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Romans chapter 8.
Verse 9.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. So be the Spirit of God. Dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the Spirit of ******* again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry. And the Father the Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
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. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same and hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the ******* of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth and pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen, is not hope. For what a man seeth, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for, that we have, we see not, then do we with patience, wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also help with our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. For he that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose.
For we know for whom he did. For know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified.
What shall we say then to these things?
If God before us, who can be against us, he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with Him?
Also freely give us all things. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Yeah, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors. Through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, and our things present, nor things to come, our height, our depth.
Creatures shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There were two questions.
That I had during the course of the first reading meeting.
Didn't get the opportunity to be asked and then during the lunch hour they were brought up at the lunch table and a number of us were discussing them and didn't really have a clear answer either. And they were both about verse 5 and I was wondering if I could just ask those questions at the beginning of the meeting.
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Go ahead verse five. It says they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.
They that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit, the first question.
Is those that are after the flesh and those that are after the spirit. The language, the language changes. In verse nine it says those that are in the flesh and in the spirit, and the question was being asked through the flesh and after the spirit. Is that talking about our position or practical walk? You know, I'm out hunting. Then I could say that I'm after a deer and it's something that, you know, I seek after. And that was the first question. And then the other one was.
The things of the flesh and the things of the Spirit.
What are things of the flesh and things of the Spirit? Are they natural things, the things of the flesh, or are they sinful things? In Galatians 5 it's the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit, and we were wondering what things of the flesh and things of the Spirit are being after the Spirit.
Being after the flesh is the state of one who is not converted.
Being after the Spirit is one that has the Spirit of God.
In Christ is our position before God. In the Spirit is the state that the that the possession of the Holy Spirit forms in us as being in Christ.
They go together.
But one has to do with our state. That's the in the spirit and in Christ is our position.
But they're absolutely they don't change.
Is that does that clarify?
Or don't you agree with that?
It's not our practical state. It's not, it's not a Christian that can be after the flesh.
One who's after the flesh is not saved.
He's after the Spirit. He has the Spirit of God.
Every Christian exhortation flows from the state in which, from the position we are in before God.
And so you can't. I sometimes hear people at the church down the road, they have a fellowship hour for the community. They want to encourage people for their unsaved people. But you can't encourage unsaved people in the things of God because they're after the flesh.
That's their state and a believer.
I may walk in a practical way, in a carnal way, but what is characteristic of you and I as believers is that we're after the Spirit. And that is really why a believer can be the most miserable person on earth is because they have a nature that loves and delights in the things of God. Though he may feed the flesh, but what is characteristic of him is that he is after the Spirit.
There's no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. You're either in Christ as your federal head or your in Adam.
As your head to get that in the 5th chapter, the second part of the 5th chapter, but going along with being in Christ is being in the Spirit subjectively. But that's an absolute thing that doesn't change. That's produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit and in the flesh is one that does not have the Spirit, is not born of the Spirit, it's just a natural man.
And as to the second question about the flesh and nature is that the Lord was hungry.
The Lord knew what it was like to be alone. He looked for comforters and looked for some to take pity on him. And there were none that was that wasn't the flesh acting in Him. There's nothing wrong with feeling. When he went into the Pharisees house, he said. You gave me no water for my feet. There's nothing wrong with feeling, feeling it when you're insulted. The Lord felt it. We react in the flesh, but He always acted with it. He always acted in the Spirit. But and that's why.
I believe if we don't understand that, what comes later in the chapter about weakness?
Will not really clearly understand why the Lord condemned sin in the flesh, but He helps us in our infirmities.
Because.
Those feelings may give way to us acting in the flesh.
And that's really why it's important to understand where we stand before God.
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But it's not wrong if somebody insults you to feel it, but it's how we react in response to that it really shows.
And the Lord will help us in that, but it's not how we react in response. In verse five, it's an absolute state. We're either in the flesh or in the spirit. We're either according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. That doesn't change. No, I'm. I'm glad you're clear. As to the I'm glad you're clarifying what I say as to that, because but unless we're clear as to that, then we won't understand when we get into this.
I may put it this way, turmoil later down in the chapter is to weakness.
Years ago, brother, I'll mention his name, Pira paddle. He was often criticized because people could not and understand what he said. He said it's wickedness. It's wickedness. And her brother said, was that weakness or wickedness? There's a big difference. And he said wickedness. I'm not sure that we ever understood what he meant. But there's a big difference between weakness and wickedness, and the flesh only seeks to please itself.
And those that are after the Spirit desire to please the Lord, and that has put his characteristic of a believer. That is our state. That is the life that we possess.
The new translation reads a day that are according to flesh. Mind the things of the flesh. One who is according to flesh is one that does not have a new nature, does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He's a natural man. He's just according to flight and he minds the things of the flesh and they that are according to spirit.
Mind the things of the Spirit.
That's what characterizes one who is according to flesh and one who is according to spirit.
Doesn't mean that it's. It doesn't refer to the practical state of the person, but his absolute state as being involved with the Holy Spirit or not.
Maybe just one other verse in Ephesians chapter four that might help.
In connection with this.
1St 12 For the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword.
I'm sorry, Hebrews 4. I'm sorry.
And 12 Thank you.
For the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. There are two things that are very difficult to discern between oftentimes and that is the soul and the spirit.
And.
Man, naturally speaking may be a very loving and caring person.
And you say my is the love again and carrying a person.
But I may really act in such a way. If I'm just acting in a soulless or a natural way, it really may be the manifestation of my flesh.
That's that's entirely different. Yes, I I realized Romans ate it all. I realized that. But I'm just bringing it up because it I believe it helps when we see this is that when we see this distinction is that the word of God is that which separates between that which is of the Spirit of God.
And that which is of nature. And when I simply act in nature according to nature, it's the flesh.
It's what the flesh minds and what the Spirit minds.
Flesh has a mind, and its mind is set on the things of that lead to death that.
Are hateful to God.
And the lines of the Spirit is that which is pleasing to God.
In this in in Christendom today.
That the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God.
Is not acknowledged.
Now there's many things that are brought out.
As we're having this chapter as Brother Hendricks has told us that the Holy Spirit of God is mentioned many times in this chapter, how many people in Christendom believe?
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And enjoy the fact that the Holy Spirit of God is present.
How many?
There are many in Christendom who actually do not believe that.
If you pin them right down, you'll find out they do not understand that, and by that they don't understand many things in the word of God, because the Spirit of God is here to make good to your soul and mind the things of God.
We find here in this chapter, and it's the spirit of God that makes them good to you.
The only thing that you're going to get, that they're going to enjoy, that are going to be yours is what the spirit of God gives you.
After you read, you can read and search and and reason about a lot of things. It's the only thing you're going to get from God is the things which the Spirit of God gives you.
And there's a precious thing there, concern that you got to read. Oh, let's just read the patch. I'm going to read the new translation and read verse 5 for a day that are according to flesh.
Mind the things of the flesh and they that are according to Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit, life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither indeed can it be, and they that are in flesh cannot please God.
But ye are not in flesh but in spirit, if indeed God's spirit dwell in you. But if anyone is not the Spirit of Christ, he's not of Him. But if Christ be in you, the body is dead, and account of sin we have to go into that. But He's, He's contrasting 2 absolute states. You're either in the Spirit or you're in the flesh. You're either according to the Spirit or according to the flesh. And if you're according to the Spirit, you mind the things of the Spirit.
That mind is the things of the Spirit. And if you're in the flesh, that mind according to the flesh, that mind is not of God at all. It's death. It's enmity against God. He's contrasting the you're either, I'll put it this way very simply, you're either a true Christian or you're not.
True Christian is in the Spirit, that one who is not is in the flesh.
Just that simple.
The difference in the words in and according I think would bring before us this.
In is.
Strictly as we've been saying our position.
That place in which we are before God were in Christ according to is that which characterizes those in that position. And I think that's really the difference that you're looking for.
In those two words and the spirit of God does use two different words according and in and it's connected with verse 4. The same word there is used in the new translation who walk not according to the flesh.
It's that which characterizes those in that position.
Galatians chapter five goes through the list there in the 1St 17 if we read Galatians 5 and 17. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would.
Well, a believer that walks after the flesh is walking out of character.
He's not displaying the character as being a son of God, heir joint heir heirs of Christ, joint heirs of heir of God, joint heirs with Christ. He's he's acting out of character.
Language here almost reminds you of John's epistle, doesn't you? Where he speaks in absolute and positives. There he says in that in the third chapter of John's epistle that you cannot sin whatsoever whosoever is born of God.
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Doth not sin, for his seed remaineth in and he cannot sin because he is born of God and these verses that we have here.
Are very much like that.
Year verse nine, you're not blessed, but in the spirit and.
Group back to the our chapter Romans, chapter 8 and verse.
10 Christ being you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. We have a nature which cannot sin, and that's our position before God, isn't it?
We ought to walk worthy of the vacation to which we've been called. Brethren we we are conscious of the fact that we have also a nature that can sin within, but God sees us as in the Spirit.
What verse is that here?
Verse 9 But you're not in flesh but in spirit, and so be that The Spirit of God dwells in you. That's our our position in Christ, and that's how he sees us. He doesn't see see us as men in the flesh, but as in Christ. And we cannot sin when we do sin. It's because of an old nature allowed to act within.
If we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are in the Spirit according to this passage, not in the flesh.
Absolutely. Whether we're walking in the spirit is another matter.
Or walking in the place. That's another matter.
But if we have the spirit we are.
In that state which is characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit according to Spirit.
Maybe a few verses from Luke chapter 4 would help.
To.
Luke 4 verse one.
And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, once led by the Spirit into the wilderness, And being 40 days tempted of the devil, in those days he did eat nothing, and when they were ended the afterward hunger. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone.
That it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written that man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
But you could ask, but what's wrong with turning bread to stone if you're hungry? What's wrong with being hungry? We've all felt that. But the Lord was in the Spirit. He not only. And he walked in the Spirit. And so he would not turn that stone to bread without a word from his Father. And so that in a practical way and that into the life that we now possess is that we desire to do that which is pleasing to the Lord. But he would not act without a word from his Father.
And so it's quite a different thing than being under law and saying, well, what's right with doing this or what's wrong with doing that. That's quite a different thing because it supposes a nature that wants to do its own will. And the law has to step in and say, no, you can't do that and this is what you've got to do. Whereas the Lord, he really had that before him to do that which was by do always those things which please my father. And so that is really what we have here in our chapter as being after the Spirit in Christ.
The Lord had no flesh nature.
He was always in the Spirit, and he always walked according to the Spirit.
By the Spirit, we have a flesh. We have flesh so we can we can walk wrongly. But he's looking at the absolute state of the Christian in contrast to the unconverted.
We have that verse in proverbs 21 and four.
And the last part of it, the following of the wicket is sin, I know. It's been explained to me.
What that meant?
That you say? Well, there's nothing wrong with a man plowing.
But if somebody came and started following up your, your.
Land and went to put seed in it. He'd say hold it, hold it that that's my land, you say. Well, I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just plowing. Yes, but that's my land. You you don't do it on my land. And this is the same with the Lord is we've just had.
That the one that's outside of Christ can't do anything, right? Nothing.
But if Christ be in you, verse 10, the body is dead on account of sin because we have sinned in this body and so we hold the body as dead to the impulses of that sin nature so that we don't sin. That's what that's saying. But the Spirit is life on account of righteousness in order to produce righteousness in our pathway. The spirit is the one that is yielded to.
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And he is the life of the Newman and.
What is produced as He guides us and leads us is a righteousness.
Practical there. That's practical righteousness.
I've often said.
The proper exposition of Romans is not easy.
A lot of books that are much easier to explain than Romans, but that's, I believe the meaning.
But if the spirit of him I'm reading Darby here, verse 11 That has raised up Jesus from among the dead, dwell in you, we have the same spirit that raised him from among the dead dwelling in US.
He that has raised up Christ from among the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies.
And that coming day hasn't happened yet.
That's at the Rapture, also on account of his spirit, which dwells in you.
So when?
When these mortal bodies are quickened by the spirit in that sense, then we it says in First Corinthians 15 the body will be changed.
The dead shall be raised, and we will be changed, and together we will rise to meet him in the air.
But the same spirit that that.
How does it put it? The spirit of him that raised up Jesus from among the dead, You've got the whole Trinity to raise, raising him In Romans 6 he was raised by the glory of the Father. He said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. And then here we have the Spirit of God raising him up. Everything that God does, he does in Trinity. Everything.
Who is Godfather, Son and Holy Spirit?
It isn't that the Father does some things and the Son does some things and the Spirit some things. The whole Trinity is involved in everything that God does.
The creation in the beginning God Elohim, in plural, three persons created the heavens and the earth, every one of them active in the creation, every one of them active in the salvation of the soul. The shepherd goes out after a strange sheep, Luke 15 The woman searches the house for the lost coins. Spirit of God and the Father, receiving back the returning prodigal. The Trinity is there.
In everything that God does. Beautiful to see that when you read the scriptures.
The Christian is the only one on the face of the earth that believes that God is a Trinity.
The Jew does not because all you have to do to reject that God is a Trinity is deny the deity of any one of those three persons. The Jew denies that Jesus is God. That rules them out. They don't believe in the Trinity. The Muslim doesn't believe in the Trinity because.
They don't believe Jesus is God and others the Jehovah's Witness. They don't believe in the Trinity because they don't believe Jesus is God and they don't believe the Holy Spirit is a person. Any one of those things denied denies the Trinity.
I I don't know if I said this before here, but I was talking to a the young man and he is talking about another one that that he was dealing with. And he says he's a nice Christian, but he doesn't believe in the Trinity. And I said to him that he does not. He's not a Christian and he doesn't believe in the Trinity. That's what distinguishes us from everyone else and every other religion. We're the only ones that believe that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 3:00 and 1:00 and 1:00 and 3:00. And if you don't believe that, you're not a Christian.
That's one thing the Roman Catholic Church is sound on they believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
That's basic, isn't it? Yes. You don't have that. You've got nothing. You've got nothing exactly.
But if Christ being you, the body is dead.
A cow is sin appreciated. I worked with a man once and you had to go to some kind of hardware show and number. The students were standing around and said well you know what's at those places there's going to be some lured entertainment. What about what are you and Neil going to do then? And he said, he said I'm thankful that I have no interest in those things. Now they said come on, you're you're man, you've got an interest in those things. And he said I'm thankful to say that I have a nature that.
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Put delights in the things of God and has no interest in those things.
And that is a wonderful thing to be able to be able to say by faith. But practically, practically, we come to that where it says here that we're to mortify the deeds of the flesh. And that's the practical side of it, is that we're to put, we're to reckon that man in the place of death and to say yes, a believer has no interest in stealing. He has no interest in telling, being untruthful.
He desires to please the Lord, and it doesn't mean we're not capable of doing those things.
But we're when we have those desires we can we say I have no The flesh was going to get me nowhere. My the exercise of my own will was going to take me exactly where the protocol took the prodigal, and it would have taken me to a lost eternity. And the only thing that's going to bring me happiness is it to do the will of God. And so we have a right to by faith, to have no desire for those things. And because it's true of us, we're in Christ, we're after the Spirit and we and but we're to put those.
Deeds in the place Mortify those deeds.
The body.
You get in verse 11, which you just referred to. Pardon me if I read Mr. Darby again, but if the spirit of him that has raised up Jesus from among the dead dwell in you, and that's that's an absolute truth.
It's not that he dwells in me if I'm a good boy. No, he dwells in me. I'm a Christian.
And he dwells in you. If you're a Christian, he that raised up Christ from among the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies.
Also on account of his spirit which dwells in you.
That's going to take place when the Lord comes, then the practical. So then, now the practical, carrying this out. Brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to flesh, or if you live according to flesh, you're about to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, this is practical, you shall live.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Now that's that's what is characteristic of the Son of God.
The Son of God was always led by the Spirit of God. And if what characterizes sons of God is that they're led by the Spirit of God, does that mean that they're perfect in that the Lord was? But we know we're not. Sometimes the flesh gets going. But what characterizes sons of God or a son of God? The Son of God was he was always led by the Spirit. Always.
And when we act as sons of God, we act according to the character of the Son of God, and that is to be led by the Spirit of God.
With us, it's not perfect. With him it was.
Now, in reference to what Brother Charles said about what is held in Christendom as to the Spirit of God, there's a great deal of talk about the Spirit of God. But the Spirit of God will never lead us to act contrary to the Word of God.
And very often, where the Spirit of God is much spoken of, you see the most direct and obvious disobedience to the word of God. Well, the Lord the Spirit led me to do this, or the Spirit led me to do that. And you consider what is said in the light of the word of God, and you find it absolutely contrary to the word of God.
And so.
What is characteristic of the believer? And that's why in the temptation of the Lord, it was a manifestation of that life, not because there was any sin in him, but it showed what his life was and what our life is.
Is that there was nothing, there was nothing, to which sin could attach itself in the Lord. But that he he desired to do those, and he did those things which were pleasing to his Father. That is what his characteristic.
Of a child of God.
There's another thing that was helpful said about the leading is that we often got to ask what the will of God is in a situation when the only will of God is that we not be in the situation at all.
And we may get ourselves into situations in self will and disobedience, some of which we can't even get out of.
And we need to humble ourselves when we find ourselves in such a situation. But we have to ask ourselves, did we get into this situation by an act of disobedience? And that is what the prodigal said. I will rise and go to my father is that he returned. He was in a situation that he shouldn't have been in and it was as a result of self will and disobedience.
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Usually when what you're saying when we ask for something and then we ask again, it's because we didn't like the answer we got the first time and we have our minds made-up. This is the way I want to go. This is the answer I want. If Daddy doesn't give it to me, I'll go to Mommy. They're great at at playing mommy and Daddy. Well, mommy said it was all right. My daddy said it was all right. Oh, yeah, Let's let's get them all together and see see what's right. But we know how the the flesh acts.
If if you if it doesn't get what it wants, it acts again, maybe he maybe maybe God will change his mind. Balaam.
That prophet, false prophet, how many times did he tell him to go here, go there, and you're going to change God's mind by asking from a different vantage point? You can't do that.
God eventually let him go, and we made the worst government of God. Maybe that he let us do what we want. I don't suppose he's not here. But one of my sons wanted to spend, I thought, an inordinate amount of money on a bicycle when he was young. And I told him I didn't think it was a good idea. It was his own money. He'd earned it and so on at his age. And so he asked, and he asked, and he asked. And so I thought, well, perhaps there's a lesson for him to learn. And so.
I said you going by the bicycle and he bought it and a short while later it was stolen. And I'm glad that he admitted that he had sought his own way, and the Lord will do that with us sometimes is let us have our own way and that's why we can say we see some of these things further down. I don't want to be telling stories about my children because it's true of all of us, as our brother Chuck was saying with Balaam, that if a man may insist on getting an answer.
We may eventually get the answer that we want, so that we might learn what is in our own hearts.
But what is characteristic of the believers? That they are led by the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God will lead us in obedience to the word of God.
That's the 14th verse, isn't it? As many as are led by the Spirit of God, our sons of God. That's what characterizes the Son of God. He's led by the Spirit, not by his own will.
In Proverbs, the word my son is used, I believe 17 times, maybe a little more. But the particular phrase my son really has the import of being the builder of the family name. And so the one that is in Christ knows Christ as Savior and acts in character is really as it were, building the family name and being LED of the Spirit, not exercising his own will. But.
To be LED is really to follow another and to follow in the will of another.
And so the Lord Jesus always perfectly followed in the will of his Father. He never would step out of that path of obedience. It's a real course of encouragement for us to see in his life. He was sent, We enjoyed that this this afternoon He was sent. But he also followed. He wouldn't step out of that character. He was a builder, as it were, of the family name.
Notice the this read on it says verse 15. If you have not received the for you have not received the spirit of *******. Again, spirit of ******* is what one has when he's under law.
Romans 7 Poor man was under *******. He was under law. Yeah, that's that's not what we've received again.
Repeat of the old something altogether new.
To you have not received the spirit of ******* again to fear.
But you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA, Father.
Settled established relationship which can't be changed. We cry ABBA father as a son in the family. This then it says the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and if children.
Then heirs.
Whose heirs? Heirs of God? How much did we inherit?
Joint Heirs with Christ.
All that he has won as man down here, he's going to share with you and me.
Where joint heirs with Christ.
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If so be that we suffer with him.
That we may be also glorified together. It's what a what? A jump from being a joint heir with Christ who's suffering with him. But that's our path down here.
We're joint heirs. Heirs of God, join heirs with Christ. But there's a suffering time, and that's right now.
Interesting verse. You mentioned at verse.
Verse 16 Very interesting verse.
The Spirit itself.
Bearer witness.
With our soul, spirit, spirit. Why? Why spirit? Spirit is God conscious?
That's why it's brought in there. It's a spirit of God conscious. A man asked me that question.
Why is it not saying our souls? Well, it's the spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
And the spirit in man is that which is God conscious, Yes. So it's beautiful to see how accurate scripture is. So I've always enjoyed that first talking to this man.
Seeking to bring this before him about this verse. So that word spirit does not mean the Holy Spirit, it means our human spirit, spirit, soul and body, yes.
That is really, I just say this to the young people too, because there's a great deal of singing of the Psalms and so on and expressions. God has prayed and so on. But God was really characteristic of Christianity is to know God as Father in that relationship, and not just his Creator and his creator, He's father of all things, but to know him in that intimate relationship that he has an interest in us as Father.
ABBA father.
Anybody have, I think?
On how this area was verse 13 he through the spirit to mortify the beautiful body.
Lord, if I means put to death.
But the death of these of the body don't don't give a place to those things that the body wants.
Don't get yourself into a situation where it will produce fleshly lusts and things like that.
A man that worked with me, got saved and he was quite a drinker. And in Ontario the only place you can buy beer is in a beer store. I wouldn't even I've never been in one. I wouldn't know how to order if I went in there And I said to him, I said, you know, you know what it is to go in and buy a dozen cases of beer and drink them on the weekend. And I said, and you need to learn how to never step foot in a place like that again. So I'm thankful. And so it's true of you young children too. Perhaps there's places that you've never gone.
And you know that your parents wouldn't approve of it. Believe on the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ now shall be saved and thy house. And you've been preserved from certain things because you know that there's certain entertainments that you would never engage in. There are certain things that you would never do that would horrify your parents. And maybe you don't understand. The only thing you understand is that you know that they're not pleasing to the Lord, and it's good just to mortify those things. It's just to say, well, that's just not for me.
Now, it's not to be put yourself into some kind of legal ******* but it is really just to put those things in a place of death that it's outside of your sphere of existence.
It's not ******* to say no to sin. That's obedience.
They might want to make you think of you just as slave to being a goody goody.
Whatever they want to call you say I I'm, I'm to to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. You wouldn't know what that is because you don't have the Spirit. You haven't received Christ. But I have and I have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. That's that would be our attitude.
Would you connect that 15 First, the Spirit of ******* again to fear with Hebrews chapter 2.
In verse 15 it says and deliver them through fear of death for all their lifetime subject to *******.
What are you reading now?
Hebrews 2, Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 15. Would you connect that with the 15 first of our chapter?
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As well as, you know, fear of coming into condemnation that that fear is gone too. But as far as we have other fears, natural fears, I'm afraid of a lot of things in life, you know, but I think in its context it probably we're delivered from that fear, you know, the consequences of sin and of death, judgment thereafter.
You know the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 6 gives a picture of this. It's a lovely illustration. It says in Deuteronomy 6 and verse 13 thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him, and shall swear by his name. He shall not go after other gods of the gods of the people which are round about you, for the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you.
Bless the anger of the Lord thy God be kindle against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. Well, you know, what are the gods of the people that are around us? It's really the gods of entertainment and the gods of public opinion.
The gods of perhaps fashion of this world and it really feeds the flesh. It really exalts the first Adam. And so he says we're not to go after those other gods and that the Lord thy God is a jealous God. And so the Lord desires in love. He gives us this instruction that we might not have a saved soul and a lost life. He wants us to have a saved soul and have a a saved life that we might not just waste that which was given to us.
And so we could.
Address in perfect confidence with communion with the Lord, and be able to say that we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA Father in very nearness to the Father, Just enjoy his company and enjoy the same path as it were that the Lord Jesus enjoyed. What a privilege it is for us to rise above the filth of what this world walks in, and to walk in the dignity of sons of God, and to address God as our Father and to know Him.
In that nearness of relationship.
If you don't understand some of these expressions, the way to get to understand is to be obedient to what you do understand.
To submit to the promptings and leadings of the Spirit of God and reject all that comes from the flesh. And if you do that, this will open up to you in a way that you'd never never realized before. Because God always rewards obedience, doesn't he?
We don't see everything all at once, do we? We, we, we grow, we mature.
Go ahead, the flesh may suffer.
On response to Brother Robert.
House's comment The flesh may suffer, and so that's why there's the encouragement there that if indeed if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together with him, is that there's suffering connection with the flesh, and we may turn aside from something that may seem innocent to us and go on with something that may just turn us aside from a fruitful pathway.
And waste our time.
And their suffering for that.
We may dissociate ourselves from a business deal because that may seem to make a lot of easy money, but.
In a desire not to be together in an unequal yoke, and may suffer for it. A person may suffer by being a good employee instead of rising up against his employer.
There may be suffering, but it's there's going to be a day of manifestation and every believer is going to have praise of him that we would desire, as Brother Robert said, not to have a lost, a saved soul and a lost life.
That 17th verse is puzzling at first glance. If children were heirs, heirs of God, and join heirs with Christ, everything that he's inherited is going that is his we're going to share.
And that's the richest thing. That there is the richest thing, that we're we're at the height of riches. And then the very next statement is the very opposite. If indeed we suffer with him, we may be also glorified with him.
He tells us what we are as heirs and what we'll enter into in that coming day, but right now, suffering time.
That's Hebrews 12. Let me just turn to that in connection with the Lord and the apostle Paul too. None of the Lord's servants apart from the Lord suffered the way the apostle Paul did, but in Hebrews 12.
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Get that thought?
Despising the shame.
Having despised the shame is that the Lord counted the shame that He endured for the joy that was set before Him. And it really is that day of manifestation and glory that is really going to give us the strength to suffer and to bypass things here.
It may be seem like innocent pleasures or what's wrong with them?
That is to see his approval in that day. It's like a student in a natural things that perhaps may forego going out and playing with his friends because he wants to do well at exam time. Well, when the marks are posted on the bulletin board and he sees his Marks and and his friends are kind of forlorn that they're having to retake the course, if I may put it this way.
He doesn't regret then a little bit of suffering that he went through at the time.
When it says here, if we suffer with him, we'll be glorified together.
Does that mean if we don't suffer, it won't be the glory?
Say that again. I don't think I understood what you said.
We'd be glorified together. We're going to be glorified together whether we suffer or not.
Seems to link the two together here.
It's nice. In Revelation chapter 2 The Lord Jesus gives a commendation to this little assembly in Pergamos, and he says in verse 13, I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is, and thou holdest fast my name, and has not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas my faithful murder, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth.
Well, they lived in a day when it was.
To associate with the name of Christ meant that there was going to be suffering associated with it, and so they didn't follow a popular Christ. And we don't live in a world that loves the Savior. We live in a world that rejected him, crucified and said away with this man. We will not have this man to reign over us. Well, the believer wants one man to reign over him. He wants Christ, he wants to live for Christ, he wants to follow Christ, and he wants to bear the name of Christ.
Everyone of us that know Christ is Savior well as if we live in the spirit we want to walk to please the Lord. We need to hold past that name that was delivered to us to be able to manifest that we are of the family of God, that we can cry as those that are sons. ABBA Father. And so he says and has not denied my faith. And so the the faith really encompasses all of the teaching in connection with the person of Christ, the work.
Of Christ and all that is contained in the Word concerning the deity of the Godhead. And so we need to hold those things fast. And so it's going to encompass suffering if we do. It's not a popular Christ that we follow. And if you take and name the name of the Lord Jesus, there's going to be suffering now, he says. Then a little bit later on.
In Philadelphia that no man take thy crown. Well, I believe that there's special approval of the Lord.
As he sees us have any small desire of heart and return of affection to the Lord Jesus, just to bear his name and to suffer some reproach for Christ, it's going to be too late. When we get home to the glory to bear any reproach for Christ. There's not going to be any reproach there for him. But while we walk through this scene, I believe there's going to be some approval, some sense of the Lord's approval in our pathway and in some sense of the Lord's thanking us in a in a way that perhaps we can't really fathom in this scene.
But when we get home to the glory, he's going to say, I'm. I'm thankful that you name my name. It was a hard thing to do, and you bore reproach for it in your path. And when you met and you only took the name of the Lord Jesus, you were gathered into his name. There was a reproach there. I appreciate that. I appreciate you didn't take any other name. And so I believe that this is really what the Spirit of God brings before us, that if we suffer.
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And so their responsibility.
Are we going to suffer if we suffer? Will I name the name of Christ? Will I walk with a rejected Savior if we suffer?
Isn't an encouragement to the time of suffering also?
Including those verses there. If children then heirs.
Of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be.
He brings that in now, just so be that we suffer with him.
That we may be also glorified together.
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. In other words, He's encouraging them that there's a time of suffering and that time is now.
But there's a glory to be revealed.
I wonder if there isn't some little encouragement there about the time of their suffering he brings himself in. Personally, he says, I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time and he went through suffering. You read the list in Second Corinthians of the catalogue of his sufferings and 1St Corinthians we don't know anything about.
Nothing like he suffered, but he says, I reckon all that I've gone through, that the sufferings of this present time are worthy to be compared with the coming glory. So he says that he puts himself in there as a model sufferer.
Suffered more than any of us or all of us put together.
We do not have a hard master. You know that the unjust servant said, Thou art a hard master, reaping where thou hast not sown, and you look at even one like Lot, and you could point out 100 failures in lots light. But the Lord said he was vexed in his righteous soul from day-to-day, and the Lord could even commend that in Lot. And every man shall have praise of God a lot. If you see Lot in the glory, and you ask him Lot, you wish you have any regrets. And I you know.
I believe that after the judgment seat of Christ that we're going to say, well, I wish I'd suffered a little more and take not taking the ease of Sodom as much and I don't doubt that that's going to be one of the great things for the believers, the judgment seat of Christ when all this comes out and so but Paul in contrast here he he reckoned all of it. What he suffered for the Lord was, was nothing compared to what was going to be and Lot was a great loser in his soul and yet the Lord could command him for what he could.
There's a joy in the journey, even in the suffering. Apostle Paul could say that I may know him in the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. A verse was read to us earlier in the conference. Did not our heartburn within us. What was it? It was the companionship of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Think of two examples. Briefly, in the Old Testament there were the three Hebrew children who were obedient to God, and yet when they were put in the very fiery furnace, the very thing which they might fear.
There was found in there one light unto the Son of Man, and then Stephen, when he proclaimed faithfully the word of the Lord in Acts chapter 6, his face was at the face of an Angel, and yet he could see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. And so even in the most difficult times, even in the worst sufferings, it's the company. The joy is in the company and the journey. Three things that have been a helping, our brother's question that was mentioned.
Of things that we might have a help and our difficulties.
A heart possessed with Christ is fortified against the most seductive allurements of the world. We need Christ, we need to be taken up with Him. He needs to be the object of our soul and we need separation from the world. This world would seek to get into our hearts at every turn. And we need the word of God memorize Psalm 1. The word of God, the psalmist could say by the word of Thy lips. I have kept me from the paths of the Destroyer, and so in these things being taken up with Christ being separated from the world being.
Allowing the word of God, the living Water to wash in our souls and be a blessing to us, we can go through sufferings and the joy is in the company of our blessed Savior.
The appendix.
All the sorrows they are feeling is helped by him on the road.
Taken up in resurrection desert ways rehearsal, love, tell the power of God's salvation.
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And is never fairly loved #35 the appendix.