Romans – The Play Part 7

We’re not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in you, for there is an anxious longing of creation waiting eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subject to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption, into freedom. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit—even we ourselves—groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons. That is, the redemption of the big trouble spot: your body.

For in hope, we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. And in the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes…

Oh, I’m going to stop right there. Alright, we’ll go through verse 27. Now, coming back here to verse 18, we have two more things the Holy Spirit is doing for us. Jesus Christ did a lot for us in Romans four, five, six, and seven. In Romans 8, we find the Holy Spirit doing a great deal for us. Lord Jesus Christ, of course, delivered us from having to try to obey the law, which we could not fulfill, and saved us from trying to have good deeds that would help us in our right relationship with God. The Lord Jesus Christ justified us and made us righteous, died for us on the cross. But He did a great deal in that, not just in the offering for our sins to justify us and to make us righteous, but also to take us into death with Him. First, He made us one with Him. Christ made us one with God and one with Christ. That sin couldn’t find us, and death couldn’t find us. And the law couldn’t find us because we have been shown that death ends all contracts and all relationships.

Have you ever had a relationship with a corpse? Of any kind? Any kind of relationship with any kind of corpse? Not really. The contract is broken with sin, the law, good deeds, human righteousness, human holiness, human sanctification, and human justification. All this is broken in the cross. Now, He has made us one with the Lord. He has delivered us from seeking to fulfill the law. I’m in Romans 7 now. Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ has also delivered us from the Christian life.

We come to Romans 8. I’m going to put it in this context. I’d say, actually, from Romans 5, when we find that we are saved, truly, genuinely saved, that I would say all of Romans 6 and all of Romans 7 and all of Romans 8 is written for the psychotically insecure. May I repeat that? Most of Romans 5, Romans 6, Romans 7, and Romans 8 are written for the psychotically insecure Christian who is psychotically insecure about his relationship to God and his own spiritual status. Alright, are you following me? That is ALL of us. And so, the first thing we looked at, and alright, see, we’ve had all this done for us. And isn’t it wonderful? And didn’t you praise the Lord? And still you had a fight with your husband. And still you had a fight with your wife. And still you did something you didn’t want to do. And still you did something you shouldn’t have done. And still you got depressed. Say amen.

Still, you got down on yourself. And still, you believe that God didn’t love you anymore. Or at least He sure didn’t love you right now. You sure do have a low opinion of your Lord. Last time I spoke, I told you about my grandson. That, you know, I really can’t imagine anything that kid would ever do that would cause me to disown him. Don’t care what it is. He’s not even my son; He’s my grandson.

But we have this feeling that our relationship with Jesus Christ is so tenuous, so fragile. I tell you, saint of God, you still feel that this one there looking over your shoulder is mostly angry and watching you to see what you do. So, Paul is writing to you, the psychotically insecure. And the first thing that the Holy…now, Christ did all of those things. Now, Romans eight – you still need buttressing, you still need encouragement and security, you still need a good word. You’re still, even though you know that sin is dead to you, and you are dead to sin, and the law is dead to you, and you are dead to the law, and you know you’ve been made righteous and holy, yet you are captured in time and space. And then you get up in the morning and you have all these problems, and you learn—I hope you’ve learned—that most of your problems are in your flesh. And the Lord has compartmentalized the sin factor all the way over into the flesh. And from His viewpoint, it has been totally and utterly dwelt and dealt with. It is no longer you, but sin that dwells in you, who does these things.

And the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, has dealt with the flesh. That’s the first thing. The Holy Spirit who dwells in you. This is Romans 8, the first few verses. Romans 8, the first few verses. The Holy Spirit has utterly, totally, completely dealt with that which is a problem that ain’t you. The flesh has been dealt with by an indwelling Holy Spirit. You, in turn, have the Holy Spirit in you, do you not? Yes or no? Well, if you have the Holy Spirit in you by some means beyond us, you are in the Holy Spirit. Now, if you have the Holy Spirit in you, and you are in the Holy Spirit – will you believe me, just take my word – sin can’t get to you, and death can’t get to you. And that’s where you are. And that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. All these other things were the work of the Lord. Now we’re looking at the Holy Spirit, you psychotically insecure Christian.

Then we learned about sonship. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have been made a son of God, but the Holy Spirit in you is daily reminding you and proving to you that you’re a son of God. Now you’re all anxious to hear how He reminds and encourages you and bolsters you up that you’re a son. But forget that for a minute and concentrate on the fact you’re a son of God. That is more important. We’re going to learn today that there is a hidden race upon this earth. Unknown to the world, there has really been an invasion from another realm. There really has been spirit snatchers and soul snatchers, not body snatchers, who has come in, and another life form has come from another realm, out there somewhere beyond outer space, has come in and possessed a number of people on this earth. And they have in some way ceased to be human beings, sons of men, and have become sons of another form of life—sons of God. Well, now, that’s wonderful, isn’t it?

Except on the day when you get mad at your husband. Except on the day when you get mad at your wife. Except on the day when somebody fires you at the job. One day, when you just do something you know is so un-Christian, it doesn’t matter. Romans 4 doesn’t matter. Romans 5 doesn’t matter. Romans 6 doesn’t matter. Romans 7 doesn’t matter. Romans 8 doesn’t matter. You just have to go get depressed. Say amen. It’s true. Why don’t you admit it? Alright, shake your head. I want to make sure I don’t have any hypocrites in here. It’s as true as it can get.

But have you ever been led by the Holy Spirit? You have? You people are too subjective. You have been led by the Holy Spirit? My goodness, a lot. You really would say you’ve been led by the Holy Spirit? You really have, huh? Well, the fact that you have been led by the Holy Spirit is proof that you are a son of God. There is your proof. Now think about that for a minute. In all of my life, I don’t remember any unbeliever ever telling me that he has been led by the Holy Spirit. I have heard them say that they have read their horoscope and today was a good day, or a bad day. Helen and I rented a home one day on the basis of what? New York Drive. I don’t know, it might not have been, but the man said he read his horoscope that day, and today was a good day to do business, and so he rented his house to us. He wasn’t being led by the Holy Spirit.