ROMANS 8 YOUR BENEFITS IN CHRIST2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Romans 8 Your Benefits In Christ

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. This morning as we look at Romans chapter 8.

I was thinking about Pastor George and him recently getting a job at Best Buy. Now, recent is somewhat relative. He's been working there for a little bit now, but it's still fairly new to us. And I've been overhearing lots of conversations since he got that job. And usually the first question that is asked when people find out George got a job at Best Buy, first question, you know what it is? Do you

Do you get a discount? Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's the very first question. And it's a subject of conversation to a great degree. In fact, George didn't know I was going to share that this morning. But even before I had an opportunity to share, he was talking to me and he said, guess what? I got this incredible discount. And he was sharing about this awesome discount he got on a vacuum that...

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that kind of regard, that is the benefits that we have in Christ. And as a member of the body of Christ, as one who has been born again, Paul here in Romans chapter 8 goes to some great highlights of the benefits that we have and what we have because we are part of Christ and have believed in Jesus Christ. And so I was also thinking about it

like the conference I went to last month for work. And so I had the badge that came with the conference and that badge gave me my meals each day and access to the different places I needed access to and snacks, the different places that were offering snacks and different things that were opened to me because I had the badge, because I was a member of that conference in a similar way.

This morning, I'd like to remind you that you are a member of the body of Christ. You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, have some incredible benefits. And we know about these benefits, but you know, sometimes we don't take advantage and we don't walk in these things, even though...

theologically we know them to be true. But this morning I would encourage you as you look and consider these benefits that Paul talks about in Romans chapter 8, that you would also seek to apply them, that you would seek to live them, that they would be fully developed and in play in your life.

The book of Romans is a book about the gospel message. And Paul, point by point, he builds up very carefully the whole doctrine of salvation. And as he gets to Romans chapter 8, it's really the culmination

As he's dealt with justification by faith, as he's dealt with the need for every one of us to be saved because we're all sinful, as he's dealt with in chapter 7, the struggle of sin that continues even after we've believed in Jesus and been set free and justified. And so then he runs into now Romans chapter 8, and he talks about life in the Spirit and

And it's through the Holy Spirit that we have access to these amazing benefits from God. And so we want to look at these things and consider them, again, not just so that we understand the truths, but that we would be able to live according to the benefits that he offers to us. And can you imagine, you know, if Pastor George, you know, continued to shop without the discount that he gets? It's his right as an employee, but if he chose to, he could just shop without that.

and not get those discounts, you know? At the conference, I could pay for my own lunch instead of being provided lunch. And sometimes we do that as believers. We miss out on the benefits, not because God's not giving them,

but because we're not receiving them and walking in them. And so I would encourage you this morning to consider your heart. Are you receiving the benefits that are yours, rightfully yours as a believer in Jesus Christ? Well, the first benefit we'll consider is found in verses one through 11. I'll put it this way. Your benefit in Christ is a get out of condemnation free card. You have the benefit as a believer in Jesus Christ, right?

Now, of course, this is a callback to Monopoly. You know, some of you maybe have played that. And you have the get out of jail free card. As you go around the board periodically from time to time, you get in jail and it's going to cost you turns or it's going to cost you money to get out of jail unless you have this get out of jail free card. And if you get out of jail free, you know, I mean, you get in jail, you play the card and then boom, you're out free and it didn't cost you anything and you didn't lose any turns. In a similar way,

You and I as believers in Jesus Christ are given this card, given this opportunity to have no condemnation. Check out verse 1 of Romans chapter 8. It says, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Paul begins the chapter here saying, there is therefore now no condemnation.

Therefore, connecting it back to chapter 7 where he's just been talking about the struggle with his own flesh. How he is a believer. He's justified. He has access to God and all of that, right? Standing with God. But he's like, it's so weird because I still fall into sin sometimes.

And I do things I don't want to do. And the things that I do want to do, I can't figure out how to get those things done. And there's this struggle. There's this wrestling. And there's this continual issue of weakness in his life. But because of the work of Jesus Christ, he says, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because of the work of Christ, now it brings us to verse 1. There is no condemnation. Even though, Paul says, I still fall short. Even though I still struggle with sin. Even though I try really hard to measure up and live the life that I'm called to live and I don't quite make it. Even though I still fall short, Paul says, I am not condemned. There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

That word condemned, it speaks of the judgment, of the damnation that is due for those who miss the mark, for those who fall short of the glory of God. They will experience the wrath of God in condemnation. That is what condemnation is all about. Now, it's important to note the distinction between condemnation and conviction. You and I as believers know

God says there is no condemnation for us. But we do experience conviction, and sometimes we can get those confused. Conviction is that guilt over our failures and our weaknesses, but not in a way that pushes us away from God. Condemnation pushes us away from God. It's a pushing away from, a fleeing from, a removal from the presence of God. But conviction is that

of repentance, that it's that conviction of guilt over sin, which causes me to come to God for forgiveness. And so there is a difference. And we do experience conviction as believers because, well, like Paul explained in chapter 7, we still fall short and we struggle. And there is this wrestling back and forth. There is also correction for us as believers, and that's not condemnation.

Hebrews tells us that God disciplines the ones that he loves. And so we do experience God's correction because he loves us. Condemnation is the wrath of God. And so it's different than conviction and correction. It's a sentence of judgment that is put upon somebody. And what Paul is saying here is you as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are completely free from

from the possibility of being judged for your sin. Even though you fall short, even though you don't measure up, even though you mess up, you are completely free of the possibility of being judged for your sin. God has placed that punishment, that judgment upon Jesus Christ. In verse two, Paul says, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. On account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Paul goes on to explain the law wasn't sufficient. It was

because of the weakness of our flesh that it was not able to give us eternal life. The law is perfect and we're not. And so we fall short in the law in two regards. We fall short in that we do things that the law forbids, we do things that God forbids, and we don't do things that God commands. So there are some things he says, don't do that, and we still do that.

And we fall short of the law in that way. And under the law, we're bound now to sin and death. And we deserve all the condemnation. We deserve all the judgment and the wrath because we do the things that God says don't do that. But then you have the areas where God says, do this, and we don't do that. We don't measure up. We don't live up to that standard that he has set. And because we fall short, we deserve all the condemnation, all the judgment, all the wrath. But we're under a new law.

It's the law of the spirit of life, he says. And the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from that law. So even though we do what we're not supposed to do and we don't do the things that we are supposed to do, Christ has taken care of that.

so that the punishment for my disobedience has been paid for by Jesus Christ upon the cross. And where I fall short and don't measure up to the righteousness that's required, well, he's granted to me his righteousness, so that I have right standing with God in both regards. Now, if I just received forgiveness from the Lord, but not righteousness, then I would still be condemned, right?

Because although my sins are forgiven, I still haven't measured up to the righteous standard that God has set for us. But here Paul's explaining there's no condemnation for us in Christ Jesus because the price of sin has been paid for. The punishment has been meted out upon Jesus for those who believe in him. And the righteousness of Jesus is accredited to your account so that you stand as a believer in Jesus, as righteous as Jesus before God.

So there's no condemnation for you because you're as righteous as Jesus and you've never sinned because you've believed in Jesus Christ. He goes on in verses five through eight to talk about the contrast, those who are in the flesh. He says in verse five, for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit,

For to be carnally minded is death, but 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, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Paul then kind of takes a little side note here to talk about those who are not in Christ. And those who are not in Christ, there is condemnation.

He says in verse 8, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Now, as he talks about being in the flesh in these verses, I would encourage you to not think of it so much as individual moments or actions. Sometimes we talk about being in the flesh that way, right? Like I woke up and I, you know, yelled at my wife because I was in the flesh. You know, it's like I'm talking about that specific moment. But that's not how Paul is using this. He's talking about a life that is lived in the flesh. He's talking about a lifestyle of disobedience to God and departure from God. And so

He's speaking more broadly than sometimes we use the term. Those who are in the flesh, those who are not born again, those who are not walking with God by faith in Jesus Christ, he says they cannot please God. There's nothing they can do. There's nothing you or I could do in our own efforts. We could try really hard and work really hard and be really disciplined and try to be good, but we would still be deserving of condemnation.

We would deserve all the judgment, all the wrath, because we cannot please God with our efforts, with anything that we have to offer. Now, Paul brings this up mainly to say this, but that's not you.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, that's not you. Verse 9. Verse 11. Verse 12.

But if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. And so Paul brings up the person in the flesh to say, but that's not you. So understand the difference. Understand the contrast. You are not in the flesh. The person in the flesh cannot please God, but you're not in the flesh.

Because you have the Spirit of God. Now he does do a little point here. If you don't have the Spirit of God, you're not in Christ Jesus. You're not born again. But those who have believed in Jesus, you have been born again. You do have the Holy Spirit. It's not a matter of whether you feel like it or feel it or not. It's not a matter of your perspective. It's a matter of the reality. When you are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit. And that means that Christ is in you.

Paul says that means the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. And it also means in verse 11 that because the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead is in you, you also will be raised. Your mortal bodies through his spirit will be raised. And so you will have the resurrection and life because the Holy Spirit dwells in you.

And so Paul goes through all of this to make this point. You have no condemnation in Christ Jesus because you're not in the flesh. If you were in the flesh, there's no hope of pleasing God. But guess what? You stand in a place where God is pleased with you. I wish I could like force through all the barriers and resistance and confusion that sometimes exists in all of our minds and just implant this truth like broadly in neon lights and

God is pleased with you. There is no condemnation left for you. You're going to be resurrected and you have no need to fear that the wrath of God is going to be poured out upon you as a believer in Jesus Christ. That's the reality. That's the truth of the gospel message. Now, if that's the case, you could wonder, why do I feel so condemned? And this is why it's so important that we understand this truth. We all know this verse, but

But there are so many times that we as believers live under condemnation. Even though there is no condemnation, we live according to the idea that there is condemnation. And sometimes that's because we get confused about conviction. And we think it means that God is wrathful towards us. But that's not what it means. We get confused about correction.

And we think that God is angry and suffering happens in our lives. And we think that it's the wrath of God being poured out. Why do we feel so condemned? Because we're confused. You stand as a believer in Jesus Christ. You stand in a position where God is pleased with you. And there is no wrath for you at all.

Because you have believed in Jesus Christ. Now the enemy comes along with our confusion. He comes along with our own feelings of guilt and the things that happen in our own minds. And he wants to bring that weight heavier and convince you that there is condemnation for you. And in that case, that's why I want to say, use your get out of condemnation free card. Pull up Romans chapter 8 verse 1 and remind yourself. If you're feeling condemnation, here's the one thing you can know for sure.

If you're feeling condemnation, it's not from God. If you're feeling that push away from God, it's not from God. If you're feeling like God wants nothing to do with you, that's not from God.

If you're feeling like God's fed up with you, that's not from God. If you're feeling like God's given up on you, that's not from God. If you're feeling condemnation, it's from your own heart, your own imagination, your own mind, the enemy, or a variety of other sources, but it's not from God. And although you feel that way, you need to pull out your card and say, look, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. And I can stop feeling this way.

I don't have to live under this burden, under this weight, under this guilt. I don't have to live under this because I believe in Jesus Christ. The Apostle John tells us something similar in 1 John 3. In verse 19, he says, "'And by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.'"

I love how John regularly tells us, this is how you can know. This is how, and he gives us very clear ways to grasp hold of these realities. Here's how you can know that you're of the truth. Here's how you can know, and you can assure your hearts before him. Now he's talking about the love for one another and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

He says, as you see that work, as you see God working in your life, then you can know and you can assure your hearts. Now, why does he talk about assuring your hearts? Because John knew what it was like for us. He experienced it just like we do. Even as those who have walked with the Lord for many years, we need that assurance in our hearts. There is the feelings of condemnation that come, the confliction, the questioning, even the wondering and doubts like,

Is this because of God's wrath in my life? Is this judgment for sin? Is this because of, you know, God feeling this way? And we wrestle with those things. But John says, look, you can assure your hearts. And notice he says in verse 20, if our heart condemns us, because sometimes it's our hearts, it's our own hearts that condemn us. It's not God, because there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And so John says, look, God is greater than our hearts.

Your heart and how you feel about it is not the measurement. It's not the standard. You know what really matters? What God says. He's the highest authority. He's the highest standard. And what he says for you as a believer in Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation for you. And if you feel condemned, it's not from God. Now we do fall short and we do mess up. And Paul again addressed that in Romans chapter seven. And so you need to understand that it's a process. God's at work.

He'll finish the work. We'll talk about that. Don't look at individual instances of failure and think it must not be working. God must be fed up or upset. Sanctification is a process that includes victories and it includes defeats. And the main thing is don't quit because God hasn't quit on you. He hasn't given up on you and he's not ready to condemn you. Be set free. Pull out your card. Don't sit and put yourself on timeout. I got to sit in jail because I feel condemned.

So I can't go to church for three weeks because I messed up really bad. I can't read the Bible for this long. I can't ask God for anything for this long. You know, you put yourself on time out because, well, I need to be in jail because I really did some bad stuff. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God is pleased with you. Be set free from all of those burdens, from all of those weights, from anything that would push you or hinder you.

from walking with God, from trusting God, from crying out to God. I like what Thomas Constable, the commentator, says about this. He says, a Christian must believe that he or she has permanent acceptance with God before that one will grow much in grace and godliness. You must believe that you have permanent acceptance.

So that you come to God no matter what. So that you call out to God and cry out to God and walk with God and serve God no matter what. You have permanent acceptance. Nothing is changing that. You have no condemnation as a believer in Jesus Christ. And when you really accept that, when you grasp hold of that truth, you will grow much because you'll be spending time with God. That's the ultimate need. You see, what we need most is time with God, right?

And so the enemy loves to use this tool of condemnation to keep us from God, to keep us from what we need most. Being apart from God, it's not punishment from God. He doesn't put us on timeout and say, I don't want, I'm fed up with you. You go sit in the corner. You don't ask me anything again. If I have to come out here one more time, he's not like that at all. There is therefore now no condemnation. God is pleased with you. He knows you failed. That's why he died.

That's why he sent his only begotten son. I want to encourage you this morning to make sure you grasp hold of this truth and use your get out of condemnation free card because you are set free from that. That's your benefit in Christ. There is not one day, one hour, one moment where it's appropriate for you to feel condemned because God does not condemn you.

Well, moving on to verses 12 through 17, we have our second benefit as we talk about being free from condemnation. We also then have, because we're free from condemnation, we have VIP access to the Father. VIP, very important person. Listen, as far as God is concerned, that is an accurate title for you. You are a VIP.

And he grants you, as a very important person, he grants you special access to himself. Check out verse 12. He says, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. 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 as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

Paul says, look, you're not of the flesh. If you're in the flesh, you can't please God, but you're not in the flesh. You're in the spirit. And by the spirit, you're being sanctified. You're putting to death those things. You still fail. You still fall short, but you're growing. You're putting those things to death. God's developing you. And so the Holy Spirit's at work in your life. And you know what that means? Paul says in verse 14, that means that you are a child of God. You're a son of God. You're a daughter of God.

The Holy Spirit is leading you. Now again, as he talks about being led by the Spirit, I would encourage you, don't think of this as one moment, one instant. Sometimes we would talk about it that way, right? You know, yeah, I was in this situation and the Holy Spirit led me to say these words. And we're looking at, you know, that particular moment and the Holy Spirit's leading. But Paul's speaking more generally. If the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, he says, if he is leading you in your life, generally speaking, you know what that means? He's

It means you are a son of God, a daughter of God. You're a child of God. That's your position, no matter how you feel about it. Because there are many days that we don't feel like we're led by the Spirit. There's many days that we don't feel like a child of God. But that's your position, whether you feel that way or not. John tells us in John 1, verse 12,

Anybody who receives Jesus, it is your right to be a child of God. It's your right. That's your position. Whether you feel that way or not, that's beside the point. The reality is, the truth is, you have believed in Jesus, so you are a child of God. That's your position.

And even on days where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, even on weeks where you, you know, haven't been spending time in the Word or messing up completely and really making, you know, bad decisions. Children can make bad decisions. In fact, children often do. Parents will tell you that real quickly, right? It doesn't change the reality. You're a child of God because you've made bad decisions, because you've messed up, because you've fallen short. No, it doesn't change that.

You are his child. In verse 15, he goes on to say, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. Now, this is very important truth here. You didn't receive the spirit of bondage to fear so that you have to be afraid of God and distant from God and far from God and hiding lest God, you know, smite you in his wrath.

You receive the spirit of adoption. You have been adopted as a child of God. And adoption is, it's not just a nice word that Paul uses to kind of, you know, lightly illustrate the point. Adoption is something firmly established in the scriptures as far as our relationship to the Lord. And that is that we have legal rights, right?

as members of the family. That's what happens with adoption. There's a transferring of family. And now there's rights that are associated. There's an inheritance that's associated. You are now regarded completely and totally as a member of that family. So much so, he says, that we're able to call out Abba, Father. We can call out to our Father.

Because we are born again. Because we're children of God. And not children of God just in the sense that he created all of us. But we've believed in Jesus. And we've been given the right. We've been adopted into his family. We are his children. And so we can call out to him, Abba, Father. Now, that word Abba, it's a word that is, it means father. But it's kind of a nickname for father.

It's more of an intimate term like papa or daddy. It's more of a familiar term. And so the idea here is not that, you know, you have access to speak from a great distance away in a very formal manner to the man upstairs. No, no. You have access to your daddy, to your papa, to

I don't know if you had a nickname for your dad growing up, but you have access in that way, that familiar way, that intimacy way, that you're able to come and say, hey, dad,

Here's where I'm at. This is what I'm going through. I messed up this way. I had this accomplishment and this victory. I went through this or I'm going through that or hey, how's it going? What do you want to say to me? And it's that freedom of access, that intimacy that we can have. This idea of crying out Abba Father is huge because it speaks of that real personal relationship that the Heavenly Father wants with you and offers to you and is your right to

Now, again, when you don't have this kind of relationship, when you have this very distant relationship from God, very formal, you know, very, I can't approach God with that. No, no, that would be improper and impolite. And, you know, that's not God closing you off. You must stay behind the line. You know, that's not, God's not that way. Sometimes we operate in that condition. We limit our access to God. God doesn't limit our access to him, but we limit ourselves, right?

You have VIP access to the Father. Check this out. Verse 16 and 17 will go on to tell us just as much access as Jesus has, you have. Verse 16, the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.

Paul goes on to say, look, I'm not just using terms just to kind of sound good, adoption. Yeah, you're a child of God now. Doesn't that sound good? No, no, but that is the actual reality. There's meaning to that. There's significance to it. The Holy Spirit within you bears witness that you are a child of God. And guess what? If you're a child, that means that you are an heir, that you are owed an inheritance, a share of the inheritance. You are now a rightful heir to God.

of the heavenly father as a believer in Jesus Christ. And Paul says, you know who else is an heir? Christ, the only begotten son of God, who became man to die upon the cross for our sins. He's the heir of God. And you and I have been granted by adoption to be co-heirs with Christ so that his future is

is permanently linked now with ours, and our future is permanently linked with his, and his rights are the same as our rights. Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying we're going to be God in the same sense that Jesus is God, but understand that Jesus, as he became a man, he identified with us in such a way that he says, look, my eternity is going to be your eternity,

My status is going to be your status. My access to the Father is going to be your access to the Father. And so we suffer with him, Paul says, in this life, that we may be glorified together. And our eternity is linked now to Jesus Christ. And we will experience the same eternity that Jesus experiences because we are joint heirs with Christ. We are the children of God. We have the same access to the Father now.

as Jesus does. Now think about Jesus. What kind of access to the Father do you think Jesus has? Do you think Jesus has to make an appointment? He doesn't talk to the Father directly. He talks to the secretary. Hey, Father Secretary, I need to talk with the Father. Yeah, Dave Burns has been getting in trouble. I need to talk with him about it. You have time maybe like three weeks from now on a Tuesday? Oh no, it's not good. How about Thursday? Okay, next month. Okay, good. Perfect. All right. We'll talk about Dave Burns then. You think that's the kind of access that Jesus has to the Father? No.

No, he has full, unfettered access. You think there's anything that Jesus can't talk to the Father about? The angels kind of warned Jesus. He remembered Jesus. He kind of got upset last time you brought up Trump, so don't bring up Trump when you go in there this time, okay? Because that's going to be an issue. There's no limit. Complete, full access. That's what Jesus has to the Father. It's the same access that you have.

You don't have to make an appointment. You don't have to wait. You don't have to put yourself on timeout. You can come in after three days because you sinned so terribly. You have full access to enter into the presence of God, to call out to God at any time with any issue, with any concern, with whatever might be happening in your mind, in your heart. You have full access to God. You are a very important person to him, as important as Christ. And so he invites you to come in. Dave Guzik says, it's easy for us.

to see Jesus relating to the Father with this joyful confidence, but we may see ourselves as disqualified for it. However, remember that we are in Christ. We have the privilege of relating to the Father even as Jesus Christ does. You have the same access to the Father that Jesus does. And when you enter into the presence of the Father, he sees you in Christ with all of his righteousness and none of your failures.

You have full access to God. Mark tells us in Mark chapter 14, as he records for us the account of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, in that final prayer before he goes to the cross. And you know the prayer, you know, he calls out, Lord, if there's any possibility of salvation any other way, take this cup from me. But not what I will, but you will. In that prayer, Mark records a little detail that's interesting. In Mark 14, 36, Jesus says, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

He addresses his prayer to Abba Father because he has the same spirit that you have and I have. And we have the same access to God. We can approach God with any need, any concern, any difficulty, any victory, whatever, anywhere, anytime. You're a very important person. You come knocking, the doors open. God hears you. He listens to you. You have the same access to the Father as Jesus has.

That's a great benefit that we have in Christ, but there's more. Verses 18 through 30 give us point number three, and this is glorious retirement plan. You have this incredible benefit. Your retirement plan, well, what your employer offers might be great, it might not be great, it might be nothing, but what God offers is a glorious retirement plan. Verse 18 says,

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. Paul is talking about the sufferings of this life and the things that we go through, but he says, look, it doesn't compare as I look ahead to the glory which shall be revealed. There's a glory in retirement. Now, as I talk about retirement, I'm talking about not a cease from occupation, but I'm talking about moving from this life into the next life.

Moving into eternity. Last Sunday, we had the privilege to participate with Alfredo in the service, the funeral service for his mom. Many of you remember Alfredo. He was our worship leader here for many years. And on July 4th, his mom went to be with the Lord. And so we had the service on Sunday. We went out there and spent some time with them and

You know, of course, it was a funeral, and so there's sorrow, and that's part of the service. That's part of the processing of the death of a loved one. But at the same time, we were able to stop and reflect and consider the reality that she is now in the presence of Jesus, and there's no more tears. There's no more sorrows. There's no more sickness. There's glory. She's in the presence of glory now.

It's awesome for us as believers to have this reality, this truth that this life, it's going to have some ups and downs. It's going to have some great and glorious things, but it's also going to have some setbacks, some difficulties, some trials. But this is all temporary. And what God has in store for us for eternity, Paul says, look, it doesn't even, it's not worthy to be compared. The worst things that you can suffer in this life, don't even compare to

to the glory that will be revealed in you. I mean, if you're thinking about the spectrum, right? You go to this end, like the worst thing you could ever experience in this life. And you might define that differently than somebody else. But even if you experience that, it's not like it's on the opposite side of the spectrum where it's like the same distance, but just on the other side. It's like 300 miles that way. It's like, it doesn't even compare. It's going to cost you a dollar, but it's going to be worth $3 million.

It doesn't compare, right? That's what Paul is saying. The sufferings of this life, they're real and they hurt and they're hard and not diminishing that. But the glories of the next life will far, they're going to be so far above. It's not even worth being compared, he says. You can't compare. They're just so much greater than whatever suffering we experience in this life.

It's so glorious, in fact, that all of creation is excited about and waiting for the revelation of the glory that God has for you. 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. Paul says, look, look around you, the rocks and the trees and the mountains and everything

All of creation and in all of its beauty, but it's so limited compared to what it wants to be and what it once was. And all of creation is anxiously waiting for the glory that will be revealed in Harvey. Because it's going to be so glorious that all of creation will experience the glory of Harvey. All of creation will experience the glory that is revealed when God brings to completion his work.

And so what God has in store for you, the whole world, all of the physical creation, it's living in anticipation. He gives this picture of it groaning with labors and birth pains. It's like, come on already. Let's do this. We want to see this glory. Right now we live in a fallen world and you compare what we live in to what the Bible describes as the millennium when the earth is restored and on into eternity. I mean, there's glories that God has in store for this earth, right?

but it's contingent upon, it's predicated upon the glories that God will reveal in you. All creation will be restored when Jesus reigns and creation is longing for that day that you experience glory

The glory that God has in store for you. Verse 23. Verse 25.

So all of creation groans and Paul says, and we groan too because we have the Holy Spirit within us. We have a taste, a little snippet of understanding of what it's going to be like when we experience the redemption of this body. So as you talk about the glorious retirement plan, here's the first thing on that list, a new body.

A spiritual body that doesn't break down, that never hurts, that doesn't ache, that doesn't run out of energy, that doesn't sin. You have in store for you in this glorious retirement plan a brand new, amazing, incredible body that God has prepared for you. Instead of Richard Bueno, it's going to be the Richard Bueno 3000. You know, they're going to be the best version of Richard you've ever seen in your whole life. Better looking than he's ever been. Stronger, faster, more

A new body waits for you in this glorious retirement plan. Not only that, verse 26, likewise the Spirit also helps in 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. Here's another aspect to this glorious retirement plan, the will of God.

Doesn't that sound glorious? Now, maybe it doesn't sound glorious because you don't really understand the will of God, but here's what you need to understand about the will of God. God wants what is best for you. And you might think, well, I don't know. I mean, I've been asking God for some stuff and he hasn't been giving it to me. So I don't know if he wants what's best for me. No, no. Here's what you got to understand. God wants what's best for you and he knows what's best for you from the eternal perspective.

There are things that we are convinced are best for us, but they're not actually what's best for us. We're like little children just asking to eat candy and ice cream all day. You know, that might taste good, but it's not what's best for you.

God knowing better, he knows what's best for us. In eternity, guess what? You're going to experience the full will of God, which is God executing towards you all the things that are best for you and good and beneficial and pleasant and wonderful and awesome. That's why Paul says, look, eye is not seen, ear is not heard. You

What God has in store for us is exceedingly abundant beyond whatever we could ask or think. And I'm sure you could ask or think for a lot. But what God has in store for you is far superior to that. And so what Paul's saying here is the Holy Spirit is helping you. He's praying according to the will of God. So that, well, when you're praying for those dumb things that you don't really need and are not really good for you, the Holy Spirit is saying, okay, Father, what Gabe really means is this. He's fixing our prayers, right?

He's interceding on our behalf. He is seeking for God's will to be fulfilled and realized in our lives, that we experience the best that life and eternity has to offer. You, as a believer in Jesus Christ, have this incredible benefit of the glory in eternity because of the work of the Holy Spirit praying for you continually, without ceasing, for the will of God.

to be fulfilled and unfolded in your life. Verse 28, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. He goes on to talk about this glorious eternity and say, look, everything will have been for good. This is a verse we quote a lot and hold on to. It's a great promise. This retirement plan, this eternity that God has in store for you, it's going to be glorious because, well, you'll be able to look back and see everything

Somehow, someway, miraculously, God has been able to use everything in your life to accomplish good for you. And it's to your benefit. And as hard as that is for us to understand, we'll be able to look back in eternity and say, thank you, God. That was the right thing to do. You were so good to me. I wouldn't have known that. I didn't think that. I thought you were angry with me.

But that was the right thing to do. We'll be able to appreciate what God has done because he's worked it all together for good. Now, this is all connected to verse 18. Even the sufferings that we experience, God has promised it will be for good. There will be nothing where you look back in eternity and say, you know, that wasn't really worth it, Lord. You know, I wish you would have done it a different way. Nothing, everything will be accomplished for your good.

Well, we'll also be glorious in our retirement because we're going to be like Jesus. Verse 29. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. Whom he justified, these he also glorified. This eternity is going to be glorious because...

Well, you're going to be like Jesus. He says, whom he foreknew, the people he knew ahead of time, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Believers in Jesus Christ, God knew who you were ahead of time, before you ever chose. And he has determined ahead of time, he's going to make you like Jesus. That's his plan. That's his purpose. So that Jesus is the firstborn of many brethren.

There's many men and women who are just like Jesus in eternity. And so he says, the ones he predestined, he also called. And the ones he called, he justified. And the ones he justified, he also glorified. Now understand, believer, Paul's talking about you. You're going to be like Jesus. It's not a question of whether or not it's going to happen. The only question is when. When will you enter into eternity? When will that work be complete and you can enter into eternity and

Be conformed into the image of Jesus. God has his plan. He knows exactly what's needed. He's working out that plan so that you enter into eternity and you're going to have the heart of Christ, the nature of Christ, the mind of Christ. You're going to be like Jesus. You're going to be glorified along with Jesus. Your future glory is so certain and so sure that

God is speaking of it here in past tense. He said, whom he justified these, he also glorified. Now, maybe you looked in the mirror this morning and thought, yeah, I'm glorified. From this perspective, I would just tell you, yeah, probably not yet.

But in eternity, you will be glorified. But you know, it's so certain. God's promise is so true. He speaks of it as past tense. You are glorified as far as God is concerned. He sees you in glory. He sees you as the completed work that you are in Christ Jesus. And that's why Paul says in Philippians 1.6, we can be confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

We can be confident. We can stake our eternity on this truth. God's begun a good work in you. Guess what? He's going to finish it. You and I might have a thousand unfinished projects all over our house and in our garage, you know. God doesn't have any unfinished projects, at least none that won't be finished. That's how we feel about ours too though, right? But many of ours won't actually be completed. But God, he doesn't start a project that he's not going to finish. That's what Paul says. He started a work in you. He's going to finish it.

He's going to bring it to completion. Right up until the day of the Lord, you're going to be crafted and molded by God. He's going to have his hand on your life. He's going to be preparing you for eternity. I like the way that Warren Wiersbe describes it very simply. He says, God's purpose is to make his children like his son, and he will succeed. Matter of fact, that's it. He will succeed in his plan to make you like his son. This is our benefit as a believer in Jesus Christ.

We have a glorious retirement plan offered to us by God. As we enter into eternity, we get a new body. We get to be like Jesus. We get to have everything worked out to our benefit. And more and more and on and on we could go. But we need to finish up here in Romans chapter eight. Here's the final benefit, verses 31 through 39. The fourth benefit. In Christ, you are a permanent recipient of God's love.

You are a permanent recipient of God's love. Verse 31, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Paul says, what shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? If this is your standing in Christ,

There's no condemnation. And you have full access to the Father and this glorious plan with this guaranteed of being like Jesus. Now, if all of this is the case, if God is for you to this degree and in this way, who can be against you? Who can thwart the plan of God in your life? Who can keep God from making you like Jesus and giving you the eternity that he wants for you? Who can stop? Who can be against you?

Now, the enemy, of course, tries. He tries to be against us. He can be against us in the sense that he's attempting to thwart the plan of God, but he cannot be against you in the sense that he succeeds. It's like shooting a tank with a BB gun. Like, you could try. You're not going to be very successful. You're not going to have a lot of victory. In the same way, who can be against you? God's on your side. This is how he feels about you.

This is your standing as far as he is concerned. And he loved you so much, he didn't even spare his own son, but gave him for you. He's gonna freely give you everything else you need. There's nobody who can thwart the plan of God in your life. Verse 33, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Verse 35,

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 your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Quoting there from Psalm chapter 44. Here's the point that Paul is making, and I'm summarizing very broadly because we're trying to finish on time. But here's the point. We do suffer. We experience heartache and hardship and difficulty and

And what you need to know is that doesn't mean that God has abandoned you. When you suffer, it's not because God doesn't love you. It's not because you've been separated from the love of God. You do suffer. We all do because we're in this life. We're not in the glorious retirement plan yet. In this life, there's going to be these things. But you need to hold on to and realize you are a permanent recipient of

of God's love. Verse 37, yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Even though we suffer and experience hardship and difficulty and attacks of the enemy and failures of our own weakness and flesh, in all these things, we are more than conquerors. We don't just kind of barely get by. We win by a landslide. It doesn't feel like we win by a landslide. Again, this is why

These truths are truths that we know, but we need to walk in them. And so many times we walk and we live in this position or where we feel like God maybe is not that happy with us. It doesn't feel like God loves me all the time, especially when I'm suffering. But you need to know that he does. And even in the midst of that, verse 38 says,

Paul says, I'm persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul says nothing.

And he gives a variety of ways to express that. Nothing, not this way, not that way, no way. No way that you could think of, no way imaginable. There is no possible way, no spiritual way, no physical way, no emotional way. There's nothing that can separate you. You are a permanent recipient of God's love. As a believer in Jesus Christ, there's no one who can take away God's love for you. No matter what they accuse you of, whether it's true or not,

No matter how bad you feel, no matter what attacks you experience, no matter how hard you suffer or how hard you hurt, it's not because you've been separated from God's love. You are a permanent recipient of the love of God. These are your benefits in Christ. I want to encourage you this morning, again, not to just know these truths, but make sure that you are living these

to the fullest extent of these realities that these are your rights, these are your benefits. Now again, Pastor George, he could shop at Best Buy without his discount if he wants to. And sometimes we do that as believers. We live in times of condemnation and we allow ourselves to be pushed down and burdened by guilt sometimes.

burdened by condemnation and pushed away from God and we keep ourselves on time out and we are convinced that God's upset with us and wants nothing to do with us and we walk and sometimes it's days or weeks or months or years that we live under that condemnation. I would encourage you this morning, pull out your card, get out of condemnation free. It doesn't cost you anything. You just have to believe God at his word. There is therefore now no condemnation for you. You are a believer in Jesus Christ.

and you have VIP access to the Father, just as important as Jesus is, God says you are. And yet there are a lot of times that we walk around not connecting to the Father, not asking Him for help, not looking to Him for strength, not calling out to Him, not running to Him, not celebrating with Him. We live our own separate world. Father, He's off from a distance watching us. You have VIP access. Don't miss out on this benefit.

You connect with the Father. Enter into the presence of God. Call out to Him. Bring every conversation to Him. Every hurt, every care, every concern. Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you. You have full access to the Father. And you have a glorious retirement plan. You know, sometimes it's easy for us to get caught up in this world and this life and we're limited in our perspective of this world. We make decisions that are not good decisions.

We go in directions, we behave certain ways, our attitude, because we're not realizing the eternity that God has in store. And sometimes we can get very depressed about this life, but there's so much more. God has so much more in store for you than just this life. There is a glorious retirement plan that will make this all worth it. No matter what we experience in this life, it will be all worth it because of what God has in store for you in eternity. And you're a permanent recipient of God's love.

Sometimes we walk around feeling that God doesn't love us, convinced that God's angry with us, he's not pleased with us. Stop it. That's not the truth. Don't believe the lies. Don't receive the condemnation. Walk in the reality that God loves you so much that he sent his only begotten son. And if he didn't withhold his own son, he's not gonna withhold anything else that you need. God will give you everything that you need

with the eternal perspective and knowing what's best for you, but he gives you everything that you need because he loves you so much. Let's pray. Lord, as we consider your word this morning and the great benefits that we have in you, I pray that you would help us to know these benefits, but Lord, to choose to live according to them. Lord, that's your desire. You don't want us

to have a limited exposure to these. You want us to have the full experience of no condemnation. You want us to have the full experience of all the love that you have for us. You want us to experience everything that you have for us. And it's exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think. And so God help us to not believe the lies that we're told, to not believe the lies that are in our own minds and hearts.

Help us, Lord, to really trust you at your word and to live out in the freedom and the love and the promises that you have for us. God, thank you for your goodness towards us. We're so unworthy and undeserving, but Lord, you give them. And you don't want us to put ourselves on time out and keep ourselves away from these benefits that you offer. Lord, you call us, you invite us, you command us.

to experience these things, to live according to them. And so God, I pray that you would help us. Throughout the day today, I pray that you would give us reminders that we would not live apart from these truths, not live outside of these benefits. And tomorrow and this week, as we go through the week, God, I pray that you would remind us when we feel condemned that there is no condemnation.

when we feel unloved, that you do love us. When we feel like there's no future and no hope, that you do have a plan and a purpose and we'll finish that in our lives. God, help us to live according to these truths, that it would transform our lives, Lord, that we wouldn't just know them in our minds, but that our lives would demonstrate the benefits that you offer to us. Thank you, God. And Lord, if there's anybody who is not experiencing these benefits because, well,

as Paul was describing, they're living the life of the flesh. They're not seeking you. They haven't called out to you. God, I pray that you would open their eyes, remove the blinders that the enemy has placed there, that there would be a clear understanding of your offer of salvation, your offer of forgiveness. It comes with a call to repentance, but it comes with such great benefits. It's worth it to turn from sin to grasp hold of you.

and receive what you did for us upon the cross. I pray, God, that you would help each one to make that decision, to make that choice, Lord, that you might give them exceedingly abundantly above all they could ever ask or think. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.