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The Most Important Chapter in the Bible – Romans 8 · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: Have you ever felt trapped not by iron bars, but
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  Speaker 1: by something inside yourself? Paul understood this internal battle in
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  Speaker 1: Romans seven. He described this inner struggle, that feeling of
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  Speaker 1: wanting to do good but ending up doing the opposite.
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  Speaker 1: It's like there are two forces pulling us in opposite
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  Speaker 1: directions within ourselves. But then comes Roman's eight, A ray
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  Speaker 1: of sunshine after a storm. This chapter opens with incredible news.
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  Speaker 1: There is a way to be set free. And this
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  Speaker 1: freedom doesn't come from our own efforts or from following rules.
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  Speaker 1: It comes through the spirit of God, who now lives
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  Speaker 1: in us. Let's explore together how this freedom happens and
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  Speaker 1: what it means for our lives to day. Paul opens
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  Speaker 1: Roman's eight with a game changing statement, Therefore, there is
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  Speaker 1: now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: That therefore ties directly to the previous chapter where he
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  Speaker 1: described his struggle with sin. But now Paul announces a
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  Speaker 1: turning point. Those who are in Christ are no longer
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  Speaker 1: under condemnation. Imagine someone in court waiting for the verdict
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  Speaker 1: after committing a crime they are guilty of. Suddenly the
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  Speaker 1: judge bangs the gavel and says no condemnation, the relief
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  Speaker 1: would be overwhelming. That's exactly what Paul is saying. If
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  Speaker 1: you are in Christ, the verdict has already been given
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  Speaker 1: and it's innocent. This scene reminds us of the story
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  Speaker 1: of the woman caught in adultery in John eight. The
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  Speaker 1: religious leaders dragged her before Jesus, quoting the law that
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  Speaker 1: said she should be stoned. They were trying to trap
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  Speaker 1: Jesus either force him to condemn her or go against
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  Speaker 1: Moses law. But instead Jesus knelt down and began writing
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  Speaker 1: on the ground. Then he said, let any one of
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  Speaker 1: you who is without sin be the first to throw
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  Speaker 1: a stone at her. One by one they walked away,
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  Speaker 1: convicted by their own conscience. Jesus then asked her, woman,
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  Speaker 1: where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? She replied,
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  Speaker 1: no one, Lord, And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you.
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  Speaker 1: Go now and leave your life of sin John eight,
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  Speaker 1: ten eleven. This is the same message Paul is sharing
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  Speaker 1: in Christ. There is no condemnation. Paul explains this freedom
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  Speaker 1: by referring to two different laws. In Romans eight too,
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  Speaker 1: he writes, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit,
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  Speaker 1: who gives life, has set you free from the law
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  Speaker 1: of sin and death. These laws aren't legal codes. They're
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  Speaker 1: more like spiritual principles that govern how things operate. Under
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  Speaker 1: the Old Covenant, God gave the law through Moses. It
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  Speaker 1: was good and holy, but the problem was that we
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  Speaker 1: couldn't live up to it because of our sinful nature.
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  Speaker 1: So instead of bringing life, the law ended up exposing
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  Speaker 1: sin and leading to death. It's like the law says,
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  Speaker 1: don't step on the grass, and suddenly all you want
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  Speaker 1: to do is step on the grass. This takes us
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  Speaker 1: back to the story of Adam and Eve in the garden.
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  Speaker 1: God gave them one command, don't eat from the tree
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  Speaker 1: of the knowledge of good and evil, but the prohibition
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  Speaker 1: seemed to spark a desire in them. The serpent took
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  Speaker 1: advantage of that, suggesting God was holding something back. When
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  Speaker 1: you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and
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  Speaker 1: you will be like God, knowing good and evil Genesis
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  Speaker 1: three five. This is the nature of sin, turning something
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  Speaker 1: good into an opportunity for rebellion. The law, while good
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  Speaker 1: in itself, brought death because of our fallen nature. But
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  Speaker 1: under the New Covenant we have something different. Paul calls
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  Speaker 1: it the law of the spirit of life. It's not
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  Speaker 1: something external like tablets of stone. It's the very spirit
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  Speaker 1: of God living within us. Instead of just showing us
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  Speaker 1: what's right, the spirit empowers us to actually live it out.
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  Speaker 1: It's like the law of gravity v versus the law
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  Speaker 1: of aerodynamics. Gravity always pulls things downward, like the law
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  Speaker 1: of sin and death, but when a plane operates under
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  Speaker 1: the law of aerodynamics, it can soar overcoming gravity. In
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  Speaker 1: the same way the spirit lifts us above the power
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  Speaker 1: of sin. Paul summarizes this freedom plainly, the law of
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit of life. In Christ, Jesus has set you
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  Speaker 1: free from the law of sin and death. Notice the
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  Speaker 1: Word has set you free. It's past tense. This isn't
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  Speaker 1: a promise for the future or something that will happen
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  Speaker 1: if you try harder. If you are in Christ, you
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  Speaker 1: are already free. The prison door is wide open now.
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  Speaker 1: Paul goes on to explain why we needed this new approach.
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  Speaker 1: In Romans eight three, he writes for what the law
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  Speaker 1: was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh.
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  Speaker 1: God did by sending his own son in the likeness
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  Speaker 1: of sinful flesh, to be a sin offering, and so
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  Speaker 1: he condemned sin in the flesh. The law itself was
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  Speaker 1: good and perfect. The problem was us. Paul uses the
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  Speaker 1: word weakened to describe the law, but really the weakness
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  Speaker 1: was in our flesh, our fallen human nature. It's like
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  Speaker 1: handing someone without legs a perfect guide on how to
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  Speaker 1: climb Mount Everest. The manual might be flawless, but the
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  Speaker 1: person lacks the ability to follow it. This reminds me
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  Speaker 1: of the Israelites in the wilderness. After God rescued them
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  Speaker 1: from Egypt with a mighty hand, they came to Mount Sinai.
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  Speaker 1: There God gave Moses the law. It was holy and just,
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  Speaker 1: But even before Moses could come down the mountain with
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  Speaker 1: the tablets, the people were already worshiping a golden calf.
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  Speaker 1: The law didn't have the power to transform their hearts.
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  Speaker 1: Moses was so furious he smashed the tablets, a powerful
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  Speaker 1: symbol that the people had already broken the law. This
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  Speaker 1: pattern repeated throughout Israel's history. God gave the law, the
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  Speaker 1: people promised to obey, and then quickly returned to their
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  Speaker 1: old sinful ways. The law revealed the standard, but didn't
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  Speaker 1: give the power to live by it. So why does
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  Speaker 1: the flesh weaken the law? Because our sinful nature fights
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  Speaker 1: against God's commands. Even when we want to do good,
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  Speaker 1: we feel an internal resistance. Paul already described this struggle
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  Speaker 1: in Romans seven twenty two to twenty three. For in
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  Speaker 1: my inner being, I delight in God's law, but I
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  Speaker 1: see another law at work in me, waging war against
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  Speaker 1: the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner
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  Speaker 1: of the law of sin at work within me. Faced
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  Speaker 1: with this seemingly hopeless situation, God did something radical. He
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  Speaker 1: sent his own son. Notice how Paul describes Jesus in
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  Speaker 1: the likeness of sinful flesh. Jesus came as a human,
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  Speaker 1: just like us in every way, but with one crucial difference.
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  Speaker 1: He was without sin. He experienced our temptations and weaknesses,
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  Speaker 1: but never gave in to sin. The story of jesus
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  Speaker 1: encounter with Satan in the wilderness illustrates this perfectly. After
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  Speaker 1: fasting for forty days, Jesus was physically weak and hungry.
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  Speaker 1: Satan tempted him three times, appealing to physical needs, the
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  Speaker 1: desire for admiration, and the ambition for power. These are
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  Speaker 1: the same temptations that often cause us to fall, But
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  Speaker 1: Jesus responded to each temptation with the word of God,
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  Speaker 1: showing us how to live in obedience, even in the
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  Speaker 1: most difficult circumstances. Where Adam and Eve failed in a
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  Speaker 1: perfect garden, Jesus triumphed in a hostile desert, where Israel
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  Speaker 1: repeatedly failed throughout its history, Jesus remained faithful. He didn't
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  Speaker 1: just show us the way, He became the way. So
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  Speaker 1: what was the purpose of his coming because of sin?
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  Speaker 1: Jesus came specifically to deal with the problem of sin.
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  Speaker 1: He didn't come just to be a good example or
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  Speaker 1: a great teacher. He came to resolve humanity's fundamental issue.
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  Speaker 1: The result of this mission is that God condemned sin
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  Speaker 1: in the flesh. Think of it like a court room sentence.
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  Speaker 1: Sin was judged and condemned, not in some distant heavenly court,
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  Speaker 1: but in the flesh, that is, in the humanity of Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: On the cross. Jesus took upon himself the condemnation that
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  Speaker 1: our sins deserved. What the law was powerless to do
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  Speaker 1: because of our inability to fulfill it, God did by
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  Speaker 1: sending his son. This is the difference between religion and
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  Speaker 1: the Gospel religion says, do this to be accepted by God.
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  Speaker 1: The Gospel says, because of what Jesus has done, you
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  Speaker 1: are already accepted. Now you can live differently. Paul then
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  Speaker 1: explains the practical result of God's work in Christ. In
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  Speaker 1: Romans eight four, he says, all of this happened in
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  Speaker 1: order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be
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  Speaker 1: fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh.
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  Speaker 1: But according to the Spirit. The ultimate goal wasn't just
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  Speaker 1: to free us from condemnation. It was to empower us
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  Speaker 1: to live as God always intended, fulfilling the law's requirement
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  Speaker 1: not through external obligation, but through an internal transformation worked
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  Speaker 1: by the Spirit. Paul goes on to contrast two ways
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  Speaker 1: of life, walking according to the flesh or according to
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit. He explains in Romans eight five, for those
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  Speaker 1: who live according to the flesh set their minds on
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  Speaker 1: the things of the flesh. But those who live according
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  Speaker 1: to the Spirit set their minds on the things of
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit. The word translated as set their minds speaks
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  Speaker 1: to our mindset, what fills and occupies our thoughts. It's
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  Speaker 1: a matter of focus and values. Those who live according
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  Speaker 1: to the flesh, h are consumed with earthly and selfish desires,
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  Speaker 1: but those who live according to the spirit focus on
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  Speaker 1: what pleases God. This difference in mindset reminds us of
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  Speaker 1: the story of the twelve spies sent to scout out
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  Speaker 1: the Promised Land. When they returned, ten of them were
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  Speaker 1: focused only on the challenges. The land we explored devours
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  Speaker 1: those living in it. All the people we saw there
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  Speaker 1: are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our
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  Speaker 1: own eyes, and we looked the same to them Numbers
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  Speaker 1: thirteen thirty two thirty three. They saw only problems and danger.
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  Speaker 1: But Joshua and Caleb had a different mindset. They focused
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  Speaker 1: on God's promises. The land we passed through and explored
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  Speaker 1: is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us,
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  Speaker 1: he will lead us into that land, a land flowing
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  Speaker 1: with milk and honey, and will give it to us.
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  Speaker 1: Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not
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  Speaker 1: be afraid of the people of the land. The Law
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  Speaker 1: is with us. Do not be afraid of them numbers
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  Speaker 1: fourteen seven to nine. That's the difference between the mind
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  Speaker 1: of the flesh and the mind of the spirit. One
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  Speaker 1: sees only obstacles. The other sees God's promises and power.
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  Speaker 1: And this isn't just a life style difference. It's a
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  Speaker 1: matter of life and death. Paul makes it clear in
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  Speaker 1: Romans eight six, for to set the mind on the
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  Speaker 1: flesh is death, but to set the mind on the
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  Speaker 1: Spirit is life and peace. A mind governed by the
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  Speaker 1: flesh leads to death, not just physical death, but separation
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  Speaker 1: from God, which is true death. But a mind governed
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  Speaker 1: by the spirit leads to life and peace, communion with
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  Speaker 1: God and the inner harmony that only He can give.
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  Speaker 1: Why does the mind of the flesh lead to death?
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  Speaker 1: Paul explains in Romans eight seven to eight the mind
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  Speaker 1: governed by the flesh is hostile to God. It does
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  Speaker 1: not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
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  Speaker 1: Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot
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  Speaker 1: please God. A mind ruled by the flesh is fundamentally
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  Speaker 1: in rebellion against God. It's not just that it makes
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  Speaker 1: occasional mistakes. It is at war with God. It rejects
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  Speaker 1: God's authority and wants to be its own God. That's
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  Speaker 1: why it can't submit to his law, and it doesn't
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  Speaker 1: even have the ability to try the result, Those who
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  Speaker 1: are in the flesh cannot please God. It's impossible. But
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  Speaker 1: the good news is we don't have to stay in
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  Speaker 1: that state. Through the spirit, we can have an entirely
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  Speaker 1: new mindset, one focused on the things of God, resulting
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  Speaker 1: in life and peace. Now, Paul speaks directly to his readers,
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  Speaker 1: including you and me. You, however, are not in the flesh,
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  Speaker 1: but in the spirit. If indeed, the Spirit of God
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  Speaker 1: lives in you Romans eight nine, a relief. If you
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  Speaker 1: have the Spirit of God, you're no longer in the flesh.
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  Speaker 1: You've been brought into a new reality. And how can
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  Speaker 1: we know if we have the spirit? Paul is clear,
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  Speaker 1: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they
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  Speaker 1: do not belong to Christ. Romans eight nine. The Spirit
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  Speaker 1: isn't some optional add on for elite Christians. He is
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  Speaker 1: the defining mark of those who belong to Christ. If
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  Speaker 1: you've trusted in Jesus as your savior, the Spirit already
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  Speaker 1: lives in you. Paul continues to explain this new reality.
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  Speaker 1: But if Christ is in you, then even though your
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  Speaker 1: body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit
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  Speaker 1: gives life because of righteousness. Romans eight ten. Our physical
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  Speaker 1: body is still subject to death because of the sin
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  Speaker 1: that entered the world, but our spirit has already experienced
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  Speaker 1: spiritual resurrection. This brings to mind the story of Ezekiel
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  Speaker 1: and the Valley of Dry Bones. The prophet was taken
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  Speaker 1: by the spirit to a valley full of dry bones,
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  Speaker 1: representing Israel in its spiritually dead state. God asked Ezekiel,
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  Speaker 1: son of Man, can these bones live? Then God commanded
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  Speaker 1: Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, and they came together
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  Speaker 1: forming bodies, but there was still no life in them.
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  Speaker 1: Then God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the spirit. Come
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  Speaker 1: from the four winds, o breath and breathe into these
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  Speaker 1: slain that they may live. When he did breath entered them,
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  Speaker 1: they came to life and stood up on their feet
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  Speaker 1: Ezekiel thirty seven, one to ten. This powerful vision illustrates
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  Speaker 1: exactly what Paul is describing here, spiritually dead bodies coming
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  Speaker 1: to life by the spirit of God. But the story
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  Speaker 1: doesn't end there. Paul goes on, and if the spirit
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  Speaker 1: of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living
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  Speaker 1: in you, he who raised Christ from the dead, will
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  Speaker 1: also give life to your mortal bodies. Because of his
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  Speaker 1: spirit who lives in you Romans eight eleven. The same
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  Speaker 1: power that raised Jesus is now living in you. And
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  Speaker 1: that power does two things. First, it gives life to
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  Speaker 1: your spirit right now. Second, one day, it will resurrect
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  Speaker 1: your physical body, just as it raised jesus body from
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  Speaker 1: the grave. Think about the story of Lazarus. He had
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  Speaker 1: been dead for four days when Jesus arrived. His body
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  Speaker 1: was already decaying. But Jesus cried out, Lazarus come out,
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  Speaker 1: and the dead man walked out, still wrapped in burial clothes.
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  Speaker 1: John eleven, thirty eight to forty four. That's the same
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  Speaker 1: resurrection power. Paul is describing, a power that turns death
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  Speaker 1: into life. But until that day comes, we have a responsibility.
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  Speaker 1: Paul writes, Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation,
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  Speaker 1: but it is not to the flesh to live according
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  Speaker 1: to it. For if you live according to the flesh,
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  Speaker 1: you will die. But if by the spirit you put
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  Speaker 1: to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
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  Speaker 1: Romans eight twelve to thirteen. Paul uses the word obligation.
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  Speaker 1: We are in debt, but not to the flesh. We
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  Speaker 1: owe nothing to our sinful nature. It doesn't deserve our
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  Speaker 1: loyalty or obedience. Our debt is to God, who has
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  Speaker 1: set us free. And what happens if we pay the
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  Speaker 1: flesh what we don't owe, Paul is blunt. You will die.
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  Speaker 1: Living according to the flesh leads to spiritual destruction. On
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  Speaker 1: the other hand, putting to death the misdeeds of the
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  Speaker 1: body through the spirit leads to life. Put to death
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  Speaker 1: doesn't mean torturing your body or denying basic needs. It
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  Speaker 1: means killing sinful desires, saying no to impulses that would
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  Speaker 1: make you away from God. And this isn't done by
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  Speaker 1: willpower alone, but by the spirit, by relying on the
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  Speaker 1: strength God provides. Here's the promise you will live. It's
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  Speaker 1: not a vague possibility, it's a certainty. By living through
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  Speaker 1: the spirit, we experience true life, the abundant life Jesus promised.
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  Speaker 1: That's how the first part of Roman's eight ends, laying
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  Speaker 1: the foundation of our freedom. We are no longer condemned,
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  Speaker 1: no longer enslave to sin, and no longer alone in
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  Speaker 1: this journey. The spirit of God lives in us, empowering
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  Speaker 1: us for a brand new kind of life. The freedom
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  Speaker 1: Paul talks about isn't just a nice idea. It's a practical,
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  Speaker 1: life changing reality. It's what Jesus promised when he said,
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  Speaker 1: you will know the truth, and the truth will set
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  Speaker 1: you free, John eight thirty two. It's what he confirmed
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  Speaker 1: when he declared, if the sun sets you free, you
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  Speaker 1: will be free. Indeed, John eight thirty six. This freedom
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  Speaker 1: begins with the removal of condemnation. Think about what it
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  Speaker 1: feels like to have a massive debt forgiven, a crushing
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  Speaker 1: guilt lifted, a prison sentence overturned. That's what happens when
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  Speaker 1: we are in Christ. Jesus. The condemnation we deserved was
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  Speaker 1: placed on him so that we could receive forgiveness and freedom.
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  Speaker 1: But it's not just freedom from condemnation. It's also freedom
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  Speaker 1: from the power of sin. The law couldn't give us
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  Speaker 1: that kind of freedom because it didn't have the power
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  Speaker 1: to change our hearts. It only showed us how far
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  Speaker 1: we were from the mark. But the spirit of God
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  Speaker 1: works from the inside out, transforming our desires and inclinations.
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  Speaker 1: It's like the difference between trying to quit smoking through
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  Speaker 1: sheer will power versus having the craving itself removed. The
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  Speaker 1: first is incredibly difficult and often fails. The second makes
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  Speaker 1: the change and lasting. The Spirit works on that deeper level,
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  Speaker 1: not just changing our behavior, but renewing our minds and hearts.
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  Speaker 1: This transformation doesn't happen instantly or without effort on our part.
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  Speaker 1: Paul speaks of putting to death the misdeeds of the body,
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  Speaker 1: which suggests a continual process that requires our active participation.
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  Speaker 1: But the crucial difference is this, We're not fighting alone.
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  Speaker 1: The Spirit is with us, giving us both the desire
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  Speaker 1: and the power to change. Living by the Spirit doesn't
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  Speaker 1: mean a life free from struggles or temptations. It means
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  Speaker 1: facing those challenges with a new power, the power of
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  Speaker 1: God himself working in us. It means we are no
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  Speaker 1: longer defined or dominated by sin. We may stumble and fall,
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  Speaker 1: but we don't stay down. The Spirit lifts us up
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  Speaker 1: and helps us keep walking. This is the freedom Jesus
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  Speaker 1: promised and the one all unpacks in romans At. It's
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  Speaker 1: not the freedom to do whatever we want. It's the
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  Speaker 1: freedom to become who we were created to be. Freedom
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  Speaker 1: from the weight of condemnation, freedom from sins in slaving power,
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  Speaker 1: and freedom to live in righteousness and in the power
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  Speaker 1: of the Spirit. Have you experienced this freedom? It begins
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  Speaker 1: when we admit our need for it, when we acknowledge
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  Speaker 1: that we can't free ourselves, when we stop trying to
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  Speaker 1: earn God's approval and simply receive what Jesus has already
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  Speaker 1: done for us. When we let the Holy Spirit take
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  Speaker 1: the lead guiding our thoughts, shaping our desires, and transforming
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  Speaker 1: our actions. In a world full of people searching for
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  Speaker 1: freedom in all the wrong places, in substances, relationships, achievements, possessions,
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  Speaker 1: we have the true answer. Freedom doesn't come from the outside,
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  Speaker 1: but from within. It doesn't come through our own efforts,
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  Speaker 1: but through the work of the Spirit. It's not based
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: on our performance, but on what Jesus has already done.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: This is the revolutionary message of Romans eight one to thirteen.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: The law of the Spirit of Life has set us
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: free from the law of sin and death. What the
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: law was powerless to do, God did by sending his son,
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: and now through the Spirit, we can live a new life,
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: free from the bondage of sin and full of the
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: life and peace that come from God. This message changed
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: Paul's life transforming him from a persecutor of the Church
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: into an apostle of Christ. It has changed the lives
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: of countless people over the past two thousand years, and
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: it can change your life to day if you receive
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: it by faith and allow the Spirit to do his
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: transforming work in you. True freedom is available right now,
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: not through a rules or rituals, but through a life
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: living relationship with God by his spirit. This is the
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: good news of Romans eight. We are no longer condemned,
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: no longer enslaved, no longer alone. We are free, truly
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: free to live the abundant life God always intended for us.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: Paul continues his letter to the Romans by explaining how
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: we can know that we are children of God. In
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: Romans eight fourteen, he writes, for those who are led
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: This is a clear sign being led by the spirit.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: It's not just about having spiritual moments now and then,
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: but about living daily under the spirit's direction. Being led
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: by the Spirit brings to mind the story of the
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: people of Israel being guided in the wilderness after God
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They didn't know the
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: way to the promised land. So God led them in
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: a very visible way. The Lord went ahead of them
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: in a pillar of cloud, by day to guide them
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: on their way, and by night in a pillar of
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: fire to give them light, so that they could travel
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: by day or night Exodus thirteen twenty one. When the
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: cloud moved, they moved. When it stopped, they set up camp.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: They didn't need maps or compasses, just to follow God's presence.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: In the same way, the Holy Spirit guides us to day,
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: not with a pillar of cloud, but through the Bible,
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: an inner piece wise counsel from other believers, and the
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: circumstances he orchestrates. Sometimes the path isn't clear, but the
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: guide is always present. He knows the destination and exactly
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: how to get us there. Paul then speaks about a
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: radical shift in our identity in Romans eight fifteen. He writes,
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: the spirit you received does not make you slaves so
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: that you live in fear again. Rather, the spirit you
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: received brought a your adoption to sonship. And by him
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: we cry, Abba, Father, what a contrast. We were once
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: slaves to sin, living in fear of punishment. Now we
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: are beloved children. This shift from slaves to children reminds
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: us of the story of Moses, who was born a
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: slave but became Pharaoh's son. Pharaoh's daughter found him in
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: a basket on the Nile and decided to adopt him.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: She adopted him and raised him as her own son.
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: She named him Moses, saying I drew him out of
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: the water Exodus two ten. Suddenly a baby destined for
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: death became a prince of Egypt with all the privileges
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: of royalty. What an incredible change in destiny. In the
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: same way, when God adopts us into his family, our
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: identity and destiny are completely transformed. D Ye word adoption
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: that paul uses carried a special meaning in the Roman world.
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: When someone was legally adopted, they received all the rites
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: of a biological child. All debts and obligations from their
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: previous life were erased. They began a completely new life,
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: with a new name, a new identity. That's exactly what
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: happens when we are adopted into God's family, and as
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: adopted children, we can call God Abba father. Abbah is
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: an Aramaic word, the language Jesus spoke. It's an intimate,
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: affectionate term, like daddy in our language. In Jesus time,
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: it would have been unthinkable for a Jew to call
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: God by such a familiar name, But Jesus changed that.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: He himself called God Abba and taught us to do
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: the same. In the garden of Gethsemone on the night
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, Abba, Father, everything is possible
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: for you take this cup from me. Yet not what
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: I will, but what you will Mark fourteen thirty six.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: Even while facing the cross, Jesus approached God with the
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: intimacy of a son, and now, through the spirit of adoption,
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: we have that same privilege. We can come to the
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: creator of the universe with the trust and closeness of
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: a child with their loving Father. Paul continues in Romans
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: eight sixteen. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: we are God's children. We don't have to live in
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: doubt about our identity. The Holy Spirit confirms within us
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: that we truly belong to God's family. It's like having
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: a spiritual birth certificate that proves who we are. Being
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: a child comes with a special privilege being an heir,
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: Paul explains in Romans eight seventeen. Now, if we are children,
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: then we are heirs, heirs of God and co heirs
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: with Christ, if indeed we sh share in his sufferings
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: in order that we may also share in his glory.
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: And here is someone who receives an inheritance the possessions
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: passed down from the father to the children. But Paul
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: goes further. We are not only heirs of God, but
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: co heirs with Christ. That means we receive the same
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: inheritance as Jesus. Everything that belongs to Jesus as the
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: son of God also belongs to us as adopted children.
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: This idea of inheritance reminds us of the story of
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: Jacob and Esau. Esau was the eldest son and by tradition,
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: was entitled to the birthright, a double portion of the
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: inheritance and leadership of the family, but in a moment
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: of weakness, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: bowl of stew. I'm about to die, Esau said, what
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: good is the birthright to me? Genesis twenty five Thirty
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: two Later, Jacob also tricked their fire Isaac to receive
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: the official blessing meant for Esau. What a contrast to
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: our inheritance in Christ? We don't need to compete, deceive,
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: or fight for it. Jesus willingly makes us partakers of
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: his inheritance, and unlike Esau, we must not trade this precious,
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: spiritual inheritance for fleeting pleasures or earthly rewards. So what
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: is this inheritance? In Christ? We inherit the forgiveness of sins,
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: eternal life, peace with God, the right to pray and
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: be heard, the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, and
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: one day a new body, a new heaven, and a
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: new Earth. It's an inheritance that never ends, never decays,
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: and never loses its value. But Paul also mentions a
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: condition if indeed we suffer with him, so that we
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: may also be glorified with him. Being a child of
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: God doesn't mean an easy life. Jesus suffered, and his
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: followers will also face hardships that might include rejection, persecution,
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: or even the daily battle against sin. But Paul connects
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: suffering to glory. Those who share in the cross will
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: also share in the crown. Paul then makes a powerful
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: comparison in Romans eight eighteen, For I consider that the
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: the glory that is to be revealed to us. He's saying,
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: I've done the math, and the outcome is clear. What
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory that's coming.
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: This perspective reminds us of Joseph's story in Egypt, sold
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: as a slave by his own brothers, falsely accused of
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: assaulting Potiphar's wife, forgotten in prison for years, Joseph went
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: through intense suffering, but all of it prepared the way
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: for him to become the second most powerful man in
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: Egypt and to save many lives, including his own family,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: during a great famine. In the end, Joseph if was
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: able to say to his brothers, you meant evil against me,
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: but God meant it for good Genesis fifty twenty. In
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: the same way, the suffering we face now may feel
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: unfair or senseless, but God is working through it for
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: a greater purpose, and when we finally see the coming glory,
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: will realize it was worth it. This glory is so
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: great that Paul says it's not even worth comparing to
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: our present suffering. It's not just a little better, it's
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: immeasurably greater, like comparing a drop of water to the
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: entire ocean or a candle to the sun. There's simply
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: no comparison. Paul then broadens the scope and shows that
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: it's not just us. All of creation is waiting for
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: this future glory. In Romans eight nineteen to twenty one,
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: he writes, for the creation waits with eager longing for
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: Paul personifies creation, the mountains, oceans, plants, animals, the entire
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: universe as someone stretching on tiptoe eagerly waiting to see
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: something wonderful. And what is creation longing for the revealing
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: of the sons of God, the moment when believers are
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: fully transformed and glorified. Creation is subjected to futility. That
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: word futility means something like frustration or purposelessness, the inability
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: to fulfill its intended purpose. When God created the world,
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: everything was perfect, but when man sinned, creation was affected too.
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: Thorns grew on plants, animals became violent, the earth became
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: hard to cultivate, and all of nature began to wear
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: out and die. This subjection of creation to futility echoes
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: the story of the flood. In Noah's day, The Bible
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: says the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: full of violence Genesis six eleven. Human sin affected not
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: only relationships but also the land itself. God sent the
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: flood as judgment, yet he preserved Noah, his family, and
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: representatives of every animal species in the ark. After the flood,
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: God made a covenant not only with Noah, but with
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: every living creature for all future generations, and even with
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: the earth itself Genesis nine twelve thirteen. He placed a
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: rainbow in the sky as a sign of that covenant,
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: showing that his ultimate plan includes the redemption of all creation,
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: not just humanity. But this broken state wasn't God's original
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: disease design, nor will it be the final state of creation.
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: Paul says creation was subjected to futility not willingly. It
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: didn't choose this, but because of Him who subjected it,
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: referring to God's judgment in response to human sin. Still
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: there is Hope. Creation's subjection to futility happened in Hope
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: with the promise that this would one day be reversed.
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: Creation will be set free from the bondage to corruption
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: and will experience the freedom of the glory of the
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: children of God. Just as Christians will be transformed, nature
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: itself will be renewed and released from decay and death.
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: Paul continues in Romans eight twenty two, for we know
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: that the whole creation has been groaning together in the
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: pains of childbirth until now. Creation isn't just waiting passively.
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: It's groaning like a woman in labor, natural disasters, species extinction,
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: environmental destruction. These are the groans of a world in pain,
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: but also of a world anticipating rebirth. These groans are
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: signs of hope, because just as the pain of childbirth
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: signals new life, the groaning of creation points to a
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: new creation that God will bring. The pain isn't the
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: end of the story. It's only the labor pains before
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: something better is born. Paul now shows that it's not
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: just creation groaning, we also groan inwardly. In Romans eight
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: twenty three, he says, and not only the creation, but
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: grown inwardly, as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: the redemption of our bodies. Paul uses the phrase first
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: fruits of the Spirit. In the Biblical tradition, the first
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: fruits were the first part of the harvest that Israelites
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: offered to God. When a farmer saw his crops beginning
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: to ripen, he would tie a red thread around the
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: first ones to appear. Once they were fully ripe, he'd
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: gather them and bring them to the temple as a
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: special offering. They were the first and best of the harvest.
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: This reminds us of the story of the feast of
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: first Fruits in Israel in the spring during Passover, the
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: Israelites would bring the first sheaves of barley to the priest.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: The priest would then wave or present this sheaf before
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: the Lord as an offering Leviticus twenty three, nine to fourteen.
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: This offering expressed gratitude to guard and faith that the
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: rest of the harvest would follow. Significantly, it was on
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: the very day of this feast that Jesus rose from
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: the dead. Paul refers to Jesus as the first fruits
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: of those who have fallen asleep First Corinthians fifteen twenty,
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: meaning his resurrection guarantees our own. Likewise, the holy spirit
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: we have now is just a foretaste, a down payment
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: of the full blessings we will receive in the future.
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, the spirit is a deposit,
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: God's possession Ephesians one, fourteen. The first fruits were also
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: a promise of an abundant harvest. The farmer wasn't expecting
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: just one or two pieces of fruit, He was looking
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: forward to a whole field. In the same way, the
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: spirit we now have is a pledge of the abundant
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: blessings that will come when Christ returns. Even though we
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: already have the spirit, Paul says, we still groan inwardly.
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: This groaning comes from the tension between the already and
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: the not yet of the Christian life. We are already
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: children of God, yet we still struggle with sin. We've
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: already been made new creations, but we still live in
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: bodies subject to sickness and death. We already have eternal life,
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: but we still face hardship and sorrow in this world.
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: That's why we wait for our adoption to sonship, the
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: redemption of our bodies. That may sound odd, Paul just said,
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: we already receive the spirit of adoption, so how can
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: we still be waiting for adoption. It's because adoption happens
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: in two stages. Legally, we're already God's children, but we
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: still wait for the full manifestation of that reality, when
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: even our bodies will be transformed. The redemption of our
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: bodies will happen at the resurrection, when Christ returns. On
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: that day, we'll receive new, perfect, immortal bodies, free from sickness, aging,
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: and death. Bodies that will never again feel pain, never sin,
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: never grow tired, bodies like jesus resurrected body. This hope
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: of bodily resurrection brings to mind the story of Job,
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: perhaps the oldest book in the Bible. In the midst
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: of terrible suffering, the loss of possessions, children, and health,
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: Job expressed his faith in the resurrection. I know that
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed,
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: yet in my flesh I will see God, Job nineteen
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: twenty five to twenty six. Even in such ancient times,
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: Job already held the hope that one day his body
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: would be restored and he would see God. Paul compares
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: our present situation to that of a child who has
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: been legally adopted, but is still waiting to move into
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: the new family's home. The paperwork is signed, we've been justified,
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: but the welcome home celebration, our glorification, is still to come.
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: This expectation of future glory gives gives us the hope
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: we need to endure. Paul explains in Romans eight twenty
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: four twenty five for in this hope we were saved.
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: But hope that is seen is no hope at all.
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: Who hopes for what they already have? But if we
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: hope for what we do not yet have, we wait
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: for it patiently. The salvation we've received is tied to hope.
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: Not a vague, wishful hope, like saying I hope it
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: doesn't rain tomorrow, but a confident certainty in what God
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: has promised, even if we don't see it yet. Paul
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: makes a simple but profound point. Hope that is seen
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: is no hope at all. If you already have something,
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: there's no need to hope for it any more. The
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: nature of Christian hope is that it rests on promises
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: not yet fully fulfilled. This confident hope reminds us of
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: the story of Abraham, whom Paul mentions often in his letters.
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: God promised Abraham a son, even though he and sar
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: were far too old to have children. Against all hope, Abraham,
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: in hope believed without weakening in his faith. He faced
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: the fact that his body was as good as dead
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: was strengthened in his faith Romans four, eighteen twenty. Abraham
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: had no visible evidence for his hope, only the promise
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: of God, but that was enough, and after years of waiting,
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: the promise was fulfilled in the birth of Isaac. That
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: takes patience, Paul says, we wait for it patiently. The
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: Greek word here for patients doesn't mean passive endurance, just
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: putting up with a bad situation. It's an active perseverance,
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: a determined endurance in the face of difficulty. It's the
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: ability to keep going even when the path is hard,
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: because we know the destination is worth it. But we
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: don't wait alone, Paul continues in Romans eight twenty six
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: to twenty seven. In the same way, the Spirit helps
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: us in our weakness. We do not know what we
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: knows the mind of the spirit. Because the Spirit inter
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: sedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: Paul acknowledges our weakness, specifically that we do not know
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: what we ought to pray for. Sometimes life is confusing,
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: pain runs too deep, or we simply don't know what's best.
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: We run out of words. That's when the Spirit steps in.
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: He intercedes for us, meaning he prays on our behalf
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: when we don't have the words, and he does this
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: with wordless groans. These aren't necessarily audible sounds, but a
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: deep kind of communication within us that goes beyond language.
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: This intercession by the Spirit echoes the story of Hannah,
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: the mother of the prophet Samuel. Unable to have children
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: and deeply distressed by the taunts of her rival Paninna.
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: Hannah went to the tabernacle to pray. The Bible says
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: she was praying in her heart and her lips were moving,
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: but her voice was not heard. For Samuel one thirteen,
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: she was so overwhelmed with emotion that she couldn't form
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: audible words. Only groans came from her heart. The priest
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: Eli thought she was drunk, but God understood the deep
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: longing within her. In the same way, when we are
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: too burdened to form coherent prayers, the Spirit intercedes for us,
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: and God understands perfectly. Paul assures us that this intercession
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: of the Spirit is effective because he who searches hearts,
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: God knows the mind of the spirit. Nothing gets lost
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: in translation, and the Spirit always intercedes for the same
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: according to the will of God. His prayers are always perfect,
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: always aligned with what God desires. That brings great comfort.
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: Even when we are confused and wordless. The Spirit is
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: praying through us, expressing our true longings to God in
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: a way that goes beyond our understanding. It's like having
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: a perfect translator who turns our groans into precise prayers.
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: Paul now shares one of the most beloved promises in
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: the Bible. In Romans eight twenty eight, he writes, we
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: know that in all things God works for the good
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: of those who love Him, who have been called according
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: to his purpose. Notice that Paul doesn't say all things
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: are good. There's a lot of suffering, injustice and evil
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: in the world that are not good in themselves. What
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: he says is that God works in all things. He
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: operates through all circumstances, even the hard ones, to bring
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: about a good outcome. This truth reminds us of the
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: story of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. Taken captive
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: as young men and exiled to a foreign land. They
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: faced immense pressure to compromise their faith, yet they remained
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: faithful to God, and He used their difficult circumstances for
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: a greater purpose. Daniel became a respected adviser to kings,
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: able to influence the politics of an empire and protect
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: his people. His friends faced the fiery furnace because they
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: refused to worship the king's statue. But through that trial,
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: the king himself acknowledged the power of the True God.
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: who sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: in him Daniel three twenty eight. The evil circumstances they
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: endured were transformed into powerful testimonies. This doesn't mean everything
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: will turn out the way we want or expect. In
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: this life. The good God has in mind isn't always
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: immediate comfort, but rather are conformity to Christ and eternal glory.
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: Sometimes the medicine is bitter, but it heals. This promise
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: is for those who love Him, who have been called
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: according to His purpose. It's not a universal promise for everyone,
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: but one specifically for those in a relationship with God
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: through Christ. So what is that purpose? Paul explains in
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: the following verses In Romans eight twenty nine thirty, he
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: writes for those God fore knew he also predestined to
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: be conformed to the image of his son, that he
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: might be the first born among many brothers and sisters.
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: And those he predestined he also called. Those he called
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: he also justified. Those he justified he also glorified. Here
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: Paul outlines what many refer to as the Golden chain
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: of redemption, a sequence of divine actions that secure our
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: salvation from beginning to end. It all starts with God
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: foreknowing people. This is not just intellectual awareness, but relational knowing,
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: knowing with love, as when Scripture says Adam new Eve. Next,
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: God predestined these people to be conformed to the image
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: of his son. God's ultimate goal isn't just to get
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: us to heaven, but to transform us to be like Jesus,
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: to reflect his character, love and goodness. Jesus will be
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: the first born among many brothers and sisters, the first
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: in a great family of people who resemble him. Then
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: God the called these people. This is the effectual call
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: of the Gospel, when the Holy Spirit opens our hearts
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: to respond to the message of Christ with faith. Those
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: he called God also justified. Justification is the act by
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: which God declares sinners righteous through faith based on the
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: work of Christ, and finally, those He justified God also glorified.
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: Notice that Paul uses the past tense for something that
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: for most believers is still in the future. That's because
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: in God's mind it's as good as done. It's so
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: certain that Paul speaks of it as if it has
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: already happened. This sequence echoes the story of the Exodus,
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: when God delivered Israel from Egypt. First, God knew his
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: people in their slavery. I have indeed seen the misery
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out,
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: and I am concerned about their suffering. Exodus three seven.
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: Then God predestined Israel to be his special people long
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: before they entered the Promised Land Exodus six six eight.
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: Next he called them out of Egypt through Moses. After
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: that God justified Israel by making a covenant with them
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: at Mount Sinai and providing a sacrificial system to cover
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: their sins. And finally, God's glory visibly dwelled among them
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, a glimpse
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: of the full glorification that would come through Christ. In
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: the same way, God works in our lives from beginning
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: to end, ensuring that his eternal purpose is fulfilled. This
• 48:26
  Speaker 1: unbreakable chain shows that our salvation is secure from start
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: to finish. It doesn't depend on our shaky efforts, but
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: on God's eternal purpose. He doesn't just begin the work
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: in us, he completes it. As Paul says in another letter,
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: I am confident of this very thing that He who
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: began a good work in you will carry it on
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: to completion until the day of Christ Jesus Philippians won six.
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: So our adoption as children and the hope of future
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: glory aren't just wishes. They are certainties grounded in the
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: character and promises of God. We have been chosen, predestined,
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: called justified, and already in God's eyes glorified. The whole story,
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: from eternity past to eternity future, is in the hands
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: of a God who loves us and works in all
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: things for our good. This certainty of future glory gives
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: us strength to face today's challenges. As Paul writes elsewhere,
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: what is unseen is eternal Second Corinthians Ford, seventeen eighteen.
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: When we look to our future as children of God,
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: we see that it is incredibly bright. We have an
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: inheritance that cannot be shaken, a hope that will not disappoint,
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: and a fewtre that cannot be threatened. In Christ, we
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: are more than conquerors. We won't just survive hardships, we
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: will triumph over them and through them. And the most
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: wonderful part is that we are not alone on this journey.
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: We have the Holy Spirit within us, guiding us, strengthening us,
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: and interceding for us. We have each other as brothers
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: and sisters in God's family, and we have the assurance
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: that God is working all things, even the hard, confusing,
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: and painful earns, for our good and for His glory.
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: As Paul will later declare in Roman's Hate, nothing can
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: separate us from the love of God that is in
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus. Our adoption is secure, our future is certain,
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: and our glory is guaranteed. This is the hope that
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: sustains us day after day as we wait for the
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: full revelation of what we already are in Christ, beloved
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: children of God, destined for eternal glory. Paul now reaches
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: the high point of his message. After explaining our freedom
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: from sin and our adoption as children, he asks a
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: question that changes everything. What then, shall we say in
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: response to these things? If God is for us, who
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: can be against us? Romans eight thirty one. This isn't
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: a question that needs an answer. It's a powerful declaration
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: disguised as a question. Think for a moment about what
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: it means to have God for us. We're not talking
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: about just anyone. We're talking about the creator of everything
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: that exists, the King of the universe, the most powerful
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: being who has ever existed. When Paul says if God
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: is for us, the if doesn't suggest doubt. It establishes
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: a fact God really is on our side. The question
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: who can be against us doesn't mean we won't face opposition.
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: Paul knew very well that Christian's face persecution, hardship, and enemies.
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: What he's saying is that in light of having God
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: on our side, any opposition loses its weight. It's like
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: a child who feels safe next to a strong father,
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: even when other kids are threatening him. Remember the story
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: of Elisha. When the enemy army surrounded the city to
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: capture him, his servant was terrified. Elisha prayed for God
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: to open the servant's eyes, and then he saw the
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: Second King six seventeen. Elisia said, don't be afraid. Those
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: who are with us are more than those who are
• 52:43
  Speaker 1: with them sat King six sixteen. That's exactly what Paul
• 52:48
  Speaker 1: is saying. With God on our side, opposing forces don't
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: stand a chance. Paul then gives the ultimate proof that
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: God is for us. In Roman's too, he writes, he
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: who did not spare his own son, but gave him
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: up for us all, how will he not, also, along
• 53:07
  Speaker 1: with him, graciously give us all things. This is an
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: argument from the greater to the lesser. If God has
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: already given us the most precious gift, his own son,
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: he will surely not withhold anything lesser. Think of parents
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: who save for years to pay for their child's college education.
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: After investing so much in their future, would those parents
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: refuse to give the child a pencil to take notes?
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: Of course, not in the same way. God, who already
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: paid the ultimate price by giving his son to die
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: for us, surely won't hold back anything we need for
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: our spiritual lives. The phrase did not spare his own
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: son recalls the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asked
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, and Abraham was willing
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: to obey. At the last moment, God provided a ram
• 54:01
  Speaker 1: as a substitute and said, now I know that you
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: fear God because you have not withheld from me your son,
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: your only son, Genesis twenty two to twelve. But what
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: God spared Abraham, he did not spare himself. He gave
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: Jesus over to death for us. And the giving of
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: Jesus wasn't an accident or some unforeseen tragedy. It was
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: a deliberate act of love. God gave him up, a
• 54:28
  Speaker 1: conscious decision, driven by love, and it was for all
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: of us, not just the good or the deserving, but
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: for sinners who didn't deserve such a sacrifice. The conclusion
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: is clear, how will he not also, along with him,
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: graciously give us all things? If God has already given
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: us the greatest gift, we can trust that He will
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: supply everything else we truly need, and not just things,
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: but all things. Nothing truly important, will be withheld. As
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: Jesus said, seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: and all these things will be added to you Matthew
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: six thirty three. Paul continues with another powerful question in
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: Romans eight thirty three. Who will bring any charge against
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Again,
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: It's a rhetorical question, and the answer is, no one
• 55:27
  Speaker 1: can successfully accuse us. The picture here is of a
• 55:31
  Speaker 1: court room. Someone might stand up to accuse God's chosen ones,
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: those he has called to himself. It could be human enemies,
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: it could be Satan himself, whose name literally means accuser,
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: or even our own guilty conscience. The accusation might be
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: You're a sinner, You've failed, you don't deserve God's love.
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: But Paul dismisses these accusations with one simple fact. It
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: is God who justifies. If the Supreme Judge has already
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: declared you righteous, what weight do the accusations of any
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: one else carry? If the only verdict that truly matters
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: is already in your favor, what difference do other opinions make.
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: This reminds us of the story of Joshua, the High
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: Priest in Zechariah three. There, Joshua stands before the Angel
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: of the Lord, clothed in filthy garments symbolizing his sins,
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: and Satan is right there to accuse him. But God
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: rebukes Satan, commands that Joshua's clothes be changed, and declares, see,
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: I have taken away your sin, and I will put
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: fine garments on you, Zechariah three four. That's what God
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: does for everyone in Christ. He removes our guilt and
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: clothes us in the righteousness of Christ. Paul continues in
• 56:53
  Speaker 1: Romans eight thirty four, Who then, is the one who
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: condemns no one? Christ? Jesus, who died, more than that,
• 57:01
  Speaker 1: who was raised to life, is at the right hand
• 57:04
  Speaker 1: of God and is also interceding for us. After addressing accusation,
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: Paul moves on to condemnation and shows that this too
• 57:13
  Speaker 1: is impossible. Why because Christ, Jesus is the one who died.
• 57:19
  Speaker 1: Jesus already bore our condemnation on the cross, as he
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: himself said. God did not send his son into the
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: world to condemn the world, but to save the world
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: through him. John three seventeen. The penalty has been paid,
• 57:35
  Speaker 1: the debt settled, justice satisfied. There can be no double
• 57:39
  Speaker 1: punishment for the same offense. But Paul doesn't stop there.
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: He adds, more than that who was raised to life,
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: The resurrection is proof that Jesus's sacrifice was accepted by God.
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: If Jesus had remained in the tomb, we might wonder
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: whether his death was sufficient. But he rose. That shows
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: God accepted his payment, and that the victory over sin
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: and death is complete. More than that, Jesus is at
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: the right hand of God. This is a position of
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: supreme honor and authority in the ancient Middle East. Sitting
• 58:19
  Speaker 1: at the right hand of a king meant sharing in
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: his power and rule. Jesus is not distant or unreachable.
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: He is at the very center of power, at God's throne,
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: representing us. And finally, Jesus also intercedes for us. He
• 58:35
  Speaker 1: didn't just die for us in the past. He's actively
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: working on our behalf in the present, like a lawyer
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: defending his client. The writer of hebrew says, therefore he
• 58:46
  Speaker 1: is able to save completely those who come to God
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: through him because he always lives to intercede for them.
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: Hebrews seven twenty five. Think of Peter when Jesus said
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: to him, Simon, Si Symon, Satan has asked to sift
• 59:02
  Speaker 1: all of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon,
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: that your faith may not fail Luke twenty two, thirty
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: one thirty two. Even when Peter failed, jesus intercession sustained him.
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: In the same way, Jesus is interceding for us and
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: his prayers are always heard. Paul now turns to the
• 59:23
  Speaker 1: practical challenges Christian's face. In Romans eight thirty five, he
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: asks who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness
• 59:35
  Speaker 1: or danger or sword? Again, the question is rhetorical, but
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: this time Paul lists seven possible separating forces, seven situations
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: that might lead someone to doubt Christ's love. Trouble refers
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: to external pressure like heavy stones pressing down. Hardship is
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: the internal pressure fear and anxiety when facing trials. Persecution
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: is the targeted attack because of one's faith. Famine and
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: nakedness represent the lack of basic needs. Danger is the
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: constant threat, and sword stands for violence that can lead
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: to death. Paul isn't speaking theoretically. He experienced every one
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: of these. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, when hungry, cold,
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: and in peril Second Corinthians eleven twenty three to twenty seven.
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 1: He knew exactly what he was talking about, and it
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 1: wasn't just Paul. In Romans eight thirty six, he quotes
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: Psalm forty four twenty two For your sake we face
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: death all day long. We are considered as sheep to
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 1: be slaughtered. Early Christians faced ongoing persecution. Some, like Stephen
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: the First Martyr Act seven, were killed for their faith.
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 1: Others lost their homes, their jobs, and even their families
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 1: because of Christ. To be facing death all day long
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 1: means living under constant threat, like Jews during the Holocaust
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: or Christians in some regions today. To be considered as
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: sheep to be slaughtered means being treated as if your
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 1: life has no worth, like animals being led to the butcher.
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 1: The underlying question is do these hardships mean God doesn't
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: love us? Has Christ's love failed? Many people think so.
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: They say, if God loved me, this wouldn't have happened.
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: Or how can I trust in someone's love while I suffer?
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: But Paul gives a completely different answer in Romans eight
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: thirty seven. He declares, no, in all these things, we
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Notice
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 1: Paul doesn't say despite all these things, but in all
• 1:01:50
  Speaker 1: these things, the hardships themselves become the very stage for
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: our victory. And we're not just conquerers, we're more than conquerors.
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: This isn't a last many when it win or a
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: narrow escape, it's a decisive, overwhelming, abundant victory. How is
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: that possible? Paul is clear, through Him who loved us,
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: our victory doesn't come from our own strength, endurance, or courage.
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: It comes from Christ's love at work in us. His
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: love sustains us when everything else fails. His love gives
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: us strength to keep going when we want to give up.
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: His love transforms even suffering into a tool for our good.
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 1: Remember Joseph sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused,
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 1: unjustly imprisoned, and yet victorious in the end. He told
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: his brothers, you intended to harm me, but God intended
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: it for good Genesis fifty twenty. In the same way,
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 1: the love of Christ turns even the worst circumstances into
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: opportunities for triumph. After reflecting on Christ's love that overcomes
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 1: every hardship, Paul shares his personal conviction in Romans eight
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: thirty eight to thirty nine. He writes, for I am
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: height nor depth nor anything else. In all creation will
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 1: be able to separate us from the love of God
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 1: that is in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. I am convinced.
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: Paul isn't just stating an opinion or hope. He's declaring
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: an unshakable certainty. This isn't wishful thinking. It's a rock
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: solid confidence, grounded in God's character revealed in Christ. Paul
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 1: lists ten forces that might seem capable of separating us
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: from God's love, just to affirm that none of them can.
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: These ten cover pretty much every possibility. First, neither death
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 1: nor life. Death feels like the ultimate end, the great separator,
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: but Paul says, not even death can sever our connection
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: to God's love. Jesus promised I am the Resurrection and
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: the Life. The one who believes in me will live
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: even though they die John eleven, twenty five. And life,
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: with all its distractions and temptations, can't separate us either.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: Neither angels nor demons. These terms likely refer to supernatural beings,
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 1: possibly fallen angels, or spiritual powers. Paul's point, no spiritual force,
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 1: no matter how powerful, can rip us from God's love.
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: As Jesus said of his sheep, no one will snatch
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 1: them out of my hand John ten twenty eight. Neither
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 1: the present nor the future. Nothing in the present, no
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 1: matter how painful or challenging, can separate us from the
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: love of God. And nothing in the future, no matter
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 1: how uncertain or frightening, can break that bond. Our circumstances
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: are constantly shifting, but God's love remains unchanging. Nor powers.
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 1: This word refers to authorities, possibly including human institutions and governments.
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: Paul is saying that no power in this world, whether political, military,
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: or economic, is strong enough to separate us from the
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: love of God. As he wrote in another letter, If
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: God is for us, who can be against us? Romans
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 1: eight thirty one. Neither height nor depth. These terms might
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: refer to spatial extremes, the highest heavens or the deepest seas.
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: There is no place in the universe beyond the reach
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: of God's love, As David wrote, if I go up
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: to the heavens, you are there. If I make my
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: bed in the depths, you are there also Psalm one
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: thirty nine eight. Nor anything else in all creation. Paul
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: wraps up with a sweeping declaration that covers anything he
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: may have left out. Creation here means everything created everything
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: in the universe except God himself. Nothing in all existence
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: has the power to separate us from the love of God.
• 1:06:04
  Speaker 1: This love is in Christ, Jesus, our Lord. God's love
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 1: is not an abstract force or fleeting emotion. It is
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 1: a personal love demonstrated and secured in Jesus Christ. It's
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 1: a love that proved itself on the Cross and was
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: sealed in the resurrection. It does not depend on our
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 1: performance or worthiness, but on the unchanging character of God.
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 1: Paul's conviction brings to mind the story of the prodigal
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: Son Luke fifteen eleven to thirty two. Even after the
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: son squandered his inheritance and sank into disgrace, the father's
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 1: love remained steadfast. When the son finally came home, he
• 1:06:46
  Speaker 1: found the Father waiting with open arms. In the same way,
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: God's love for us doesn't rest on our faithfulness, but
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: on his own. During his time on earth, Jesus told
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: another powerful story worry about God's love. In the Parable
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: of the Lost Sheep Luke fifteen three to seven. The
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: shepherd leaves ninety nine sheep to search for the one
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: that's lost. When he finds it, he lifts it onto
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: his shoulders and returns home, rejoicing. Jesus said, this is
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: a picture of God pursuing the lost sinner. That persistent, searching,
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: unwavering love is the love Paul says, nothing can separate
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: us from. Think also of Ruth and Naomi. When Naomi
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 1: lost her husband and sons and decided to return to Bethlehem,
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 1: she urged her daughters in law to go back to
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: their own families, but Ruth answered with unforgettable words, where
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: you go, I will go, and where you stay, I
• 1:07:48
  Speaker 1: will stay. Your people will be my people, and your
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: God my God. Ruth one sixteen. This is the kind
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: of loyal, inseparable love Paul is describing, except God's love
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: is infinitely stronger and more enduring than any human love.
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: The prophet Jeremiah also captured this truth when he recorded
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: God's words, I have loved you with an everlasting love.
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 1: I have drawn you with unfailing kindness Jeremiah thirty one three.
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: And the prophet Isaiah wrote this promise from the Lord.
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 1: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 1: Yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken,
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 1: nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: who has compassion on you, Isaiah fifty four to ten.
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: God's love is like an anchor for our souls in
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 1: stormy times, when everything else is uncertain, when life feels chaotic,
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: when the future is unclear, we can lean on this truth.
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: God's love for us in Christ is inseparable, unshakable, and eternal. Nothing,
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: absolutely nothing can change that. In hard days, when doubt
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: whispers that God has abandoned us, we can remember Paul's words,
• 1:09:03
  Speaker 1: I am convinced, and we can make that conviction our own.
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 1: No matter what happens, God's love remains when we lose
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: our job, when the relationship ends, when the diagnosis is grim,
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 1: when a loved one passes through all of it, God's
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 1: love stays constant. He loved us in the past, he
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 1: loves us now, and he will love us forever. It's
• 1:09:26
  Speaker 1: like a mother's love for her child. The prophet Isaiah asks,
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should
• 1:09:34
  Speaker 1: have no compassion on the son of her womb, And
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: even acknowledging that rare cases might exist, God promises, even
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 1: if she does forget, I will not forget you Isaiah
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: forty nine fifteen. God's love is stronger and more enduring
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 1: than even a mother's love. Think of jesus words on
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: the cross, Father, forgive them, for they do not know
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: what they are doing Lou twenty three thirty four. Even
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 1: in the midst of unimaginable pain and rejection, jesus love
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: never faltered. If he could love his executioners that way,
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: how much more does he love those who trust in him.
• 1:10:14
  Speaker 1: This is not a fragile love that needs to be
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: shielded from hardship. It's a rugged love that thrives even
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: in the harshest environments. It's the love that stood with
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: the three Hebrew young men in the Blazing Furnace and
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 1: with Daniel in the Lion's Den. It's the love that
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: sustained the martyrs in their trials and the confesses in
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: their prison cells. It's a love that knows no limits
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: and accepts no barriers. The Greek word Paul uses for
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 1: separate is chorizo, which literally means to put space between,
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: to divide, or to separate. Paul is saying that nothing
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 1: can create distance between us and the love of God,
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: no matter where we are, what we've done, or what's
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: happening in our lives. God's love meets us there. Jesus
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 1: himself promised, and surely I am with you always to
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: the very end of the age Matthew twenty eight twenty.
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: And the Psalmist declared, if I rise on the wings
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 1: of the dawn, if I settle on the far side
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 1: of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me.
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: Your right hand will hold me fast Psalm one hund
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 1: thirty nine nine to ten. There is no place where
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 1: God's love cannot reach us. This inseparable love is not
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: just a concept. It's a living reality. It is the
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: love of God that is in Christ, Jesus, our Lord.
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: It is love embodied in a person who took on
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: flesh and walked among us. Love that ate with sinners,
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: touched lepers, welcomed children, and wept at a friend's tomb,
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: A love that in the end stretched out its arms
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 1: on a cross to embrace us. It's the love Paul
• 1:11:56
  Speaker 1: spoke of in his letter to the Ephesians. Pray that
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 1: they may know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 1: Ephesians three nineteen. It's a love so vast we can
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 1: never fully comprehend, it, so deep we can never fully
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: explore its depths. This is the love Paul is absolutely
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: convinced of. Nothing can separate us from it. Not the
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 1: greatest forces in the universe, not spiritual powers, not time,
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 1: not space, not any imaginable circumstance. The love of God
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 1: in Christ is the most certain, most secure, and most
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 1: trustworthy reality in all existence. This is the love Paul
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: is absolutely convinced of. Nothing can separate us from it.
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: Not the greatest forces in the universe, not spiritual powers,
• 1:12:47
  Speaker 1: not time, not space, not any imaginable circumstance. The love
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: of God in Christ is the most certain, most secure,
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 1: and most trustworthy reality in all existence. To the end
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: of our journey through Romans eight, the most important chapter
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: in the Bible, we've seen how we are set free
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 1: from condemnation by the power of the Spirit, how we've
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 1: been adopted as God's children with a guaranteed future glory,
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: and how God's love for us is utterly unbreakable. If
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: this message spoke to your heart today, don't keep it
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 1: to yourself. There are so many people out there who
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 1: need to hear that nothing can separate them from the
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: love of God. People who feel condemned, who wrestle with guilt,
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: who are going through trials and wondering if God really
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: loves them. So, if this study helped you, go ahead
• 1:13:39
  Speaker 1: and hit that shere button now. You never know who
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: might need to hear this exact word today. And if
• 1:13:44
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• 1:13:48
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• 1:13:51
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• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: we bring fresh messages to strengthen your faith and deepen
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 1: your understanding of God God's Word. Remember, neither height, nor depth,
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 1: nor anything else in all creation will be able to
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: separate us from the love of God that is in
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus our Lord. Carry this truth in your heart,
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 1: share it with those you love, and will see you
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: in the next video. God bless your weak See you
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: next time.