering
this.
For what the law could not do in
that it was weak through the flesh.
I think after the word for, between the
word what and the word flesh there should
be parenthetical marks because it should read like
this.
For God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh.
A thing that the law couldn't do.
God dealt with this sin in my flesh
through his Son on the cross.
Oh, he did you now.
And because it was dealt with, he dealt
with it that this might happen that the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us who walk not after the flesh but
after the Spirit.
You see, I told you that when we
were reading the first verse, there is therefore
now no condemnation to men which are in
Christ Jesus.
There was a food stock there and the
words who walk not after the flesh but
after the Spirit should be done in verse
four where they really are.
Because the whole text stands here that God
dealt with this sin principle in me at
Calvary that the moment that I believe in
the Holy Ghost will come to indwell me
and when I'm continually being filled by the
Spirit of God then I'm walking by the
Spirit and I'm not walking by the flesh
and the righteousness of the law is being
fulfilled in me.
That's all there is.
It's a tremendous portion.
It's just animation by the Spirit.
Then he goes on to enlarge in this
and it's very wonderful enlarging and I don't
think I need to expound it it will
expound itself, that's why.
For they that are after the flesh to
mind the things of the flesh in that
life.
That's why some of you are at Glen
Oven on Saturday.
It's not the things of God.
It's things of the flesh.
Football belongs to the world, doesn't it?
Or they that are of the flesh mind
the things of the flesh.
They that are of the Spirit mind the
things of the Spirit.
While some of you are cheering at Glen
Oven some of us are on our knees
for blessing.
Isn't that right?
All right.
I hope you're convicted.
All right.
Here he goes again.
For to be carnally minded is death.
To be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God.
For it is not subject to the law
of God neither indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh
cannot please God.
But ye are not in the flesh but
in the Spirit.
If so be that the Spirit of God
in the world is well.
Will you?
If he's really taking over the house.
Because this is the temple of the Holy
Ghost.
And if he's really residing in the house
if he's got all the vessels of the
house the vessels of the temple Oh you
remember that Nebuchadnezzar desecrated the vessels of the
temple.
You remember he brought the men to the
banquet and he desecrated the vessels of the
house of the Lord.
And we want to be very careful what
we're doing with the vessels.
If the Holy Ghost is really filling us
then he'll use our eyes and our ears
and our lips and our hands and our
feet and our tongues.
Won't he?
And when he does it'll be the law
of the Spirit of life setting you free
from the principle of sin that's within and
you'll be found walking by the Spirit and
the righteousness of the law will be fulfilling
you.
That's how it's working.
Now I think that's almost enough of that.
Now I think before we're going to get
the second part of this wonderful portion we
need an exposition of the word Spirit in
relation to this portion.
You know there have been some tremendous arguments
and battles about the word Spirit in this
portion.
From verse 2 down to verse 27 26
verses we have the word Spirit 18 times.
Now if the word Spirit appears 18 times
in 26 verses then you can be perfectly
sure that that's the subject of the portion.
The Spirit is the subject.
You know men have argued, is this the
Holy Ghost?
Some of the great scholars would love to
take the capital S away here and say
it's just the Spirit of the Lord Jesus
just His influence of the mind.
Well we'll see.
We'll have a look at it.
We'll try to expound it and we'll see.
All right.
We'll begin at verse 15.
I think verse 14 is the clearest one.
For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God they are the sons of
God.
Now I haven't found one scholar who values
his scholarship in fact I haven't found one
of any kind who debates that this is
the Spirit of God the third person in
this trinity.
I couldn't say that he could say anything
else.
It's the Spirit of God and that's all
there is about it, isn't it?
The Spirit of God.
It's the Holy Ghost.
It's the third person of the trinity.
And as many as are led by the
Holy Ghost that's what we would ask at
the moment to go in this trinity they
are really the sons of God, aren't they?
Then it goes on with that for ye
have not received the Spirit of bondage again
to fear.
You see, the law bound them.
It was the Spirit of bondage and the
small s is quite correct there.
It was the Spirit of bondage.
But ye have received the Spirit of adoption.
Now that's the very same Spirit that's in
verse 14 because this is the Holy Ghost.
And he's called now the Spirit of adoption
whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
You know, adoption is a tremendous thing.
I think we would need to take a
moment at that because we're not yet as
clear as we do.
Let's go to Galatians just for the moment.
Galatians and we're at chapter 4 verse
1.
Galatians 4 verse 1.
Now I say that the heir as long
as he is a child differeth nothing from
a servant though he be Lord of all
but is under tutors and governors until the
time appointed of the father.
Now what does that mean?
He's talking about the heir here through a
month of fortune.
He says as long as he's a child
he differeth nothing from a servant though he
be Lord of all but is under tutors
and governors until the time appointed of the
father.
What's the big idea?
What's the time appointed of the father?
You see, Paul knows everything about Roman law.
He was a citizen of no mean city
and he was brought up at the feet
of Gamaliel but he knew a tremendous lot
about Roman law and the old idea in
Roman law was this that if a man
had quite a large family maybe he had
two or three wives.
Now, one of the children which suppose he's
got a dozen one of them is going
to really be the heir to everything and
not of necessity the firstborn.
Not of necessity.
In fact we see this in the Old
Testament that when Jacob blessed his sons Reuben
was the firstborn but they lost the blessing.
Ah, my friends, very often we have found
it's the younger son that gets the blessing.
You remember how Ephraim and Manasseh were blessed
when Jacob changed his sons and blessed the
younger and Joseph wanted to change them.
Oh no, says Jacob.
You see, blessing comes through the cross anyway.
But the point is here that we are
at this evening that under the Roman law
the father could take any one of the
children and he would take them down to
the forum or the gates of the city
where the elders sat and on a certain
day he would publicly announce them as his
son.
That is the heir now.
The rest are called children.
Which is once publicly declared as my son.
Now, that's what adoption was.
We've got adoption in the English word this
evening and we get it mixed up.
Some people say when we have the adoption
of sons Mr. Mulder, we're not really the
children of God are we not really the
sons of God?
Say when we have the adoption of sons
Mr. Mulder, we're not really the children of
God are we not really the sons of
God?
Yes, we are far more the sons of
God than ever.
Because we're being publicly declared now as God's
sons.
Now, watch this very carefully till you see.
But it only tutors and governors until the
time appointed of the Father even so we,
we believers when we were children were in
bondage under the elements of the world.
But when the fullness of the time was
come it's a very important phrase that you
know God sent forth his son made of
a woman made under the law now watch
this to redeem to redeem to redeem them
that were under the law that we might
receive the adoption of sons you know God
will only publicly own you when you're resting
on the redemption work of Christ not when
some old bishop drops a few drops of
water on your door no it's redemption not
public water that counts let's get that clear
because they teach that in this town my
dear friend, the adoption of sons rests on
the redemption work that Christ made when the
fullness of the time was come now watch
this, it goes further than that verse four
again, but when the fullness of the time
was come 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 adoption of sons and
because we are sons God has sent forth
the spirit of his son into our hearts
that's the spirit of adoption that's the Holy
Ghost do you know what we can do
tonight?
because the Holy Ghost's in there because I'm
resting on the redemption work I can say,
Our Father and know it's right in the
Old Testament Our Father the words brought out
into the fullness of my love, one of
them they never called God Father they didn't
live in this day this is the day
when the fullness of the same God brought
us into the deep where we said, these
are my sons and we say, You're our
Father we have received the adoption of sons
and because we are sons, have we got
it?
the Holy Ghost is inside now, wait a
minute let's be very careful here we are
the sons of God tonight and now are
we the sons of God hasn't it not
yet appeared what we shall be?
we'll be elves yes, we're joint heirs with
Christ everything that belongs to Christ belongs to
us and everything belongs to him in fact,
he's appointed heir of all things the religious
inheritance belongs to us we're not proper, you
know that's a bit of...
now, I want to get this bit very
clear because this is very important which I'll
make it clear let's go to 1 John
John's Gospel, chapter 1 the Gospel by John
chapter 1 now this is
very lovely try to get the hold of
this verse 10, he was in the world
and the world was made by him and
the world knew him not now this was
God manifest in flesh, wasn't it?
the Lord Jesus was God, he made all
things and then it says he came unto
his own and his own received him not
now what does this mean?
but as many as received him for them
giveth power to become the sons of God
how do you become the sons of God?
you receive Christ and when you receive Christ
you rest on his redemption and because you
publicly receive Christ and rest on the redemption
work of the cross God sends the Holy
Ghost into you and you're adopted as a
son of God you're publicly demonstrated as a
son of God and you're called God's follower
from that moment on in my great salvation
you'll have to receive Christ you're all popish
nonsense wounded my, some of you would pay
a fortune rather than bow your knees before
Christ but you're not getting into the family
you're outside the family but if you're prepared
to receive him and rest on his redemption
then the Holy Ghost will enter and you'll
be born of God you'll have the right
or the authority of a son of God
for them giveth power to become the sons
of God it's a tremendous thing now let's
get back to Romans 8 that's what you
call wandering off the side alley and you've
got to come back again now look at
this whole thing and I don't think you'll
have any bother with the Spirit of God
in this chapter for as many, verse 14
for as many as are led by the
Spirit of God they are the sons of
God for ye have not received the Spirit
of bondage against the fear but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry
out the Father and the Spirit of adoption
is the Spirit of his Son in relation
forth and then you see when we come
down to to verse 9 but ye are
not in the flesh but in the Spirit
it shall be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you now if any man had
not the Spirit of Christ he is none
of his and they would like to take
the capital S away here and we're not
letting them because the Spirit of his Son
in Galatians is equal to the Spirit of
Christ it's the Holy Ghost the whole way
through why they would ever dare to challenge
it what would the great apostle be talking
about an influence of the saints when he
would know that would only be the fruit
of the prayers of God would make them
stand up for Jesus for what reason so
I think that that will that will do
for now I don't think you need to
battle it out so we have noticed this
now that brings us to a point in
the portion this evening let's get this verse
15 again but ye have not received the
spirit of bondage against the fear but ye
have received the spirit of adoption whereby we
cry out the Father the Spirit itself actually
should be himself beareth witness with our spirit
that we are the children of God and
if children then heirs good children should be
sons here and if sons then heirs heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ it
so be that we suffer with him that
we may be also glorified together and that
brings a change in the portion you see
the first part of this great chapter up
to that very point can be called great
victory today ah great victory because if we
can calculate and die daily and present our
members and know that we are servants of
God and we are wanting to please Christ
and we ask the Holy Ghost to fill
us continually for this job then we'll have
great victory each day that's what you call
great victory today but you know the portion
sliding into something that's going to happen tomorrow
or on the great tomorrow if you like
you see we are going to be glorified
but the suffering is today and the glorification
may be tomorrow that's why I put these
two headings at the top of your page
this evening great victory today glorious liberty tomorrow
now I think we need an exposition of
the word glory now if we are going
to get this section completely right now watch
what he says in the middle of verse
17 we are sons of God then heirs
heirs of God joint heirs with Christ if
so be that we suffer with him you
know there's nothing surer than this that if
we let the Holy Ghost fill us continually
that we'll suffer for Christ nothing surer than
that every man that lives godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution that's one idea remember
the early apostles said that they counted it
worthy they rejoiced that they were counted worthy
to suffer shame for his name you know
sometimes you have to stand outside the cave
their name is reproach you're going to be
true to the Lord and true to his
word you're going to let the Holy Ghost
take control of you you'll find yourself in
a place of suffering we'll see more about
it in a moment and so the sons
will really suffer but they'll be glorified one
day now watch this Paul says verse 18
for I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in
us you know I want you to get
that you know the sufferings of this present
time will be in this body they may
be physical that's what's happening out at the
convo or they may be mental sometimes the
old devil works in a subtle way and
he can do something to you and he
can bring something to your mind or somebody
works for him and says something he gives
you mental agony of course there will always
be physical sufferings you have to bear reproach
it doesn't make a matter what way it
goes but it doesn't matter whether it's physical
or mental or physical or satanical you know
they're not worthy to be compared with the
glory that will be revealed in this body
because the sufferings are in this body my
the Lord's going to glorify this body it's
going to be made like unto his glorious
body and the sufferings that we go through
now in the body are not worthy to
be compared with the glory that shall be
revealed in us and then he goes into
a line of things that's very wonderful verse
19 for the earnest expectation of the creature
or of creation this word should be the
whole creation earnestly waits in expectation for the
manifestation of the sons of God that is
when they're manifested in glorified bodies oh what
a day that will be and I'm one
of those old believers who believe that Jesus
will come any of these days and we'll
just walk through the roof and meet the
Lord in the air and whatever will be
and then when the antichrist has run his
course down here at the end of the
tribulation you know the Lord will come back
and he'll manifest his son and the world
won't know it then the poor lorganites won't
know and at the moment of the glorification
and manifestation of the sons of God you
know the whole creation will come you know
we never knew how much Adam did when
he sinned remember we were uttered in the
fifth chapter by one man sin entered into
the world we just think that sin entered
into him you know the day that Adam
died the beasts that lay at his feet
in the garden when he named them they
became quiet and death entered and the flower
of the field died and something happened in
the very heavens and there'll have to be
a new heaven and a new earth man
that sun and the moon that they're always
talking about now they're going to the moon
and this and that and they're making so
much of it God will throw it away
at the end there'll be no need of
the moon neither of the sun there will
be a new solar system completely and the
lamb will be all the glory what a
day it will be you know when the
sons of God are manifested I'll tell you
this the lion will lie down on the
lamb again and the child of copper will
bear and the flower of the field will
be changed while the very desert will bloom
and blossom with the rose and man's physical
being even in that day he lives right
through the millennial a thousand years the oldest
man up to now nine hundred and sixty
oh what a day it will be you
know I was sitting at a fire the
other evening there's a millionaire fellow and he
can really sing and he patted the dog
on the head and he said well hey
just think that poor old creature is subject
to a whole lot of things because man's
in the whole creation
is really waiting in expectation for the manifestation
of the sons of God when we're glorified
poor old animal well guess what it really
was meant to be now watch this happening
let's see verse twenty two for we know
that the whole creation there's the word in
now for the whole creation growneth and surveilleth
in pain together until now and not only
they but ourselves also which have the first
fruits of the spirit even we ourselves grown
within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit
the redemption of the body oh that's another
adoption oh that's the redemption of the body
you know I hear some of the fellows
going around preaching that they've got full salvation
and they spell it F U L L
and the way I would spell it for
them is F O O L that's the
way I would spell it because it says
full salvation talking about full salvation when the
body is to be yet redeemed some of
them haven't a hair on their head some
of them haven't a tooth to call their
own and they're like me if they hadn't
got these things here they wouldn't see a
thing my full salvation not at all not
until the redemption of the body comes we're
waiting for it man we have all pains
and aches haven't we and in this we
groan you need to go to see the
doctors and the nurses and they can tell
you in this we groan friends we're waiting
for the adoption to wit the redemption of
the body what a day that will be
you know this old book's inspired because when
Paul at the end of one of the
chapters of Philippians looks up and he says
we wait for the Saviour why did he
not say the Lord why did he not
say the Jesus why did he not say
the lexus you know the Lord will come
and we look for the Saviour who shall
save us however he was going to talk
about body he said Saviour we're waiting for
the Saviour the word's inspired you know every
word to find its place in its right
place and so this body what a day
it will be now watch this let's get
this verse 24 for we are saved by
hope but hope that is seen is not
hope for what a man sees why does
he yet hope for for if we hope
for that we see not then do we
with patience wait for it you know this
is something that I'd love to preach on
sometime you know we need patience don't we
to wait for the redemption of the body
and we need patience to run the race
we need patience to wait for the Christ
of God and we need patience in the
course of God patience among the people of
God some of them try your patience I
haven't got very much patience I can tell
you sometimes your brothers and sisters try your
patience this is a great subject remember when
the Lord was writing to the church the
devotee said I know your patience let's have
this patience now watch this this is the
lovely bit of it verse 26 likewise the
spirit also helpeth our infirmity and when he
talks about infirmity there is no way I
started in the original it's not infirmity it's
infirmity you know the whole body is an
infirmity and the spirit knows just how infirm
it is for we know not what we
should pray for as we ought but the
spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered and he that searcheth
the heart knows what is the mind of
the spirit because he maketh intercession for the
saints according to the will of God you
know as the whole creation groans and as
all the animals and everything seems to wait
groaning for that glorious day of liberty and
as we ourselves groan within ourselves I can
tell you this the Holy Ghost groans this
is not prayer that ever comes to the
surface and is made from the lips you
know this is just the spirit longing for
the day when this body that he dwells
in will be fashioned and furnished and glorified
like unto his glorious body then there'll be
no law that will be glorious liberty will
be like Christ you know we are predestined
to be conformed to the image of his
Son oh friends have you got this?
let me get this over to you once
more what we all need more and more
and more and more is to commit ourselves
humbly but in faith to the Spirit of
God fill me for this particular service and
you know the Holy Ghost can make us
remember our identification with Christ only the Holy
Ghost can make us calculate and die daily
only the Holy Ghost can inspire us to
present these when the world wants them only
the Holy Ghost will make the unification complete
only the Holy Ghost will make the liberty
complete only the Holy Ghost will empower us
and empower us and empower us until that
day when Jesus comes and does the job
for all eternity you know what the word
is tonight don't you?
it's this word be filled by God
help us to be constantly being filled by
the Holy Ghost and the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will make
him more like Jesus every day start a
new section next week it's all thinking about
the Jews gracious
Father for thy wonderful word and for its
mighty depths and heights for all its length
and breadth oh God we come to thank
thee and we ask Lord that thou would
teach us the great lesson of this night
that for this day and for each moment
of every day oh God may we seek
to be filled by the Spirit of God
and we know that when the Holy Ghost
takes these members of ours he will glorify
Christ in us and at the same time
draw for that moment in which we shall
be perfectly and eternally fashioned in thine image
Lord Jesus remember those who are not saved
in this meeting impress upon them that they
must receive Christ and oh God if they
receive Christ by faith this evening the Holy
Ghost will enter and they'll become sons of
God parted in thy fear and with thy
blessing for thy name's sake Amen