Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Forever God’s Children”
Paul instructed the Galatians concerning a continual internal warfare in every believer.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:17
Paul described his own personal internal struggle in chapter 7 of Romans. Having shared this traumatic internal struggle, Paul emphatically declared the truth of the certain victory in Christ. Chapter 8 describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our battle against the flesh and the glory of the new life in Christ.
New Victory in Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit
1. The Holy Spirit eliminates condemnation for those in Christ 8:1
Even though our struggle to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh continues, God does not condemn us. He is committed to our complete transformation or glorification. So don’t be afraid to draw near.
2. The Holy Spirit establishes His new life in our spirit 8:2-10
Even though our members are still under the sentence of death because of sin and are indeed still in the process of dying, there is a new engine, a new core, a divinely resurrected new man established within us as a stronghold for transformation of the rest of us. So we are to focus on your new identity. Take hold of the eternal life that has been so graciously established in our life by God. Paul goes on to express hope even concerning these sin-soaked bodies.
3. The Holy Spirit ensures complete deliverance 8:11
God has not only given us a new engine but promises a new body to go with it through His indwelling Spirit. Focus on the end product. Fix you hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Christ.
4. The Holy Spirit enables us to put to death the works of the flesh and emulate the father’s nature. 8:12-15
The Holy Spirit directs and empowers us to deal with the fleshly habits and left over attitudes ingrained in our body and soul. Anger, sensuality, selfishness, jealousy, gossip, immorality, fleshly desires, greed, evil thoughts, rebellion, lying, stealing, hurtful words, malice, dissension, outbursts of anger. All of these things are characteristics of the old flesh that continue to vie for expression through the body and soul. The Holy Spirit empowers the new core created by God in the believer to exhibit the character of God. Love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, goodness, self-control
Paul told Timothy to focus on living a godly life.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Tim. 2:21-22
How do we put those deeds to death?
• Surround yourself with Christ and the things of Christ not the world
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
• Connect with the Holy Spirit.
It all boils down to surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit in our life.
How does that happen? It happens through surrender, trust, faith. God sanctifies us through the same means as He saved us.
As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, Col. 2:6
To hook up to the power the Holy Spirit we must first
• CRY OUT FOR HELP from Abba Father”.
• LISTEN to the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Faith responds to hearing)
• TRUST in His word.
• RECEIVE the promises power.
• OBEY what He tells you to do.
Realize you are an adopted son! As adopted sons of God we have the direction and example of a new father. How do we know we belong to Christ? We belong tot Christ if the Spirit in dwells us. How do we know if the Spirit dwells in us?
5. The Holy Spirit echoes our sonship
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God 8:16
This same resident presence of Christ in the Holy Spirit does two things regarding our sonship.
• He continually affirms to our spirit that we are truly God’s cherished children.
Why do we need such continually affirmation? Because the enemy continually assaults us! When we forget whose son we are, we begin to live contrary to our core identity.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and we are!
1 John 3:1
Are you a child of God? Have you heard the witness of the Spirit in your spirit?
• He assures us of our future glorious heritage as children of God.
and since children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, since indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 8:17
The Holy Spirit reminds us that as children of God we become heirs to everything that belongs to the Father just as Jesus is heir to all that belongs to the Father.
"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
John 16:15
So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God. 1 Cor. 3:21-23
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5
This inheritance is for all that have been joined to Jesus and his suffering. The “if indeed” could read “since” you suffer with Him in his death and resurrection.
Spiritually, all genuine Christians suffer with Christ in a world hostile to Him. Jesus said in the world you will have tribulation but our hope is that Jesus has overcome the world.
Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered on earth. (Heb 5:8) Contrary to a great deal of teaching today, the call to follow Christ is a call to suffering.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 1 Peter 2:21
It is from the dark moments of suffering that God launches the bright millenniums of glory. Having called attention to our suffering as joint heirs with Christ and the promise of glory, Paul shares his eternal perspective on suffering and coming glory as well as the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the midst of suffering.
6. The Holy Spirit encourages us in the midst of misery
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18
Paul endures the present pain by embracing the future splendor with the eyes of faith.
“I consider” -- To think, reason, ponder, calculate. “I continually (present tense) calculate that no amount of present suffering compares to the wonder of promised glory.”
“Sufferings” – thing that one suffers by way of misfortune, emotional trauma, physical infirmity.
“glory” -- splendor, brightness, perfection, honor, praise, applause.
Paul thinks ahead to the glory that will be revealed at Christ’s return. Peter called us to fix our hope completely on the hope to be brought to us at the revelation of Christ. (1 Peter 1)
Paul drew a picture of future glory for the Colossians.
“When Christ who is our life is revealed that we too will be revealed with Him in glory.” Col 3
Paul managed present misery by musing on future glory. In fact, in Paul’s mind, there is no comparison between the two. He expressed the same outlook to the Corinthians.
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18
It is so easy to allow the gloom of the present to obscure the glory of the future. We tend to get fixated on escaping our present dilemma. We see no value in today’s struggle. Paul viewed his troubles as “momentary light affliction”. What were Paul’s troubles? He included a catalog of calamity in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.
The view of the church today on suffering approaches the heretical.
“If you are suffering there must be sin in your life.”
“If you trust God, you will not suffer.”
“God is there to eliminate suffering.”
“Come to Jesus and He will ease your suffering.”
The truth is, you may experience intensified suffering! You pick up some pretty ruthless enemies by switching sides. When someone embraces Christ and God establishes a new core, we find that there is not only an internal struggle with sin but there is an external one as well. The Holy Spirit enables victory in the war with the flesh but also provides hope in the struggle with the tribulation of a fallen world.
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 8:19-22
Nature itself anxiously waits our revealing in glory God promises His children.
Why is there trouble in our world? Because of man’s sin, the perfect environment in which God placed them suffered devastating corruption and futility. Think of our world without death. Some scientific observations we have gathered into laws were completely different before sin brought death and decay. Paul pictures creation groaning in agony like a woman in childbirth awaiting a special anticipated event. What is the event? It is awaiting the same freedom promised to the sons of God. Creation awaits the revealing of the sons of God in glory. Both the animate and inanimate world anxiously longs and waits for our revealing. God promises that we will share in Christ’s glorious return.
“We exult in hope of the glory of God” “Rom 5:5
“Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27)
“Christ will bring many sons to glory.” (Heb 2:10)
What is going on inside of the true child of God? We too anticipate that astonishing occasion.
And not only this, but also (along with creation) we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 8:23
The Holy Spirit within each believer provides enough of a taste of glory that it causes an agonizing longing to experience the “full meal deal” of our salvation. Our response to this suffering is an internal agony to experience what we will not experience until our full redemption. Without suffering, we will never fully appreciate the deeper longings residing in the newly created core of every child of God for intimate relationship with Abba Father!
An honest reading of Scripture and study of those who archived the deepest intimacy with God is a study in suffering. It is a study in brokenness.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Elijah Moses, David, Naomi, Ruth, Jeremiah, Hosea, Paul, Peter, John, Jesus, those in the last section Hebrews 11 – people unnamed but people God said the world was not worthy.
For most of us, the only thing that can break our preoccupation with being comfortable rather than holy is suffering and brokenness. The only thing that can get us in touch with the deeper longing for genuine intimacy with God is to shake the things we deem and cherish more than relationship God. There are times when anything seems more appealing than intimacy with God. The things of earth that I can see and touch seem so much more real than a heaven I can’t or a heaven that is future and outside of my experience. Rather than deny the inner groaning and longing or trying to numb the pain we must fully consider, embrace, and contemplate what is truly important. We must consider that the temporary suffering and pain of this age have no comparison to the eternal weight of glory that awaits us. What we see and experience here and now on earth is only the down payment of what God promises His children in the future. Paul identifies here just one aspect – our full adoption, the redemption or deliverance of our body.
No more body of death. It will be raised a body of glory. It will be a body of resurrection.
In our horrific struggle to transition from the old kingdom to the new, the old man to the new man, death to life, kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light, Paul encourages us to hold on to hope generated by the Holy Spirit.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.8:24-25
The unseen reality is the eternal reality. We see only through a foggy windshield on the road of life. When it comes to experience of the promise, we don’t see or feel it very distinctly. Hope is the sense of certainty concerning an event or promise even though it has not yet been realized or come to pass. People make decisions in the present based on future hope all the time.
I charge an item with the certainty that I will have a job and get paid in the future.
I skip lunch with the certainty that we will go out and have a nice dinner later.
I pass up a job in hopes that a better job promise will materialize.
The Holy Spirit keeps our future hope alive and vital. He encourages us to endure the present tribulation in light of a glorious future. He provides glimpses today of what we hope and long for tomorrow. He Himself is a taste of what spiritual life in the future will be. We have the hope that one day the Holy Spirit will transform even these bodies. He helps now by arranging glimpses of His power to transcend physical infirmity. We have the hope of one day having full enlightenment into the mysteries of God. He helps us now by providing glimpses of enlightenment into the truth of God. We have the hope of freedom from the screams of the flesh. He helps us now by enabling periodic tastes of victory over the flesh. We have the hope of an unhindered expression of genuine worship.
He helps us now by inspiring moments of awesome connection. We have the hope of perfect fellowship and communion with other saints. He helps us now by occasional awe-inspiring unification between people that warms the soul. There is a groaning now – a longing for what we were designed but can’t have till later. For now there is a groaning and longing to live in untainted community with God and each other.
Rather than try to numb out the pain of shattered expectations and dreams, we can allow the Holy Spirit to minister and provide a glimpse into the future.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit! Romans 15:13
We can maintain our hope so we can minister through our deepest longings and pain. It is when things get grim that we get in touch with the deepest longings to experience life as God intended, to know God on a much deeper level. Sometimes in this deepest despair the darkness becomes even darker and the silent God becomes even more silent. Rather than continue our pursuit of God we too often we take the easy way out and grab for the quick fix and the easy way out.
Name the poison – rejection, pain, mystery, confusion, ridicule, broken dreams, Divine silence, relational turbulence, or career collapse.
Whatever the trauma, we run for whatever prescription we have found most quickly numbs the pain. Our concern is rarely the cause of the pain as long as we eliminate the pain. Rather than submit to a life saving surgery intended to remove the cancer we grab drugs designed only to numb the pain of the cancer. The cancer in most of us is identification with the cry of the flesh for paradise now. We are more interested in immediate happiness than the painful holiness that alone brings eternal joy and happiness. We are more interested in personal comfort than spiritual communion.
So we look for the cure and pop the pill of food, shopping, entertainment, sensual delight, success, affirmation, achievement, happiness, man-centered religion designed to soothe the troubled soul. God longs to relate with us on a much deeper level. He wants to be our number one pursuit no matter what it takes. He sent His Holy Spirit as a down payment of what our future can and will be so that we will not sell our in the present for the counterfeits. In the midst of our groaning along with creation… In the longing for our full redemption…The Holy Spirit draws our attention to the future so that we along with Paul can cry, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Not only does the Holy Spirit provide brief glimpses of a future glorious existence but also He continually intercedes in the present with the Father on our behalf when we are too confused to even know how to pray or what to pray for.
7. The Holy Spirit edits our prayers in the midst of weakness.
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 hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 8:26-27
How much more can we ask? Paul confirms that Jesus continually intercedes for us. (vs. 34 & Hebrews 7:25) Also the Holy Spirit continually intercedes for us according to the will of God. He groans along with us. When we pray for physical healing so that we can escape the discomfort of physical infirmity, the Holy Spirit prays for deeper intimacy with God through he illness. When we pray for God to give us a spouse, the Holy Spirit prays that we will grow more deeply in love with God. When we pray for happiness, the Holy Spirit prays for the holiness that will bring true happiness. When we pray to win the lottery so that we will never have to struggle financially, the Holy Spirit prays for faith to believe God to supply what we need, no less, no more. Whatever our prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the ultimate purpose of God for us.
What is that purpose? What is God’s will? That we will see in the next section next week.
The key to surviving the struggle with the flesh to live life according to the here and now is to focus on the future and listen to the Holy Spirit.
? Draw near to God through the Holy Spirit because there is no condemnation.
? Focus on your new identity because even though your body is dead because of sin (in the past and in the present) your spirit is now alive through the Holy Spirit because of righteousness.
? Remember that the Holy Spirit promises to renew even our sin-soaked bodies.
? Continually put to death the deeds of the body and emulate the fruit of the Spirit by the leading and might of the Holy Spirit.
Cry out Abba Father
Listen
Trust
Receive
Obey
? Remember that you are a child of the King standing to inherit the whole enchilada.
? Focus on the future glory promised every child of God by noticing the brief glimpses of genuine spiritual life when we surrender daily to the Holy Spirit.
? Rest in the perfect intercession of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.
For now, in this time of suffering, there is an awful lot of groaning going on.
Creation groans
We groan
The Holy Spirit groans.
But God will use the very thing we try to avoid to bring about our ultimate glorification. Sometimes, when God appears to be distant and silent, He is doing his most profound work. While Jesus cried out on the cross and groaned under the weight of the sins of the world and the silence of His papa Father, God was accomplishing the most profound work of redemption for a lost world. I don’t know what God is doing in the silence in your life today but I can assure you it is a most profound work. It may be prelude to a radical cancer surgery to eradicate pockets of cancerous flesh hindering the deepening of your relationship with God. But He is a good God and as we will see next week committed to work all things together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And His ultimate purpose for every believer is to experience full glorification throughout all eternity in perfect communion with Him.
