The New You - Part B

CS Lewis was asked why do the righteous suffer.

His answer quickly, was why not. They're the only ones who can take it is right. Anybody can endure suffering, only to endure suffering, knowing there purposeful and that is leading some of the apostle Paul. So many hardships, but he still said the confidence I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in a today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares the keys to experiencing purpose and joy even in times of self first Skip one school invited to check out an exciting new project and his wife Linda. It's hard to make sense out of everything going on in the world. That's why I'm excited to announce the launch of my wife Lenny is podcast called all the things journey with Linda and her cohost Lindsay, my asses in this unscripted podcast as they learn about different issues, engage in fun conversation and tackle some pretty hard-hitting topics. Subscribe to all the things today were ever you listen to your podcasts thinking scant the Bible gives you foundational truths about how he works in your life and our heart is to help build the faith offense IQ by making these biblical teachings available on-air across the US and around the world. Your support is vital to make that happen today will help keep these messages left on the air to encourage you and countless others. So please consider getting today connectwithskip.com/donate connectwithskip.com/donate or call 892 1888. Thank you.

Now we are in Romans chapter 8 as we dive into the teaching with Skip Heitzig. There is a sense in which I think this is an abused phrase. One of the most abused phrases I've ever heard among believers and it's the phrase I feel led. I feel that I feel led to do that or I don't feel led to do that and I say it's abuse because it has come to mean a subjective mental impression that I get for my direction in life. I feel left. Often it's just a way of saying I don't want to do that but if I say God is leading me or knowledgeably it's a lot it comes off a lot better. I'll fill it. I feel so I think we need to know what that means no notice verse 14.

Notice that it does not say as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God does not say that there's a word I left out was the first word in the verse four for as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God.

The word for means because whenever it you have a sentence begins with a four or because it's pointing us back to the previous verse or the previous thought the previous plot begins in verse 12, but I take you to verse 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 for. Because as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are sons of God. The topic is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, not living for the flesh, so being led by the Holy Spirit means not letting your bodily appetites control you any longer. That's what being led means is not a mystical if you learned it's a very practical specific way of saying God leads you into his will so that you have a new motivation new motivation is now you say I want to do what he wants me to do. I want to do what he wants. And when you say that and you mean that I really want to do a guy wants me to your being led by the spirit so we have a new relation were adopted in this family with it comes a new motivation being led by the spirit is there is 1/3 experience. There is a new validation.

Verse 16 he continues the spirit himself.

Notice not itself himself.

Holy Spirit is a person.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and what is that mean let's go back to the Roman adoption it in antiquity when the Romans would adopt a son or daughter into the family. It was a formal ceremony.

There were witnesses that came to the formal ceremony. There were usually several witnesses. In fact, an average of seven witnesses came to the adoption ceremony.

Why to validate it to swear that the adoption was genuine. Why was that important. Well, suppose the new father, the guy adopting the child dies and when he dies. There is a dispute over the rights of inheritance. Suppose there are natural born children from that father who then say this adopted kid or about him. I know this guy is he just showed up in cities adopted we don't know him. That's when a witness comes forward and says I was there when it happened. Your father adopted him into the family.

So now he is an air and a joint heir with you.

He's part of the mix. Okay so in Judaism.

It was usually the eldest son they got a double portion of the inheritance in Roman law and with the Roman adoption. All of the kids, those adopted and those natural born shared in equal amount alike. So that's what the Holy Spirit does with us. Okay, he steps forward as a witness to our adoption.

Now again give you the background but still evidence about what is that mean exactly well. Notice would assess the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that were the children of God. Okay, my spirit would let you know I'm a child of God. You know how I know because people ask how do you know you are safe, easy answer. I was there when it happened. I was there I a front row seat.

I saw what happened to me. I'm a witness that, but I have another witness, the Holy Spirit, he saw he also had a front row seat and he stepped forward and he validates your son ship your your adoption again. Paul does not have in mind some mystical voice whispering to us like you're saying you're really say is not the idea of him bearing witness with our spirit. I think it's much more practical and plain and obvious than that and when I say grandma go. Oh yeah, I knew that you do is Holy Spirit proof that we are children of God that we are adopted by God is called the fruit of the spirit by the fruit of the spirit by what the Holy Spirit produces in our lives.

So what I want you to do was keep a marker here quickly turn couple chapters to the right. Go to Galatians chapter 5 is not very far from where you're at, but let's read this together because this can make a whole lot of sense of Romans eight Galatians chapter 5 in verse 16. Same guy Paul wrote.

I say then, walk in the spirit in you will not fulfill the lust or the desires of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit wars against the spirit battles the spirit and the spirit against the flesh there.

Contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law of the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of radical he's on a roll, selfish ambition, dissension, heresy, NV, murder, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.

In other words, I'm not even done know you read that list and you go yeah and the like of which I tell you beforehand. As I told you in time past, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Yuck. Been there done that past tense BC before Christ. Now what well verse 22 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You see any of those things reflected in your new life. Maybe not to perfection but yes you can.

Against such there is no law, and those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. So here's the simple answer those character traits that he mentions here are produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit to some degree, and when they are. They provide for us assurance their benchmarks to us.

The way you are indeed adopted children of God make sense only take you back to my early salvation I got saved 1973 I was so excited I wanted everyone to know that I was a Christian and I did what I think everybody did back at that time to let everyone know they were Christian. I bought a bumper sticker for my car that announce I'm safety or not. Some like I know what he said about vesicular people know that the person driving this car is a Christian know there's only one problem with my strategy call my driving anytime you put a bumper sticker on the car and announced that a Christian is driving it now everybody behind you is curious, how do Christians drive in traffic. What gestures did they use when people cut them off right so that was the problem because I did my driving did not reflect this newness and me and by the way, just wanted to share this with you. Here are the top 10 things people won't say when they see your bumper sticker or fish symbol on your car is not down. And if you have a bumper sticker, a fish symbol and glad you do just know there's a higher level of accountability now that you have that so what what people will not say here's the top 10 number 10. Look, let's stop the car and asked those folks how we can become Christians not map number nine.

Don't worry Billy. Those people are Christians. They must have a good reason for going 90 miles an hour. Number eight. What joy to be sharing the highway with another car of spirit filled brothers and sisters number seven isn't it wonderful how God blessed that Christian couple with a brand-new BMW number six dad, how can people who drive like that don't get thrown in jail, son. That driver is a Christian and God probably protects them from getting arrested.

Dad, can we get a bumper sticker like that to number five. Stay clear of those folks, Martha. If they get rapture that cars can be all over the road. Number 40 look that Christian woman is getting a chance to share Jesus with the police officer number three. No, that's not litter coming out of their window.

Bert's probably gospel tracts for road workers number two old boys were in trouble. Now we just rear-ended one of God's cars and number one click Alice honked the horn or they won't know that we love Jesus. Those things are not going to happen because you have a Christian bumper sticker I had one on my car. I was announcing to the world that I was a Christian. Here's God's way of validating the reality of the commitment. The Holy Spirit comes into you and into me into us starts working cleaning up producing the love, joy, peace, long-suffering, all of these character traits. That's him, bearing witness that it's valid. By working these changes out, we and others who look at us will know that it gives us assurance not talking about perfection. Talk about growth simple growth of the life of the spirit inside of us and there's 1/4 and final one that I want to talk about in the time we have left, and that is a new compensation. We also have a new compensation verse 17 and if children that's what you are your children of God relation change and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him that we also may be glorified together for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us and there's so much amazing stuff in those two verses.

I wish I had weeks just on those two verses look at that phrase joint heirs with whom Jesus Christ what that means is everything Jesus Christ received by divine right. We received by divine grace even and including future glory so you really will get a new face a new body.

And though we suffer now on this earth. And please, dear child of God.

Listen, especially if you're in a very dark moment you're going through very desperate time in your life you think the world is crashing down on you in your suffering.

Though you suffer now on this earth. One day that will be eclipsed by in comparable glory. He says the glory can't even compare to the suffer. John Stott, who wrote a commentary in the book of Romans, one of my favorite commentators on this book said suffering and glory belong together. These words belong together suffering and glory belong together because these two words characterize the two ages of the believer. The present age suffer the future age glory. So Paul is giving us a cosmic perspective of now versus then why is the compensation we keep our eye on the road right right now this is where we live. But we also know behind the horizon is glory.

In fact, listen to what Paul writes in second Corinthians 4 verse 17 for our light affliction. If you know anything about second Corinthians, Paul talked about how how hard he had it. He was beaten up. He was put in prison.

He was stoned on not likes stone but like rocks thrown at them stone.

He was abused he was mistreated. He calls it our light affliction yes is the light affliction for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We have to keep that in perspective because that compensates for this affect the rest of Romans eight he's in a talk about groaning and all creation is groaning and we as part of the created order are also groaning wanting that to happen. Looking forward to it. I got up this morning and and I I groaned when I got up. Oh my back and I noticed myself as a gold right I groaned more and I'm comforted by this part of Romans because I I groaned well of scriptural groaning for glory and you should know that Peter even said we should expect suffering we should expect suffering. If it's suffering for the right reason. If were aligned with Jesus and we get the blowback from this world because we are aligned with Jesus.

He said expect that this annuity rights first Peter chapter 4. Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering.

Why is it that when we suffer a painful trial were surprised. I can't believe God would let this happen to me.

I thought he was a good God, a God of love. Why would you. Don't be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed in his glory is revealed as Peter's way of saying the worse it gets here it'll feel better. There we have no right to expect better treatment from this world and Jesus got from this world. If you are indeed an adopted son or daughter of the living God, you align yourself with him and you follow him and you love him see suffering for him is an honor right. In fact, an indicator that you're on the right past me long-suffering. I must been doing some wrong. Maybe doing everything right.

Maybe it's an indicator that you're doing everything absolutely right. And because you are doing it right there for your suffering for Paul said to Timothy, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. CS Lewis was asked why do the righteous suffer. His answer quickly was, why not. They're the only ones who can take it.

He's right. Anybody can endure suffering. Only the Christian can endure suffering, knowing there is purpose for and that it's leading somewhere so all of these experiences are because God adopted you meeting he chose you. You were growing in his heart. Years he chose you before the foundation of the earth. He made you because of that heirs joint heirs with his son, you're adopted but you share that same privilege. Even the future glory.

After going through paragraphs like this in the Bible. I walk away from such a study.

Convinced that most people do not understand the heart of God for them.

Sadly, many Christian people do not understand the heart of God for them. God desires the very best for you. Not the worst for you the very best.

It's his heart. Obviously by these truths. He doesn't want to ruin your life was to rescue your life. I member witnessing to my friends after the bumper sticker on my car sharing with my friends and I got such resistance. I don't want to give my life to Jesus and that you do not understand my Jesus, if you think that he will not ruin your life. Help fix your life. True story of a homeless man living on the streets of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was running from the police. Police were chasing them homeless man in the weather chasing him because they wanted to inform him. They were to bring him news that he had just become an inheritor of the $6 million estate he just 161, you've been given. He inherited 6 million bucks, so he sees the police chase him.

He runs he figures thereafter hamper drug abuse and alcohol abuse, both of which were true in his life 67-year-old Thomas Martinez ran and disappeared without a trace. They're trying to tell them dude you can buy a house in this city, but he ran. Here's the twist in the story. The inheritance came from his ex-wife that interesting. She got up from her family. She bequeathed it to him when she died she died. Obviously, she had no ill will toward her ex-husband, who is now homeless, but he had become the inheritor of a $6 million estate for the police want to give him the news he ran God offers an inheritance forgiveness from the past meeting in the present glory in the future. But you have to stop running start receiving the gift is only as good as your ability and willingness to receive is not up to bust beauties of the blush skips messages from the series partnership known want to share about an exciting resource that will help the kids in your life engage God's work. The Bible is the most important information you can pass along to the next generation in your family and that can be a challenge right in this book, this Bible there are 66 separate books, some long some very long.

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The Bible tells us all about God's radical (take his word to more listeners like you so more people can follow even more in love with the Savior keep the teachings he left from Skip line by giving the theft right now is pick up your phone and call 892 to 892, or skip.com/donate connectwithskip.com/donate tuning tomorrow is six years encouraging truths about how much God truly cares what we have before us in verse Grand Canyon credible use covers absolutely everything in life are a Cory called Romans 828 soft pillow for entire castle Skip presentation of connection communications changing truth