True Believers Yearn For Glory

Rom 8:23-25 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Introductory Thoughts

* We are in the middle of a long series of messages about the security of the believer.

* Romans 8 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible, and it is so often misunderstood. Since we have been looking at the book of Romans for over a year now, we need to re-orient ourselves and insure that we are all together in our understanding.

* Romans 1:1-15 introduced the letter, and in it, Paul makes some very strong statements about basic truth.

and insure that we are all together in our understanding.

* Romans 1:1-15 introduced the letter, and in it, Paul makes some very strong statements about Christ and about believers.

Rom 1:1-7 "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:

* In Romans 1:16-17, Paul gives his overall text for the message he is bringing.

Rom 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith.""

* In Romans 1:18, Paul gives us the first problem—man’s sin, and he makes the point from 1:18-3:20 that man cannot save himself.

Rom 1:18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,"

Rom 3:9-12 "…... For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.""

Rom 3:19-20 "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

* Beginning in 3:21, and continuing on until the end of chapter 11 is the next large division of the book, as Paul instructs us that only God can save man.

Rom 3:21 "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,"

Rom 3:28 "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."

* From 3:21 through the end of chapter 4, Paul explains the wonderful doctrines of salvation by grace alone and justification by faith alone.

* In chapter 5, Paul explores the peace with God that we have, the peace of God that we can attain, the place of the Cross in our salvation, and the ruin that sin has caused the race.





* In chapters 6 and 7, Paul meets some objections to grace salvation, and he makes plain that there is an ethical dimension to Biblical Christianity, that we cannot live just any way that we want to live and claim to be believers.

* And in the first part of chapter 8, we reassured that there is no condemnation for God’s people and we are given evidence we can evaluate to determine if we are really Sons of God, to discover if we are really saved. We also learned about the process of sanctification, where God molds us into His Sons.

Rom 8:1 "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."

Rom 8:13 "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."

* And now we are exploring the security of those true believers, the great inheritance that is ours, and just how secure that inheritance really is by the power of God.


Rom 8:17-18 "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. 18 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."

* Indeed, the impending glorification of believers in Christ is so momentous that even nature itself is said to be leaning forward, waiting anxiously, for that Day to arrive.


1. The Groans of A True Believer
Rom 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves…”

a. The Reason we groan—the Firstfruits of the Spirit—being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but groan.

(1) The principle of firstfruits—God received the firstfruits of the harvest in the OT, and in the NT, firstfruits is often used to describe those first won to Christ.


(2) But here, we are talking about something God gives believers.

“The first fruits was that portion of the productions of the earth which was offered to God. From the nature of the case, they contained the evidence and assurance of the whole harvest being secured. The idea, therefore, of an earnest or pledge is included in the phrase…” (Charles Hodge, Romans, page 275)


Eph 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

(3) What is the evidence of this earnest? What is the evidence of this sealing? The fruit of the Spirit!


Gal 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”


(4) If you are a believer in Christ, God is working in you, and His working in you through the Holy Spirit is part of His promise to you that He will finish that work.

1 Cor 1:7 ”…our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Phil 1:6 "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

(5) You are God’s workmanship—you are God’s building, you are God’s project. If one true believer was ever lost, it would be God’s failure, because He has pledged to keep you.

1 Pet 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

(6) So, if you are a true believer, you have the firstfruits of the Spirit, the earnest, the guarantee, of your ultimate salvation.

b. The Meaning of Groan—to sigh audibly or groan, as with grief.

2 Cor 5:4 "For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life."

(1) Groaning Over Our Sin

“Because every genuine believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9), every genuine believer will to some degree manifest the fruit of the Spirit that Paul enumerates in Galatians 5:22-23, namely, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Every time we see Him working His righteousness in and through us, we yearn all the more to be freed of our remaining sin and spiritual weakness. Because of our divinely-bestowed sensitivity to sin, we ourselves groan within ourselves over the dreadful curse of sin that is still manifested by our remaining humanness.
Acknowledging his own sinfulness, David cried out, “My iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me,… Lord, all my desire is before Thee; and my sighing is not hidden from Thee. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; and the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me” (Ps. 38:4, 9-10). “(John MacArthur, Romans)

(2) Groaning Over Our Lost Loved Ones

(3) Groaning Over The World’s Condition

(4) Groaning Over Suffering


c. The Goal for which we groan—
The Placing of Sons—…waiting for the adoption…”

(1) Waiting Eagerly—


(2) Son Placing


3. Bodily Redemption—the tenses of salvation. “…waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body…”

* There are three Tenses of Salvation

a. We Have Been Saved

(1) In one sense, we were saved when God chose us before the foundation of the world.

2 Th 2:13-14 "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Tim 1:9 "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,"

(2) In another sense, we were saved when Christ died to save us.

Mat 1:21 ""And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.""

(3) We were personally saved, the moment we believed in Christ for salvation.

Acts 16:30-31 "And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.""

Rom 10: 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

(4) For the true believer, it is settled, the transaction is done, you are saved.

(a) You were justified by faith in Christ; your account is paid in full, and the account has been closed.

(b) You have been sealed by the Spirit, Who is the earnest of your inheritance, the promise of God that you are His forever.

b. We Are Being Saved—God is molding us into the image of Christ, sanctifying us.

1 Cor 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Phil 2:12-13 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

* We are legally as saved as we are ever going to be, but the actuality of our salvation is being applied in our lives daily, as God works in us to make us what He wants us to be.

c. We Shall Be Saved—2 Tim 1:12 "… I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

(1) When the world is judged, we will not be.

(2) When the world is condemned, we will not be.

(3) We shall be ultimately saved when our bodies are glorified, and we are manifested in the image of Christ.

* 1 Cor 15:51-58

(4) On that day, the very presence of sin itself shall be removed from our lives.

4. The Human Definition of Hope—24 For we are saved by hope:

a. The Secular Pagan definition of Hope—a possibility, often scant or faint. Something not based on real evidence, or the expression would be “hopes are high.”

b. The Religious Pagan definition of Hope—

(1) Again, a possibility, not even a probability

(2) Often scant or faint, and often without any real belief in literal fulfillment

(3) Recognizing no evidence that would lend concrete credence to the “hope.”

c. The World’s definitions of hope are based on the world’s definitions of several things.

(1) Truth—no absolute Truth

(2) Spirituality—gnostic spiritualism

(3) God and His attributes—the weak “god” of 20th century man

(4) What is good—If it feels good, do it, or the witches creed: “Do what you will and harm none.”

d. “Living in Hope.”

* A word about this phrase, used by those who reject eternal security. If you are living with a “salvation” which can be lost, you have no hope in which to live, and no anchor for your soul.

5. The New Testament Definition of Hope: Absolute Certainty OF What Cannot Be Seen—24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

a. Characteristics of Hope:

(1) Unseen

John 20:29 "Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.""

1 Pet 1:6-8 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,"

(2) Future

Col 1:5 "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;"

(3) Certain

Heb 6:11 "And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:"

Heb 6:18-19 "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"

b. The Blessed Hope of Israel

Acts 23:6 "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question."

Acts 24:15 "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."

Acts 26:6 "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:"

Acts 28:20 "For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."

c. The Blessed Hope of the Church—

Titus 2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"

Rom 5:2 "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Eph 1:18 "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"

Eph 4:4 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;"

d. Evidence for the Hope in this life.

Col 1:27 "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"

e. Promise of Hope in the Word

Rom 15:4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

f. The Holy Spirit and Hope

Rom 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

6. The Grace of Patience—Delayed Gratification—25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

a. The Pagan world

(1) The Pagan world wants it all now.

(2) The Pagan world wants what it can feel, touch, see.

(3) The Pagan world will fall for the Antichrist, hook, line, and sinker.

2 Th 2:9-12 "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

b. God’s People are patient— 2 Cor 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."


Rev 13:8-10 "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

Rev 14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

The Two Children From Pilgrim’s Progress

I saw, moreover, in my dream, that the Interpreter took him by the hand,
and had him into a little room, where sat two little children, each one in his
chair. The name of the eldest was Passion, and the name of the other
Patience. Passion seemed to be much discontented, but Patience was very
quiet. Then Christian asked, “What is the reason of the discontent of
Passion?” Interpreter answered, “The Governor of them would have him
stay for his best things till the beginning of the next year, but he will have
all now; but Patience is willing to wait.”

Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a bag of treasure,
and poured it down at his feet; the which he took up and rejoiced therein,
and withal laughed Patience to scorn. But I beheld but a while, and he had
lavished all away, and had nothing left him but rags.

Then said Christian to the Interpreter, “Expound this matter more fully to
me.”

So the Interpreter said, “These two lads are figures: Passion, of the men of
this world; and Patience, of the men of that which is to come; for as here
thou seest, Passion will have all now this year, that is to say, in this
world: so are the men of this world, they must have all their good things
now; they cannot stay till next year, that is, until the next world, for their
portion of good. That proverb, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush,’ is of more authority with them than are all the Divine testimonies
of the good of the world to come. But as thou sawest that he had quickly
lavished all away, and had presently left him nothing but rags; so will it be
with all such men at the end of this world.”

Then said Christian, “Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom, and
that upon many accounts.
1. Because he stays for the best things.
2. And also because he will have the glory of his, when the other has
nothing but rags.”

Inter. Nay, you may add another, to wit, the glory of the next world will
never wear out; but these are suddenly gone. Therefore Passion had not so
much reason to laugh at Patience, because he had his good things first, as
Patience will have to laugh at Passion, because he had his best things last;
for first must give place to last, because last must have his time to come:
but last gives place to nothing; for there is not another to succeed. He,
therefore, that hath his portion first, must needs have a time to spend it;
but he that hath his portion last, must have it lastingly; therefore it is said
of Dives, “In thy life time thou receivedst thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”
Luke 16:25.

CHR. Then I perceive it is not best to covet things that are now, but to
wait for things to come.

Inter. You say the truth; For the things which are seen are temporal; but
the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18. But though
this be so, yet since things present and our fleshly appetite are such near
neighbours one to another; and again, because things to come, and carnal
sense, are such strangers one to another; therefore it is, that the first of
these so suddenly fall into amity, and that distance is so continued
between the second.



Applications

1. Do you yearn for glory? Do you yearn to be clothed with immortality? True believers yearn!

2. What is your hope? Is your hope based on a weak, worldly, scant, faint, possibility?

3. Or are you really living in Hope—in the certain knowledge that God finishes what He starts.

The Liberation of God’s Creation

Reading: Rev 20:1-11, Rom 8:18-23
Text: Rom 8:19-22

Introductory Thoughts

* We are continuing our long look at the doctrine of the Security of True Believers, also called Eternal Security, and better known as The Perseverance of the Saints.

* The Security of the Believer is absolutely necessary to the doctrines of Salvation by Grace Alone and Justification by Faith alone.

* Any scheme of salvation which sees salvation as something that can be lost once gained, is a scheme involving meritorious human works, and works and grace cannot mix.

Rom 11:5-6 "Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work."

* In considering this wonderful, deep doctrine, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is teaching us the absolute practicality of this doctrine of our guaranteed inheritance, by showing the importance of our keeping our minds on heaven.

* Keep your eyes on Jesus, Keep your eyes on the Prize.

* This morning, we looked at suffering contrasted with the wonderful glory to come. Tonight, we find that Paul explains something about the sources of suffering, about the perverse condition of our world.

* Why is nature messed up? Did God originally create things this way?

** Why are there flies?

** Why is there Johnson Grass?

** Why do weeds grow easily without cultivation, and good crops have to be coaxed out of the ground?

** Why misery, disease, natural disasters and corruption?

** Why genetic mutation in animals, plants and man? Why are some babies born with deformities and disabilities?

** Why do many of us have weak eyes and thinning hair?

* Why are there storms, natural disasters, earthquakes, volcanoes?

* Is nature just random, or is God some kind of cosmic joker?

* Why do viruses and bacteria mutate into deadly killers?

* If God is a Good God, why is nature so messed up?

* Does nature need to be “saved,” too? How did the world get to be like this?


1. Creation Itself Was Defiled By The Judgment Against Our Sin—“…20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope…”

a. Creation (originally) was all good.

(1) We must emphasize that no human living, indeed no human since Adam and Eve, has seen and experienced the world as it was created originally.

(2) The World was created totally good. Gen 1:31 "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

(3) God created a world, a universe, which was harmonious and perfect.

(4) None of the things we have mentioned existed—there was no misery or suffering, no sin or strife, in all of creation.

(5) So, how did things get to be like they are?

b. The Creation was subjected to vanity (futility).

(1) The word for vanity, mataiotes,

(2) Mataioteôs (futility) carries the idea of being without success, of being unable to achieve a goal or purpose. Because of man’s sin, no part of nature now exists as God intended it to be and as it originally was. (MacArthur)

(3) The verb form of “was subjected” indicates that nature did not subject itself to this degeneration, nor was it “natural,” but that it was done by another force, person, or entity.

(4) “…not willingly…”—Creation is not volitional, it can’t make a choice.

(5) The futility, the degeneration and decay, the strife, of nature was part of a conscious act on the part of someone. Who subjected nature to futility, decay, degeneration?

(a) Was it man? Man has no such power. Man’s sin was the reason, but man did not do it.

(b) Was it the Devil? Again, the enemy has no such power. He is a powerful spiritual being, but he does not have the authority or the power to curse creation.

(c) God subjected nature to vanity, futility, decay, degeneration, and ruin.

c. The Creation was subjected to a curse by God because of man’s fall. “…him who hath subjected the same in hope…”

(1) Gen 3:17-19 "Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.""

(a) Was this cruel on God’s part? Was He wrong?

(b) NO! It was an act of hope, and act of mercy. God, in putting creation under the same judgment as man was gracious to man—him who hath subjected the same in hope

(2) Sinful man could not have lived in a perfect creation.

(3) The only way to allow mankind to continue and to work out the plan of redemption was to curse creation as well.

(4) God’s Curse of Creation included a Promise of deliverance at the same time. Gen 3:15 "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.""

(a) God judged creation and He judged man, because of man’s sin and disobedience, but in His promised redemption of the human race, the promise included a redemption of creation itself.

2. Creation Itself Groans Under the Weight of Human Corruption—22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."

a. Groan—sustenazo – to moan jointly, i.e. (fig.) experience a common calamity:--groan together.

(i) “…refers to the utterances of a person who is caught in a dreadful situation and has no immediate prospect of deliverance. The term is used in its noun form by Luke to describe the desperate utterances of the Israelites during their bondage in Egypt (Acts 7:34)….” (MacArthur)

(2) All of nature groans

(3) There is struggle, there is death, there is horror, there is decay, there is constant eat-or-be-eaten struggling. Species become extinct, and lose out. The winds rush all over the world, great calamities take place. The Earth itself groans and moves, causing devastation; fire belches forth from volcanoes.

(4) This concerted groaning, this great pain and horror, this devastation—this is all because of the curse of God against the sin of man.

b. Travail—experiencing Birth pangs.

(1) The sense here is of a woman in labor, but unable to bring forth.

(2) Nature, Paul says, struggles as a woman in labor, continually trying to renew itself, continually fighting for life, but death and decay always eventually win.

(3) This is the case with everything in this created world—human society included. Ecc 1:1-15

c. Lloyd Jones identifies four things that Romans 8:19-22 shows us about reality, about the world as it really is.

(1) The state of the world is not to be explained, and cannot be explained, by the theory of Evolution

(a) Evolution says that our current state is only intermediary, that nature, and man, are evolving toward a better, higher state.

(b) This is the theory that dominates biological studies in our day, and interestingly, it is contradicted by all we know about the physical universe.

(c) One of the laws of physics is the law of Entropy, which teaches that everything in the physical universe is running down, decaying, moving toward a neutral state.

(d) This is obvious to anyone who thinks about it, whether you have any scientific training or not. Everything decays, everything breaks down, everything slows down—there is no perpetual motion.

(e) Evolution cannot explain this—Paul’s doctrine here does. The world is always in a state of decay because of the corruption which resulted from human sin.

(2) The all importance, for the Christian, of the early chapters of Genesis.

(a) You really cannot fully understand any Biblical teaching unless you know the first eleven chapters of Genesis and understand their huge significance in your life.

(b) These are not allegories or fairy tales, but they are the historical records of creation and the Fall.

(3) There is no hope for man, or creation, or the cosmos, in terms of evolution.

(a) Things simply are NOT getting better, and they are not going to get better.

(b) In the beginning of our century, philosophers and social scientists, along with liberal Christians, thought man was going to progress and bring in the Millennium. Instead, we are standing at the end of the most murderous and horrible century in the history of man.

(c) Human philosophy produced Nazism, Communism, gay liberation, feminism, the drug culture, and the sexual revolution.

(d) Man’s science produced great wonders, including poison gas, tanks, bombers, missles, napalm, and biological and nuclear weapons.

(e) We thought, even recently, that we were going to eliminate disease with our science. But the “bugs” mutate into new and deadlier forms faster than we can kill them.

(4) There is only one hope, and that is rooted in the character and purpose of God Himself.

(a) If you are not a Christian, if you do not share the Blessed Hope, then you have no hope.

3. Nature Itself Waits for Our Glory To Be Revealed— For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

a. The earnest expectation— For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

“The first groan is the personified lament coming from the created universe as it now exists in the corrupted condition caused by the Fall. Apokaradokia (anxious longing) is an especially vivid word that literally refers to watching with outstretched head, and suggests standing on tiptoes with the eyes looking ahead with intent expectancy… The creation is standing on tiptoes, as it were, as it waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. “ (John MacArthur, Romans)

b. The Creature (creation)

c. An anxious wait, a blessed event.—For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

(1) “…earnest expectation…” The word describes earnest excitement and expectation.

(2) earnest expectation… “…translates a (Greek word), which refers to waiting in great anticipation but with patience. The form of the Greek verb gives the added connotations of readiness, preparedness, and continuance until the expected event occurs. (MacArthur)

(3) Manifestation

(4) Revealing translates apokalupsis, which refers to an uncovering, unveiling, or revelation. It is this word from which the English name of the book of Revelation is derived (see Rev 1:1). The world does not comprehend who Christians really are. In his first epistle, John explained to fellow believers: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1).
(5) In the present age, the world is unable to distinguish absolutely between Christians and nonbelievers. People who call themselves Christians walk, dress, and talk much like everyone else. Many unbelievers have high standards of behavior. On the other hand, unfortunately, many professing Christians give little evidence of salvation. But at the appointed time God will reveal those who are truly His. (MacArthur)

(6) Sons of God. At the revealing of the sons of God, “when Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then [believers] also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). At that time, all believers will be eternally separated from sin and their unredeemed humanness, to be glorified with Christ’s own holiness and splendor. (MacArthur, Romans)

Rom 8:29 "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."

1 John 3:1-2 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."


4. The Revealing of Our Glory Shall Also Free Creation—“…21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God…”.

a. Creation shall be delivered from bondage to liberty.

b. First Stage of Liberation—the present Earth devastated during the tribulation period. A partial summary of events of Revelation 6-8—

(1) A conqueror goes forth

(2) Widespread war and killing.

(3) Widespread economic dislocation and devastation—

(4) Widespread death. At our current population, the death of 1 to 2 billion people in a short period of time—

(5) Increased persecution on the earth—

(6) Natural disasters in the heavens.

(7) Earthquakes, accompanied by fire, thunder, lightning, and heavenly voices!

(8) Great volcanic eruptions which throw into the sky fire, hail, and lava which looks like fiery blood.

(9) The volcanic eruptions cause the greatest forest fire in history!

(10) A huge meteorite hits the earth

(11) Sea life and shipping – one third is destroyed

(12) A Comet hits the earth

(13) Waters are poisoned

(14) Reduced light, probably leading to winter-like conditions, interrupting food production—

(a) And it gets worse after that!

(b) The physical world is devastated during the Tribulation period!

c. The Second Stage of Liberation—the present Earth restored and ruled by Christ during the Millennium.

(1) The Millennium—Rev 20:1-7


(2) The restoration of the earth during the Millennial Kingdom. Hosea 2:18 "In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely."

(3) Is 11:1-9

(4) The Millennium is not the final stage, but it is the proof of God’s Sovereignty over this present world. He still has a new heaven and a new earth to bring forth, but not until He has shown His ability to undo the curse.

d. The Third Stage of restoration—The End of the Millennium and the destruction of the old earth

(1) The final rebellion—Rev 20:7-9

(2) The judgment on Satan—Rev 20:10

(3) The destruction of the old earth—

(a) Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them."

(b) 2 Pet 3:10-12 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"

e. The third and final stage of liberation—The New Heaven and The New Earth

(1) Rev 21:1 "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea."

(2) 2 Pet 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."

(3) Rev 22:3 "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him."

5. Applications

God has guaranteed that His people will be glorified and will be manifested as the Sons of God.

This guarantee is not only to His people, but to creation itself.

The reason for the misery of the world is man’s sin, and the remedy for misery is redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ.

No Cross, No Crown

“…Rom 8:17b…if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 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…”

Introductory Thoughts

* We are now in a series within a series on Eternal Security, also known as The Perseverance of the Saints.

* There are many who teach one of two wrong views:

** Salvation can be lost

** Profession = security

* The key point is to understand the nature of salvation.

** Salvation is an act of God

Jonah 2:9 "… Salvation is of the LORD.""

Eph 2:10 "For we are His workmanship…”


** Salvation is a permanent change of state— John 5:24 ""Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

** Salvation Involves Justification by Faith, which is a permanent change in legal status—Rom 3:28 "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law."

Rom 4:6-8 "just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.""

** Salvation involves a changed heart, a changed life, a changed man or woman.

* If you do not believe in the security of true believers, you cannot believe in salvation by Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

* A true born again believer in Christ possesses eternal life and eternal salvation and cannot lose that salvation. Though he/she may fall into sin, God, through His chastening Hand will restore him/her to fellowship. A person who apostasizes totally from the faith gives evidence that they were never truly saved.

* But for Christians, they often don’t feel saved.
Physical problems, mental problems, work problems, family problems, spiritual attacks, persecution—these can and do attack the assurance believers have. These things devastate the believer spiritually and mentally and lead to a diminished witness, to sin in the believer’s life, etc.

* Satan comes along and accuses you, accuses God, tells you it’s not worth it, etc.

* And there are many who signed up for the trip, but they don’t want all that comes with it. Eternal life, avoidance of punishment, joy and bliss—they want these. But bearing a Cross, coming under the discipline of the Word and the Spirit, following Christ, giving up all, suffering persecution and hurt in this world—many have no desire for that.

* If you are a Christian, and you are suffering, that is the normal Christian life. The question is, what are you doing through the suffering? What opportunities for witness are you having in suffering?

* The basic equation of the Christian life is this:
No Cross, No Crown, or No Crown Without a Cross.

Rom 8:17-18 "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. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."



1. NO Cross, NO Crown:— “…if indeed we suffer with Him…”

a. Here again, we have a “first class condition” of the word “if.”

(1) The meaning is “since we suffer…”

b. We have a secure heritage in Christ, we are heirs to the universe, but that is to come. The Christian is guaranteed one thing in this life—tribulation. John 16:33 ""These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.""

(1) The “name it claim it” view of life and faith is heresy.

(2) It is concerned with fleshly things and worldly riches.

(3) Yes, God has prospered some of His people in this life—not many.

(a) 1 Cor 1:26 ”… For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ….29 that no flesh should glory in His presence."

(b) James 2:5 "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"


(4) There is nothing particularly holy about poverty per se, nor is there anything particularly unholy about riches.


(5) There are many covetous poor people, and some Godly rich people.


(6) But more Christians come from the poor than from the rich of this world. And the “name it, claim it” teaching is just Americanized worldliness. What is an Ethiopian Christian supposed to claim—a sack of potatoes?

c. The World and the Christian:

(1) The World is Not Our Friend—the world hates us.

(a) John 15:18-19 ""If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

(b) 1 John 3:1 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

(c) 1 John 3:13 "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you."

(d) 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

(e) 1 John 5:4-5 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

(2) We are not to love the world—1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

(3) We are not to be conformed to the world, we are to be rather transformed by the Gospel—Rom 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

(4) We are to be salt and light in this evil world—Salt preserves, Light reveals

(5) The World will not react favorably to our being salt and light—2 Tim 3:12 "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

(6) The world loves darkness—John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

(7) The World loves its own rottenness

d. The Cultural War

(1) There is a cultural war going on in America right now. One side is represented by liberalism, the Hollywood establishment, the media, and much of academia.

(2) They stand for total freedom to do anything you want, without restrictions, without responsibility, and without consequences. They laugh and scorn traditional morality and ethics.

(a) Everybody does it

(b) You’d do it to if it was you

(c) Character makes no difference

(d) Gay rights, animal rights, “children’s rights” (that means you can’t spank them and you can’t educate them in your faith), feminism, etc.

(e) The other side stands for the right to kill babies in the womb and the right to put older folks to sleep like an old dog.


(f) The other side is scary, they are well-funded, and they own the media, etc. Your children watch their shows and movies, and they seek to invade your mind by subtle brainwashing on TV.

(3) The other side of the cultural war:

(a) Resorts to psychics instead of God—I want each person here to know that a psychic is ungodly by definition.

(b) The other side resorts to psychology instead of prayer.

(c) They resort to excuses instead of repentance.

(d) Far too many professing Christians support the wrong side because of deception, because of being conformed to this world, because of buying in on Satan’s lies.

(4) Be advised Christian, they will lie for your support, they will deceive you with fine words, they will distort the truth to achieve their ends, but the goal of the other side in the culture wars is to remove Christianity, and all it stands for, from the public culture.

(5) Standing against the world are those who believe in the Bible, in Biblical morality and ethics, and in personal responsibility, honor, and character. What side are you on?

(6) This is not about politics, this is about Truth.

(7) If we do not take an active and assertive role in defending the Christian faith against the infidels and liberals who hate us and everything about us, God will raise up some folks who will?

(8) The other side in this cultural war is against everything Biblical Christianity stands for and is for everything Biblical Christianity stands against.

e. An evidence of our salvation is our attitude and actions toward the world. “…if indeed we suffer with Him…” No Cross, No Crown, Mat 16:21-26

f. John 12:25 ""He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

2. The Meaning of Life— Rom 8:17-18 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.”

a. Doctrinal Basic—the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

(1) 1 Cor 6:19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

(2) 1 Cor 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

(3) Eph 3:21 "to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

b. But we will be glorified by God!

(1) It starts in our lives now, and that process is ongoing 2 Cor 3:18 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

(2) God’s plan includes glorification—

(a) Rom 8:29-30 "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. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

(b) Rom 5:1-2 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

c. Suffering and Glory—

(1) 2 Cor 4:17-18 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

(2) 2 Cor 5:1-2 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,"

(3) Col 1:24-27 "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

(4) 2 Tim 2:12 "If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us."

3. Suffering and the Christian—18 "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.”

a. Some things about suffering (Lloyd-Jones)

(1) It should come as no surprise to us.

(2) It should not shake us

(3) “It is a simple fact of history that there was nothing which was more potent in bringing people to conviction and conversion in the early days of the Church than the observation of the way in which these Christian people endured suffering. When believers were put on trial they were not confounded. Even when they were condemned, and thrown to the lions in the arena, far from grumbling and complaining, they were to be found thanking God that at last they had been counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name….Nothing has so much shaken unbelievers and made them feel that there is something in Christianity after all, as the way they have observed that the Christian has some secret, mysterious power and capacity to endure suffering even joyfully, to rejoice in tribulations.” (Lloyd-Jones)

b. We should not doubt God’s power or God’s love—Where was God when your tragedy happened? He was on the throne!

(1) Psa 115:3 "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased."

(2) Psa 135:6 "Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."

(3) Psa 139 "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. … 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

c. “There is no promise given or expectation held out, of any relief or any improvement in our lot…” (Lloyd-Jones) Mat 8:19-20 "Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.""

d. All believers suffer, it is a part of life

(1) Job

(2) Elijah

(3) Jeremiah

(4) Paul

e. “Why?” is a question the Bible seldom asks and never answers, but we know that it is for the greater glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

f. Suffering is also an evidence that we are Christians.

(1) Acts 14:22 "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.""

(2) Heb 12:6 "For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.""

g. The Book of Job—the classic explanation of human suffering.

(1) Job and his three friends speculate and philosophize on his problems.

(2) His friends accuse Job of secret sin, that God would never allow this suffering unless Job was wrong.

(3) Job denies this, but in his musings, he is obviously hurt at God and questioning things himself.

(4) Job and his friends philosophize endlessly for most of the book.

(5) Elihu, a younger man, finally speaks up on God’s behalf.

(6) Then God lets Job have it—verbally.

(Job 38:1-8) "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb;"

(Job 40:1-9) "Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: 2 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4 "Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further." 6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: 8 "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?"


(7) Then Job understands—

(Job 42:1-6) "Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' 5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.""

Applications

1. Professing Christian, whose side are you on?
2. Are you willing to bear the Cross? If you are not, you will not wear the crown!
3. Suffering Christian—joy comes in the morning!

The Cross

The Cross
Reading: Rom 5:1-11
Text: Rom 5:6-9

1. Introductory Thoughts

a. Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

b. In the above passage in Galatians, Paul was opposing false teachers who had perverted the gospel by leaving out the essential message of the Cross and substituting a return to the Jewish ceremonial laws.

c. The false teachers in the churches of Galatia, the men whom Paul opposed with vigor, were men whose teachings and actions may be summed up as

(1) Glorying not in God, nor in the Cross of Christ, but in man’s religion, in the flesch

(2) They did not possess THE FAITH, that set of Biblical doctrines so often referred to in the New Testament

(a) Historic Christianity is called “THE FAITH.”

Acts 6:7 "… great company of the priests were obedient to THE FAITH."

Acts 14:22 "… and exhorting them to continue in THE FAITH…”

Acts 16:5 "And so were the churches established in THE FAITH…"

Rom 1:5 "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to THE FAITH …”

1 Cor 16:13 "Watch ye, stand fast in THE FAITH, …”

2 Cor 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in THE FAITH…”

Eph 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of THE FAITH…”

Phil 1:27 "… with one mind striving together for THE FAITH of the gospel;"

Col 1:23 "… continue in THE FAITH grounded and settled,…"

Col 2:7 "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in THE FAITH, …”

1 Tim 1:2 "Unto Timothy, my own son in THE FAITH: …”

1 Tim 3:9 "Holding the mystery of THE FAITH…"

1 Tim 4:1 "… in the latter times some shall depart from THE FAITH,…”

2 Tim 3:8 "… men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning THE FAITH."

2 Tim 4:7 "… I have kept THE FAITH:"

Titus 1:13 "… rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in THE FAITH;"


(a) Jude adds a very powerful and defining phrase when talking about THE FAITH, he calls it THE FAITH “Once Delivered…” A sacred trust of doctrine to be handed down.

2 Tim 2:2 “…the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Heb 4:14 "… let us hold fast our profession."

Heb 4:14 "… let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."


(3) Not possessing THE FAITH, the false teachers of Galatia could not and did not teach THE FAITH, but as Paul told timothy in 2 Tim 4:1-5, these false teachers taught “fables,” or as Peter said in 2 Pet 2:1ff, “damnable heresies…”

(4) Paul says they taught these fables, these falsehoods for the love for the world and out of the fear of men.

b. So today the false teachers of the new heresies have ignored, denied, diverted and perverted the message of the Cross, and have done so for the same reasons.

(1) A crucified Savior, dying for the real sins of real people is not popular.

(a) He makes us face our sin, and admit to its ugliness.

(b) He brings us face-to-face with our spiritual inability, and with the depth of the darkness of our souls.

(c) Once God has saved us, then we are bound by His Spirit and His Word to take up our own cross, to deny our selfish desires and live for Him as He died for us.

(2) This is not the gospel of ease and enjoyment that people seek to soothe their bruised egos.

(3) For true believers today, we must Glory in the Cross--in the True, Biblical act, fact, doctrine, and way of life that emanates from the Cross, and we must live with reference to the world in the way that Paul describes here--the world is crucified to us, and we to the world. We must ask a series of provocative, searching questions about our Faith.

(4) Essential Questions on the Cross

(a) What is the essential Act, Fact, Message, Meaning and Power of the Christian faith?

(b) What is far more important than therapy, miracles, health, wealth, good self-esteem, or correct politics?

(c) What event is the one fulcrum, the single pivot point of the history of the universe?

(d) What event was the most important battle ever fought and won in the entire history of time?



(e) What deed far surpasses all the deeds ever done, even creation itself?

(f) What glorious act demonstrates the wrath, justice, sovereignty, truth, love, mercy, and power of God all at once?

(g) What supreme, mysterious, glorious, awesome, Act of God is the only reason His people stand today, whole, saved, and testifying of God's greatness?

(h) This act, fact, message, meaning and power of our faith is this (and we must personalize these statements to give them the full impact of their Biblical basis):

(i) The Almighty Creator, Jehovah God Himself, God the Son, became flesh for me.

(ii) This God-Man lived a perfect life for me.

(iii) This Perfect Lamb of God demonstrated His own power over nature, sin, Satan, disease, and death for me.

(iv) This Ruler of the Universe Incarnate was arrested, beaten, tortured, convicted in a kangaroo court, and hung on a cross for me, and By My Sin!
)
(v) This Sinless Substitute took my sin upon Himself, suffered the equivalent of eternal Hell, and laid down His own life for me.

(vi) This Fountain of Life arose from the dead for me.

And all of our preaching and proclamation must be done in the light of the glory of the Cross of Christ—to convict us, to save us, to sanctify us, to disciple us, to conform us to His Image (Rom 8:29



2. What We Were Before He Saved Us—“…For when we were yet without strength…”

a. Context

(1) The apostle has just told us that Hope makes not ashamed, that the Holy Ghost has spread the Love of God abroad in our hearts—

(2) What is the basis of this hope?

(3) What is the great act of God’s love which has been done on our behalf?

(4) The Cross is the basis of our hope.

b. “…when we were yet without strength…”

(1) God’s plan of redemption did not include some contribution from us—when God conceived it, He conceived it in the knowledge that we would be without strength.

(2) Not weak, not with a little bit of strength, but without strength

(3) God’s love for us was uncaused by anything in us—it was ungenerated by any good or merit in us.

1 John 4:10 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

c. Without Strength—lost people are sinners, dead, deaf, insensitive to God, hating God and His Gospel, and such were we!

d. One of the glories of the Cross is that we were totally helpless and totally alien to God, yet He sent His Son to die for us!

3. “…in due time…” The cross was part of an ancient plan, conceived by God, and carried forth in His time.

a. in due time…. The plan was conceived by God

(1) When was this plan conceived?

1 Pet 1:19-20 " the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Titus 1:1-2 "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;"

(2) Remember… The Gospel is Good News, but it is Not New—The Gospel is older than creation itself. The Gospel is older than time.

Rom 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

(3) God had promised the Gospel by His prophets, but the Gospel did not start there.

(4) The Gospel started before time began.

(5) The Bible doesn't tell us all that took place before time began, but it tells us a lot....

b. Before Time Began--

(1) Jehovah God was God--God has no beginning-- a concept hard for us to even grasp, because everything we know in this world has a beginning and an end (in this world, anyway).

Psa 90:1 LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

(2) Before Time Began, the Triune God existed in a loving, mutual relationship—

Jn 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. See also Heb 9:14

(3) Before time began, the Bible was written down in Heaven

(a) The Bible is unique to all books.... The Bible is not some afterthought—

(b) Psa 119:89 Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.

(c) Psa 119:152 Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

(4) Before Time Began, God ordained a Mysterious Purpose--The gospel was not an afterthought--the gospel was part of an eternal plan which predated the first act of creation......

“…Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Chris…”:

(5) God ORDAINED his purpose--He made it an eternal law--and that eternal mysterious purpose was done for our benefit and glory.

“…1 Cor 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,…”

(6) Before the world was made, God ordained the method of redemption and the redeemer--He filled in all the blanks in the plan.


c. In Due Time….The plan was announced and prophesied.

(1) The prophecies were given—Rom 1:1-4 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"

(2) Rom 3:21 "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"

(3) There are dozens of scriptures that predict the Messiah, in excruciating detail.

(a) The Time of His Birth

(b) The Place of His Birth

(c) The Manner of His Birth

(d) His Forerunner

(e) The Character of His ministry

(f) The manner of His betrayal

(g) The Manner of His death—and crucifixion had not even been invented at the time Ps 22 was written! Ps 22:14-18

(h) The time of His Death—the evening sacrifice

(i) His resurrection, that He would not see corruption

(j) His Second coming as well as His first

(4) The prophecies were so mysterious that the prophets did not even understand what they were writing.

1 Pet 1:10-12 "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."


d. In Due Time…..

(1) The plan was carried out by God. Gal 4: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

(2) The plan was carried out by God

Acts 2:22-23 "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:"

Acts 4:27-28 "….. both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."


4. “…Christ died for the ungodly…”

a. Not for the Godly, because without His Cross, there would be no Godly!.

John 10:11-18 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. …… 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. …... 17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father."

(1) He was not murdered as a helpless victim

(2) He was not caught up in some thing over which He had no control.

(3) He was not part of some miscalculation by God

(4) He gave up the ghost, He laid down His life, He died, He was in control from beginning to end.

b. “…Christ died for the ungodly…”.

(1) The death of Christ was a real death—He did not “swoon” as the liberals would say.

(2) The Roman soldiers certified He was dead—and they were experts in death.

(3) His side was pierced, and water and blood flowed out, signifying a heart that had literally exploded in His chest—He was dead.

c. “…Christ died for the ungodly….”

(1) The death of Christ was a substitution.

(2) He died in the place of particular people—He died that we could live, He sacrificed, that we could be free, He died in our place.

Isa 53:5-6 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

d. “…Christ died for the ungodly…”

(1) He did not die for good people, there are no good people.

(2) He did not die for the innocent—none are innocent

(3) He did not die for His friends—without the intervention of God, we would still be His enemies.

(4) Christ died for sinners, ungodly sinners, unholy sinners, dirty, rotten defiled sinners—sinners in need of a Savior, sinners totally without any spiritual resources whatsoever, lost, doomed sinners.

e. And this is why we have Biblical Hope, not a maybe so thing, but a certain thing—

“…(Heb 6:17-19) "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil…,"

f. And this is the Love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts…And this is the basis for all we are in Christ

Rom 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

5. Applications

a. For believers—surely we should rejoice and praise His Name without end, for he has died for us, and has brought us to Himself.

b. If God is for us, what difference does it make who or what is against us?

c. The Cross must rule the lives of believers—Our feelings about the world, our relationship with it, our walk in it, and our increasing detachment from its rule are all determined by the Cross.

d. As far as Paul was concerned, the world was dead--the praise, advancements, approval of the world were not important . For the Apostle, as for every believer, the world was not his real home--but unlike many of us, he knew it, and he lived like it. Paul proved his allegiance to the rule of the cross. He had made choices in his life; he had chosen the Gospel's Truth over family background, tradition, and riches—Phil 3:1-10

e. As John Brown of Edinburgh said, it is that "...we view the world system as crucified, cursed, useless, of no influence, of no matter, of no importance to us at all. The world is not to be desired, listened to, followed, or worshipped1 ..” Rom 5:6, 1 Jn 2:15-17

f. For unbelievers—the only remedy for you is to run to the Cross as fast as you can go! Flee to Christ, Flee to Christ, Flee to Christ!


6. Dying for Another is Rare

a. It is a Remarkable Thing to Die for Another
(1) The annals of heroism hold in highest esteem those who died for others, who made the highest sacrifice.
(a) The mother who died defending her children.
(b) The soldier who died protecting the lives of others.
(c) The police officer who dies in defense of public order.
(d) The middle school teacher in Jonesboro who died shielding a student.
(2) It is rare even to die for someone worthy.

b. It is Even More Remarkable to Die for the Undeserving
(1) Though it is rare, and though we hold it in high esteem as evidence of great nobility of spirit and character, we can understand a mother sacrificing for her children, a father dying for his family.
(2) Though it is rare, and though we consider them great heroes, we understand somewhat how a man could die for his country or to protect his buddies.
(3) Though it shows unusual character, we can understand a teacher shielding a student or a policeman protecting a citizen, and paying the ultimate price.
(4) But to die for someone undeserving, or worse, for someone who deserves anything but this sacrifice, that is rare indeed.

c. That is the case with the cross—5:8
(1) What love! What Grace! We were rebels, murderers, haters of God and of His way, and He sent Christ for us!
(2) Again, God did not send His Son for righteous people—there are not any righteous people. God did not send His Son for nice people—in God’s eyes, we are all vile, hopeless sinners.
(3) God did not forsee us as believers and send His Son—while we were yet sinners He came!

d. It was a voluntary act of Love by a Sovereign, Triune God
(1) Christ did not die because He was too weak to get out of it.
(2) Our Lord and Savior was no helpless victim--as He demonstrated when He said, “I am” and they all fell down (Jn 18:4-6), Jesus could have wiped out the Roman Empire with a word and called for twelve legions of angels to do the light work and mopping up.
(3) No third party arbitrated a settlement between God and the human race--God did it Himself. John 10:11-18, 1 John 4:10, Rom 3:24-26, Heb 9:14
(4) The Triune God Authored and Acted out the Cross.
(a) The Father Sent the Son
(b) The Father Poured Wrath out on the Son
(c) The Son laid down His life
(d) The Son Presented the Sacrifice
(e) The Father Accepted the Sacrifice
(f) The Spirit was involved in a way that the Bible does not specify.

(5) The Cross, therefore, was all a work of God! It was undeserved by us, it was uncaused by us, it was All of God!

7. The Doctrine of the Cross—Substitution, Satisfaction, Blood Atonement, Propitiation!

a. The Cross is a substitution--Christ actually died in the place of sinners--He specifically took the punishment that should have been theirs
(1) 2 Cor 5:21, Isa 53:5
(2) How can the death of One man accomplish this? It is possible because He is infinite--He is God, and His blood sacrifice is of infinite worth.

b. The Cross is a Satisfaction –5: 9 The Cross is our Satisfaction (of the Law's demands).
(1) Unlike the "gods" of the world's religions, who either disregard sin or forgive it capriciously, the God of the Bible can state that all the demands of His law have been met. Rom 3:28-31
(2) And on the cross, God showed to the world that as He forgives people through faith in the blood of Christ, He has dealt with their sin...
(3) to demonstrate His righteousness, Rom 3:26
(4) There are three things in which Christianity is vastly different from the various human religions:
(a) We serve a risen Savior
(b) Our way of salvation is totally apart from human effort
(c) In the Cross, a Holy God DEALS WITH SIN

c. The Cross was a Blood Atonement—
(1) Every blood sacrifice made, every lamb, goat, bull, calf, or dove sacrificed, foreshadowed the great sacrifice Christ would make. He shed real blood for the real sins of real people!
(2) As on the first Passover—“Exo 12:13 "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."
(3) The New Testament is full of references to this: Mat 26:28, Acts 20:28, Eph 1:7, Eph 2:13, Col 1:14, Col 1:20, Heb 9:14, Heb 10:19, 1 Pet 1:2, 1 Pet 1:19, 1 John 1:7, Rev 1:5, Rev 5:9,
d. The Cross is a Propitiation— we shall be saved from wrath through him
(1) Rom 3:25 whom God set forth--We can never let this get away from our minds, that God is the Author of the Cross...as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, Jesus’ death on the Cross was a propitiation--this is a word in the Greek which carries several shades of meaning.
(2) It is the same word used for mercy seat--that place in the temple where the blood was sprinkled on the day of atonement
(3) In the context of the wrath of God revealed against sin, it means a sacrifice which turns aside the righteous wrath of God against our sin and rebellion and makes reconciliation.
(4) This is a place where the doctrinal lines must be drawn with utter precision.
(5) Liberal theologians want to eliminate any sense of the wrath of God, but the entire premise of the long Romans passage on sin and justification is the statement in Romans 1:18 -- “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,...”
(6) But too many folks who love to manipulate people through guilt go off in the other direction and create a cave-man kind of God who is just plain bloodthirsty--WE must avoid both extremes and look at what the Bible is telling us here......
(7) God propitiated His own righteous wrath which was aroused because of the interaction of His holiness and our utter rebellion against Him—John 3:36, Rom 5:8-9, 1 Th 1:10

e. The Cross is a finished work—John 19:30
(1) It cannot be repeated èHeb 9:27-28
(2) It cannot be supplemented by human works
(3) His suffering ended on the Cross....it was not added to in the days following
(a) I know there is a popular myth that Christ went to hell during the three days His body was in the tomb.

(b) The source of this myth is an addition to the Apostle’s Creed, made by pagans in the 6th century church.

(c) Among some groups of TV preachers, this myth has achieved giant theological meaning, tied in with their concept of Christ as being a mere man during His earthly ministry.

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

Jn 19:30..."It is finished!"

Heir To A Crown

Rom 8:17 "and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,

Introductory Thoughts

* I fear that many professing Christians have no idea who they are, nor do they know who they are supposed to be, nor do they really have any concept of where they are supposed to be going.

* The churches are often too much like the world, and many professing Christians have little in their life to distinguish them from the lost world.

* One of the great problems, even for true believers, is the influence of the world on our thinking, and the little time we spend contemplating the glories of heaven and the great gift God has given us.

* There are also many today, who because of the worldly and ungodly lives of many professing Christians, have concluded that a man can lose true salvation—the problem is not that people have lost it, but that they never had it.

* In teaching now on the security of the Believer, we must be careful to have everyone understand that the glories and joys described tonight have nothing to do with making a profession of faith or joining a local church. Rather, they have to do with the inheritance of a true believer in Christ—one who has repented from their sins, has really put all of their faith and trust in Christ, and who has the evidence in their life of a true work of the Holy Spirit.

* Tonight we begin to look at the security of true believers.

* There are many who deny eternal security, but they cannot do that without ignoring Romans 8:17-39.

* If you have friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc., who believe God’s eternal salvation can be lost once had, then you take notes.




1. The Security of True Believers seen in the basic proposition— “… if children, then heirs…”

a. This is not an “if, then” proposition.

(1) The Greek construction in this verse has the meaning of, “since this is the case.”

(2) The words assume that we are true believers and we know it—and this construction holds true in the verses from Galatians, Titus, Hebrews, and Colossians that we show below by comparison.

b. Since, then, we are the Sons of God, we are heirs—this is a constant theme in the New Testament

(1) Since you are an adopted Son of God, you inherit Abraham’s Promise: not the promises of land, and an earthly kingdom, but the spiritual part of the Abrahamic Covenant—Gal 3:29 "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

(2) Since you are an adopted Son of God, you have been elevated from slavery in the court of a cruel, evil master, to royalty, in the court of a kind and loving King. Gal 4:7 "Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

(3) Since you are an adopted Son of God, your inheritance is eternal. Titus 3:7 "that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

(4) Since you are an adopted Son of God, your inheritance is protected by Angels. Heb 1:14 "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?"

(5) Since you are an adopted Son of God, your inheritance, and the fact that you possess your inheritance are both due to the work of God. Col 1:12 "giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."

(6) Since you are an adopted Son of God, you have been qualified for the inheritance by God’s plan of redemption. Heb 11:7 "… heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

(7) Since you are an adopted Son of God, an evidence of your inheritance is following Christ. Col 3:24 "knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

c. Since we are God’s Sons, then the inheritance is secure—“… if children, then heirs…”

(1) John 10:28 "… I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

(2) 1 Pet 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."


2. The Security of True Believers Seen in the Identity of the One Making the Bequest— “…heirs of God…”

a. The Security of any Inheritance depends on the integrity and power of the one making the bequest.

(1) The frailty of human inheritance

(a) Change of mind of the one making the bequest.

(b) Change of actions of the heir.

(c) Factors beyond the control of the one making the bequest.
1. —going broke, for instance.

(2) The Security of Divine Inheritance

(a) God has promised. Heb 6:13-20

(b) Lam 3:22-23 "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

(c) Even our own actions cannot destroy God’s promise. John 10:28-29 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

(d) There is no power or person who can change the counsel of God

(i) Isa 14:24-27 "The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: …. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?""


(ii) Isa 46:9-11 ""… For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' 11 … I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."

(3) God is in control of the process from beginning to end. 1 Pet 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

b. Doctrinal Basic: God is Immutable—Change is a constant with humans, but God does not change.

(1) He differentiates His manifestations to men;

(2) He reveals mysteries previously concealed Eph 3:7-11);

(3) He may even speak as if He were human in order to be understood),

(4) But God does not change in His essence--He is eternally the same.

(a) Deu 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms;

(b) Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

(c) Mal 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

(d) Heb 1:11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;

(e) Heb 1:12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail."

(f) James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning

3. The Security of the Believer Seen in the Nature of the Inheritance.

a. The Inheritance is incorruptible—1 Pet 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled—Mat 6:19-20 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"


b. The Inheritance cannot be taken away—Mat 6:19-20 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"

c. The Inheritance is glorious—Rom 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

d. The Quantity of the inheritance is everything of value in the universe. Heb 1:1-2 "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;"

e. The inheritance is eternal. 2 Cor 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."


4. The Security of the Believer Seen in the Nature of the Relationship of True Believers to Christ— and joint heirs with Christ,

a. Christ is our fountain of life

(1) Psa 36:9 "For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."

(2) John 7:38-39 ""He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

b. We shall share His glory

(1) John 17:22-24 ""And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

c. Our life is lost in Him. Gal 2:20 ""I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

d. We are accepted in Him—Eph 1:6 "to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved."

e. We shall be conformed to His Image Phil 3:21 "who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

5. The Security of the Believer Known Through The Earnest of Our Inheritance—Rom 8:17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;

a. The Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance—Eph 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

(1) The Seal and the Earnest—always connected

“…It seems to be an established rule in the Apostle’s thinking and writing that he never mentions the Spirit as the ‘seal’ without at the same time mentioning the Spirit as the ‘earnest’. Sonship immediately conjures up the notion of inheritance; the two things are indissolubly linked together.” (Lloyd-Jones, Romans)

(2) Examples

(a) 2 Cor 1:22 "who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."

(b) Eph 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

b. The Spirit is the Seal of our Salvation

(1) The Seal—(John MacArthur)

“The sealing of which Paul speaks refers to an official mark of identification placed on a letter, contract, or other document. That document was thereby officially under the authority of the person whose stamp was on the seal. Four primary Truths are signified by the seal: (1) Security; (the seal had not been tampered with) (2) Authenticity; (The document was authentic) (3) Ownership; (The document was owned by the person whose seal was on it) (4) Authority (The seal carried the weight of the authority of the person to whom the seal belonged.)

(2) The Guarantee—1 John 3:24 "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

(3) 1 John 4:13 "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."

6. Applications

a. We Must Have Our Heart Set On The Prize, and our eyes on Christ.

b. It is ONLY the heavenly minded that are of any earthly good in God’s Kingdom.

Heb 11:13-16 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

Phil 3:13-14 "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

c. We must realize that we are citizens of Heaven, not of Earth, and we must walk that way.

Phil 3:15-20 "Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame; who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,"