Expound: Romans 8:1-27 - Part C

I still remember and I still experience what it was like to come into a relationship with Christ real was transformative.

It was awesome.

It's all I could think about, and the Holy Spirit is getting a taste of what heaven is.

We give our lives to Jesus to live a new life now also been the promise of eternal today on connect with Skip Skip shares of the transformation we experience in Christ hereunder is only a preview of our future and have before we begin want to tell you about a resource that will encourage even more in your faith trials, temptation, and the top those of the mega themes of three booklets from when you were making available this month@connectwithskip.com here's one with more of this bond and I handed the keys to unlock the thought stances and fears that can cause you to give into temptation and speak no evil. I encourage you to avoid setting fires with your word and instead use them to bring showers of blessing Linda height six booklets go to speak no evil and happy trials provides help hope and encouragement in dealing with life's challenges.

This bundle of three booklets or years for a gift of $20 or more to help keep his Bible teaching ministry on the year did yours when you give today by calling 800-922-1888, or give online securely connect was.com/offer that's connectwithskip.com/offer Romans chapter 2 the teacher skip. You did not receive the spirit of bondage again here you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, father Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Notice how the language changes sons of God, adoption, children of God. The term adoption is a very important New Testament term. Paul uses a five times in his writings and it means to be placed as an adult son or an adult child in the Roman world adoption had interesting ramifications of your adopted into a Roman family you immediately as the adopted son lost all of the rights and privileges, and debts of your previous family and you were given all the rights and privileges in the new family.

In fact, you have the same right as an adopted child as a natural born child in a Roman household you even became Alcoa air when there were inheritance laws or land passed out viewing if the children would inherit an estate. The adopted child would get as much as the natural born child. So we became children of God. We were born again. Jesus uses that language. Paul uses the language of adoption placed as adult sons. So, we received the spirit of adoption verse 15, by whom we cry by father is an Aramaic term but also a Hebrew term, if you go to Israel you will hear that frequently in the stream back if you're in Jerusalem you hear these little kids crying out and you ago I I know what that word is as you read your Bible, you know, Romans, is a bought his daddy father. That's how Jesus taught us to pray to God he said, when you pray, say, our father is very different from juice before Jesus rabbis before Jesus never taught there. Tell Nadeem their students to have a personal relationship with God and have was very formal. It was very distant. It was very remote. God was put off by that and so when they pray they didn't even call God God. They didn't call him by his name Yahweh.

What they did when you'll still still here at today and in the or an Orthodox community.

They will refer to the Lord our God is hot sham hot sham hot sham is Hebrew for the name. So when you want to talk about God he save thy name said this thy name did that how different from when you pray, say, our father, daddy, Abba, so intimate, so different and the Jews when they pray it's very very formal. I told you before that a typical Jewish prayer bottle caught Adonai hello hey new melee collar lumps. Blessed are you, Lord God King of the universe recognizing sovereignty. It's recognizing deity it's recognizing control and an immensity not intimacy one intimacy do this Abba father.

We've adopted so before you came to Christ. The relationship you had with God was a hot sham relation a melee, alarm relationship, there was God and human. But now the relationship is changed in Christ, your adopted into the family so it's not God in human it's father child, son or daughter of the living God. What a privilege we cry, Abba father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. There's a Roman adoption idea. If indeed we suffer with him, that we may also 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.

Let me translate that idea for you. Everything Jesus received by divine right. You and I have received by divine grace even study that the rest your life. Everything Jesus has received by divine right is the unique son of God, you and I have received as by divine grace is adopted sons and daughters of God that includes glory future glory, even though we suffer temporarily as he said, I consider the sufferings of this present time, not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us. In second Corinthians 4. Paul said, for our light affliction, which is for a moment will become in the far exceeding and eternal weight of glory. So here we are. We have this affliction posits a light affliction.

Oh you don't know my affliction though it's pretty heavy. Paul got beat up a whole bunch and beheaded eventually is pretty heavy right Bobby hardhearted nears. So he called it a light affliction, but he said it's going to work, and eternal weight of glory. So when you put our suffering in his glory that word and it also experienced on a scale. That's the idea of this verse eternal way to go, or the second Corinthians 4 verse that I quoted this verse but sort of like this verse is not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us for verse 19 for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

And there are some of the wording in these verses we just read verse 18 sufferings. Verse 20 futility. Verse 21. Bondage of corruption. When God created the world, the universe, what he said after he made it. He looked at it and said it's what it's good to stay good. What was good experienced a fall, sin was introduced because a serpent, Satan enticed the humans the first humans to disobey God and Paul put it in Romans five by one man sin entered the world, and death through sin and death spread to all men because all of sin not. That's not creation's fault that was Adam's fault, but the creation was subjected to futility to emptiness to the curse and pulses, it groans the bondage. Verse 21 of corruption. One of the most plain examples of this is in physics in the second law of thermodynamics which is entropy that into an isolated system energy is lost over time that that things don't stay in their constant state that they deteriorate. They did generate over time that we experience that daily daily. We look in the mirror entropy it's happening all around us, second law of thermodynamics.

It's an action.

We are now subjected to futility.

Verse 23 and not only they but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption.

The redemption of our body. So we have been given a foretaste when he calls her the firstfruits of foretaste sets out the new living translation. I think what's it of foretaste a preview of coming attractions all up.

All I can say is I still remember and I still experience what it was like to come into a relationship with Christ. It was real it was transformative. It was awesome. It's all I could think about, and the Holy Spirit did that he was giving me a foretaste of what heaven is going to be like now I see through a glass darkly, but I tasted and one of the reasons I keep going. Why I am motivated to keep going is because I've tasted it. I know what it tastes like. So I grew up on hamburger helper. My mom loved that because you could just whip it up really quickly notes in a box and and so I pretty much lived off of that for years, but then I remember when my parents took me to dinner and I had steak and lobster. You know how hard it was to go back and eat hamburger helper as I've tasted something different so if somebody says, you know, heaven is all the steak and lobster you can eat really what I know. That's like I tasted it so awesome. I'm not saying it is, but you going snack. No, I hope you are doing that.

But anyway so we we have a taste we been given the firstfruits of the Spirit. Think of it this way firstfruits member. The 12 spies were sent into the land of Canaan and they got through the land right. Big big big huge bunch of grapes at a couple guys carry between the shoulders. They brought it back to the camp of Israel and said this is the land flowing with milk and honey we've tasted it and here's the firstfruits. Well, that means when we get into the land that are working a hat. We need that stuff and enjoy that stuff.

So what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer in that experience initially and in an ongoing way is lets us give a foretaste of what heaven is going to be like we tasted were waiting for the full adoption so it says verse 23 we ourselves groan eagerly waiting for the adoption. The redemption of our products. In other words, we been adopted into the family, but the full reward of the adoption is a whole new body a resurrected body. That's the idea of the first 11. You will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you member help Paul in second Corinthians 5 describe death. He said if our earthly bodies.

These tense or if our earthly tent. These bodies are destroyed, we have a building building from God, made without hands, eternal in the heavens and right after that he said we groan for that we tasted and now we are going for the full adoption the transformation even of our physical body because he is put eternity in our hearts so verse 24.

For we were saved.

In this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope for. Why does one still hope for what he sees if it's been given to you and you see it you have to hope for it. Yours, but if we hope for what we do not see then we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps our weaknesses.

For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the spirit is because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. So far, and what we have read. There are three groanings did you did you notice him creation groans creation is waiting for the curse to be lifted. We grown believers groan and more so as we get older specimen were promised a brand-new body get up in the morning all you have to do all day long for some of us we grown we long for. We hope for and now we have the Holy Spirit groaning. I just want you to notice all those groaning Paul kind of repeats that theme and he says the spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Is that mean exactly. While I'm looking at the time and on his give you a little bit of a shot at this and see how far I get number one, it could refer to the Holy Spirit's groanings. That's how some interpret that the Holy Spirit makes some form of inarticulate grown in her Trinitarian communication. The Holy Spirit communicating to the father the son while we don't know what we should pray for as we ought to God certainly knows what we need so we might pray. But the Holy Spirit will interpret that correctly according to the will of God.

So here's an example.

Paul said I prayed three times that I might have my thorn in the flesh taken away member that second growth in chapter 12 passage about a thorn in the flesh is a messenger. Satan always rubs buffets me. I pray for that three times.

He didn't get what he prayed for. Finally said the Lord told me, my grace is enough for you on many give you the ability to handle the thorn in the flesh, you can get perseverance again to get patients, you can get endurance so Paul is saying, Lord, I pray for the removal of the thorn in the flesh. The Holy Spirit says to the father, nor would Paul just prayed father, don't deliver him from the thorn giving him the ability to trust you so that he won't depend on himself. I remember when I prayed for a new car as a kid or a car. Now I was thinking completely different from what I got. I was a new believer.

I prayed, I was saving up. I had something in mind what I ended up getting for $47 from my brother was a car which second beard did not work in it. At first, third, in reverse, it was bond out so just kind of beat up and spray-painted and bond owed and it was an eyesore was the neighborhood eyesore, but it did get me around and it was a lesson in humility. So I'm Lord I'm praying for that.

I know I would never pray for a Pinto so I I'm I pray for like a Camaro or a Mustang and got to know the Holy Spirit is a father give him that old gray beater that his brother has that's perfect for Skip's first car. It could mean that it could mean that it's the Holy Spirit's groaning to the father. That's one possibility. Here's another possibility he could be my groaning. The new English Bible translates it with that in mind, it says through our inarticulate groans.

He could be referring possibly to what Paul will mention in Corinthians, when he talks about praying in the spirit. What we would call the gift of tongues that part of that is that it is that our language is is is a direct link our prayer language are our ability to communicate directly from our spirit to God spirit so you know that language is a patch right it's an agreement it's a covenant. The covenant that you and I share together is called English. There are other languages, of course, but you and I we don't have that agreement. We don't have that pact to that covenant but if we did, we could do this and in a multilingual way we could go all sorts of different language. I suppose heaven will be be that way, but we have a very narrow packed.

If in English I were to say the word low, it means the opposite of high but if your Hebrew speaker and I say the word low, it means the opposite of yes yes in Hebrew is can know in Hebrews low risk. Is this a different packed so if I say hello to you.

You go down there by say to Hebrew low they're going know why different packed different covenant different understanding. So let's say I have an understanding with you that a code to come up with their own language. So I'm to see you after church and I'm an essay also was jazz away as and when I say as a was a jazz away is it to you. That will mean let's go and find a restaurant and sit down to have a meal. Nobody else will know that so I say as a was a jazz was you and then your response will be surface Mirtha Skala Rex flex which means you know the governor hasn't allowed restaurants to be open, so just throw that out the window, but when it does open will go, but you're buying Greg means all that he does it mean that. So I say as it was a jazz wet surface, Mirtha Skala, Rex flex. Now we have come up with a whole different way of communication. Nobody gets it but we do right. Do you know that in the spirit you and I are afforded a means away to communicate to God that bypasses our intellect is one of the reasons people don't like praying in the spirit because they don't understand it. Paul said, my understanding is unfruitful. When I pray in tongues pray in the spirit.

My understand can understand it. Nobody can understand unless there's a gift of interpretation. But it's a means by which your spirit can directly communicate according to the will of God amazing so it could mean the Holy Spirit will interpret it or it could mean we, through our do that pact that spiritual prayer language called the gift of tongues is how the Holy Spirit does the groanings we have a couple different interpretations, but it says verse 27 he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the spirit is because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God and verse 28 is just so rich right it's one of your favorite verses that if I registered go over it and close the chapter, which even I couldn't. I'm over time as it is would do injustice to it. So I did make it through chapter. Nice try Leah took a stab at it and we know that the problem is me. So we we learned a lot… Message the series expound use to share how you can keep these teachings coming to well-connected others to the Lord. The Bible tells us that every day draws us closer to the return of Jesus. One day the Lord will return and that means our time to reach others with the gospel is urgent. People need to hear the good news that changed your life and mine. So today I'm asking for your help to reach more people around the world with these teachings from God's word. Here's how you can partner with this ministry to make that happen. Visit connect with.com/donate to give your gift today that's connect with.com/donate or call 800-922-1888. Again, that's 800-922-1888 coming up tomorrow Skip Heitzig six years while your weary and anxious heart can rest on the promise of Romans 828 when you look within gets worse as you see all of the corruption around you. And if you're honest realize I have the same capacities. Do any of those things that I am distressed about that I hear about an when I look to Jesus, then and only then my