Series: Romans
Title: Heirs Suffer with Christ
Text: Romans 8: 16-18
Date: January 13, 2019
Place: SGBC, NJ
Romans 8: 16: The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Being born of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit bears witness in that new
spirit he has put within us. Christ said
the Spirit would bear witness of Christ.
John 16: 13:…when he,
the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall
not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he
will shew you things to come. 14: He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall shew it unto you.
A sinner only knows he is a child of God when
he agrees with the Spirit of God that our salvation is Christ alone by grace
alone through faith alone! The Spirit witnesses
that we are children because God the Father chose us and blessed us in Christ, predestinating unto the
adoption of children by Christ—without
cause in us—child of God says Amen! Thank
you Father!
The Spirit witnesses that we are children because
the Son of God was made flesh, made sin, made a curse, to make us righteous in
him, that we might receive the adoption of sons—the child of God says Amen! Thank you Lord!
The Spirit witnesses that we are sons because
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father—the child of God cries, Father my Father,
thank you!
Proposition: We prove we are
children by suffering to the end with Christ that we might be glorified
together with Christ. Note: This coming
Friday night, Lord willing, we will look at perseverance of the saints—this is
it!
Subject: Heirs Suffer with
Christ
HEIRS
OF GOD
Romans 8: 17: And if children, then heirs; heirs
of God, and joint-heirs with Christ
If we are children then we are heirs of
God. This hope God gives only to his children—if children, then heirs. The Spirit has made us know we are heirs
of God.
Titus 3: 4:…the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man
appeared, 5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost; 6: Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7:
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life.
Titus 1:2 [we have] hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began;
When Christ is formed in us, we praise our
Father because he has made us fit for this inheritance.
Colossians 1: 12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath [past tense]
made us meet [nothing else needed] to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light:
Galatians 3:29: if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise.
We are kept by God because Christ has
accomplished our salvation.
1 Peter 1: 3: Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, 4: To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you, 5: Who are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time.
Worldly men do not have this hope. They hope only for things in this life. When they die their hopes end, they leave all behind, meet God then eternity
of darkness.,
Job 27:8: For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained,
when God taketh away his soul?
Proverbs 11:7: When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and
the hope of unjust men perisheth.
Sinner, cast your care on Christ today and God
will give you this good hope that Christ
guarantees to all who believe on him—a sure
hope. Death only ushers us into our eternal inheritance.
THE BELIEVER’S INHERITANCE
What is the believer’s inheritance? Will-worshipping religious folks talk about
rewards in heaven with a mercenary spirit.
To them heaven will be no different than this world. Tthey work to indebt God to give them the biggest mansion on the best block in heaven so that poor
believers, who they out-worked, will look on them with envy from the poor side
of heaven from the windows of the projects!
Nonsense!
Read verse 17 again carefully. Believers are “heirs OF GOD…” Our
inheritance is God himself, Christ himself!
God says to his children what he said to Abraham,
Genesis 15:1…Fear not…: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
We are priests unto God. Christ “loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father; to
him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev 1: 5). “The
LORD said” to the priests “I am thy
part and thine inheritance” (Nu 18: 20).
Not only is God our inheritance, we are his inheritance—Deuteronomy 32: 9: For the LORD’S portion is
his people…
JC Philpot
said, "All the love of God, the goodness
of God, the holiness of God, all his happiness, bliss, and blessedness, all his
might, majesty, and glory, shining forth in the Person of his dear Son in the
blaze of one eternal, unclouded day—this is the saint's inheritance.”
Child of God, think of that:“All things are yours;…And ye are Christ’s;
and Christ is God’s.” (1 Cor 3:21-23)
IF WE SUFFER
Romans 8: 17…if so be
that we suffer with him,…
Proof we are the children of God and heirs of
God is if we suffer to the end with Christ.
You do not win a race by starting then stopping halfway. You must cross the finish line. All Christ’s children suffer with Christ for Christ by his grace. He
said we must suffer.
Matthew 16: 22: Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be
it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23: But he turned, and
said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 24: Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25: For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Christ’s children deny themselves, take up his
cross suffering due to our identification with him. First, we “suffer
the loss of all things and count them but dung that we might win Christ and be
found in him.” Secondly, we except
reproach and persecution for the sake of our Lord, possibly even death. But we identify with Christ and his people
under his gospel because Christ suffered for us.
Hebrews 13:12: Wherefore
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered
without the gate. 13: Let us go
forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14:
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
All his apostles and
saints suffered persecution. The
apostles all suffered with Christ. Paul
said,
1Thessalonians 2:2: But even after that we had suffered before, and were
shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak
unto you the gospel of God with much contention.
All Christ’s people suffered with
Christ. Paul said of the Thessalonicans,
1 Thessalonians 2:14: ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of
God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things
of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: 15 Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own
prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to
all men: 16 Forbidding us to speak to
the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the
wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
Brethren, Christ says
before he returns it will be that way again. I could see that happening soon!
But God gives more grace and more faith to
behold Christ our Reward which makes us love Christ and choose to suffer with Christ.
Hebrews 11: 24
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25: Choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season; 26: Esteeming
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had
respect unto the recompence of the reward. 27: By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for
he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
God causes us to suffer to keep us mindful
that things visible are not our lasting home.
1 Corinthians 4: 14: Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus
shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15: For all
things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the
thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16: For which cause we faint
not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by
day. 17: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 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.
A few verses down from our text, Paul said
Romans 8:24: For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not
hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25: But if we hope for
that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Brethren, Christ hates lukewarmness. Let’s be true followers of Christ, really
forsake all and suffer with him.
1 Peter 2:21: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
But Christ said,
Matthew 5:11: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake. 12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you.
GLORIFIED TOGETHER
Romans 8: 17…we
suffer with [Christ], that we
may be also glorified together.
Believers have a different attitude toward
any kind of suffering because if we suffer with Christ until the end we know we
shall be glorified: not with Christ’s essential glory, nor his mediatorial
glory, but with the glory his Father gave him to give to us. There is glorification of the saints in Christ, glorification of saints by Christ and glorification of saints with Christ.
1 John 3:2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is.
What will that be
like? I have no idea. If I tried to describe it I would fall short.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him.
So, believing God, we
endure suffering because we know—Romans
8: 18:…that the sufferings of
this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us. So let me close with this
1 Peter 3: 8: Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion
one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9: Not rendering
evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that
ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10: For he that
will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and
his lips that they speak no guile: 11: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let
him seek peace, and ensue it. 12: For the eyes of the Lord are over the
righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord
is against them that do evil. 13: And who is he that will harm you, if ye be
followers of that which is good? 14: But and if ye suffer for righteousness’
sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear: 16: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you,
as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation
in Christ. 17: For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for
well doing, than for evil doing.
1Peter 1:13: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 4:13: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers
of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad
also with exceeding joy.
Brethren, when you suffer, say what the brethren of old said, Psalm 73:24: Thou [Father] shalt
guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 25: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there
is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26: My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart,
and my portion for ever. Remember, 1 Peter 5:10: the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
stablish, strengthen, settle you.
AMEN!