Abed_nego2
Servant of the Lord
The Gift
When James was a college student, he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer‘s showroom for a very long time. He knew his parents could afford it and told them, that this car is all that he wanted as a gift on the day of his graduation. Graduation day came and his father called James into his private office. He told him: “I’m very proud to have such a good son like you.” He told him how much he loved him and handed him a lovely wrapped gift.
James felt disappointment, but he was curious to know what it was, so he opened the box and saw a leather-bound Bible. “You are so wealthy and all you can give me is a Bible” as James shouted at his father with anger and left the house. Time passed and James became a very successful businessman. He was happily married and had two children. Their family lived in a beautiful house. However, his heart and soul still hurt due to the broken relationship with his father. James hadn’t seen his father since his graduation day. One day he received a letter, which told him his father passed away.
According to the father’s Last Will and testament he had inherited all of the possessions of his father. When James arrived at his father‘s house and began to look for a important paper, he accidentally found the Bible, still gift-wrapped. Sadness filled his heart and with tears in his eyes, he opened the Bible and read a verse that was underlined by his father: “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give to those who ask Him?” Suddenly a car key had dropped from the back of the Bible. He knew that it was the keys to the same car that he desired at that time. James also found a tag with the date of his graduation on it and the words “Paid in full“.
God has given us a precious gift in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ for our salvation, and "A New Life - Now & Forever". All we have to do is accept His gift – the price has been “Paid in full” by the blood of Christ.
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Our text - Romans 8
Theme - The believer, who is eternally secure in salvation because of God’s plan and work, should have a walk that evidences the Spirit’s work in his or her life.
2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”
Memory Verse - Romans 8:5-6, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”
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Introduction
Because we are born with a sin nature everyone needs to be saved. Isaiah 64:6 says that “all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags”. Those who recognize their sinfulness and accept the free gift of salvation that God provided, are given a new life, now and forever. Romans 8:32 is a great verse that says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things”; and Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Our study provides a spiritual test of sorts in determining one’s spiritual health. It lists six signs of a new life in Christ. Every believer ought to examine their life for these signs and adjust their spiritual diet and exercise accordingly, to encourage spiritual growth within their lives. If you wanted to invest your money in the stock market you would more than likely go to a financial advisor to help you invest wisely for your future. He might suggest putting your money in high-yield savings accounts, money market funds, Government bonds and Mutual funds to name a few. What about our “spiritual account” ? Having accepted Christ as Savior, God wants us (his children) to invest wisely in our spiritual future as well. Through the ups and downs of life’s circumstances we should continually invest in a “spiritual account” - our character. In 2 Peter 1:5-7, the apostle Peter urged the early followers of Christ, (which applies to us today), to continue growing in our:
(1) Faith,
(2) Virtue, which means our behavior, showing high moral standards such as Goodness, Honesty, Righteousness, Truth, Worthiness, Purity and Integrity.
(3) Knowledge,
(4) Self-control,
(5) Perseverance,
(6) Godliness,
(7) Brotherly Kindness, and
(8) Love.
Peter said, "If these things are yours and abound (or are increasing), you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" Without them we become blind and forget the marvel of being cleansed from our sins by the blood of Christ. There isn’t any way to acquire instant spiritual maturity regarding God’s Word. We cannot press a key, or click a computer button and have God suddenly create in us a wonderful, well-rounded knowledge of Him and His Word. Abraham couldn’t. It took years of seeking, trusting, waiting and obeying before he fully knew the God who called him (and so it is with us). We need to read the Bible, meditate on it, putting into practice what it says.
James 1:22-25, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it they will be blessed in what they do.”
If we do what James tells us in these few verses we will then begin to know more of God Himself. His Word is nourishment for our mind, body and soul. The future returns of our faith and investment in our character will be:
(1) Goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual-affection and love
(2 Peter 1:5-7), (2) Fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8),
(3) Assurance of our calling (2 Peter 1:10), and
(4) Victory over sin and a rich welcome into His eternal kingdom (2 Peter 1:11).
Investing money in a retirement fund can be profitable for the here and now; however, investing in our spiritual lives offer the best kind of return for our future with Christ! May God grant us all grace to keep growing in the knowledge of knowing Him. That was my introduction. Now, we will get into the study. The signs of a new life in Christ are a new HEART, a new WALK, a new MIND, a new HELPER, a new OBLIGATION and a new RELATIONSHIP.
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1. A New Heart
A new heart is also a sign of a new life in Jesus Christ. The Bible mentions the heart around 1,000 times, which tells me it’s very important what God thinks about our heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is”? Prior to being born again with a new life our heart was naturally:
(1) Evil (Hebrews 3:12, “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God”),
(2) Wicked (Jeremiah 17:9),
(3) Weak (Ezekiel 16:30),
(4) Double (Psalm 12:2),
(5) Hard (Ezekiel 3:7),
(6) Stony (Ezekiel 11:19),
(7) Haughty (Proverbs 18:12),
(8) Proud (Proverbs 21:4, “Haughty eyes and a proud heart - the unplowed field of the wicked produce evil”),
(9) Perverse (Proverbs 12:8), and
(10) Foolish (Romans 1:21, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened”).
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However, having a new life, in Christ, God dwells in our hearts and He is the only One who can make our heart:
(1) Clean and pure (Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”),
(2) Good (Luke 8:15),
(3) Faithful (Nehemiah 9:8),
(4) Honest (Luke 8:15),
(5) Soft (Job 23:16),
(6) New (Ezekiel 18:31-32, “Rid yourself of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit;. Why will you die, people of Israel, For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live”),
(7) Tender (Ephesians 4:32),
(8) Pure, Matthew 5:8),
(9) Perfect (1 Chronicles 29:9), and
(10) Wise (Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom”.
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Proverbs 4:23 tell us to, ”Guard our heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”. We must also realize that guarding our heart is pretty much a full-time job because we don't know on any given day what's going to come up. You don't know when somebody may say something to you that may hurt you, disappoint you or let you down. Then suddenly, there's a wound in your heart that needs to be dealt with. Since you don't know when this will happen, you have to continuously allow the Holy Spirit to guard your heart and mind.
Our heart condition depends on the things we allow in such as: our thoughts and attitudes that will ultimately shape the deepest part of our being. God's work of creating a new heart within us involves testing our heart. Psalm 17:3 says, "Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed". Deuteronomy 8:2 puts it this way, "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty-years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands". God fills our hearts with new ideas, new wisdom, and new desires.
1 Kings 10:24, "The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart". My brethren, the heart is the core of our being, and the Bible sets high importance on keeping our heart pure. Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life".
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2. A New Walk
Romans 8:1-4, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
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God gloriously solved the problem of sin by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, the God-Man, to deal with it (Romans 8:1-2). For those who receive Him and are born again, Jesus Christ condemns sin in the flesh. That is, He renders it inoperative, like a bridge that has been closed to traffic. He does this by bringing in a stronger force, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates; He gives new life (Romans 8:2). This life is stronger than the flesh or the old sinful nature (1 John 4:4).
This new life enables the believer to have a new walk, a walk according to the Holy Spirit and not according to his own desires and passions (Romans 8:4). He lives differently than he used to live. This difference demonstrates that his life has been transformed. However, believers do not always walk according to the Spirit, as Paul clearly demonstrated in Romans 7. In reality, don’t we all sometimes go our own way and neglect our fellowship with Him? I know I have. Many times, I believe we are so worried about where we're headed in life and all the distractions there are today that we fail to enjoy being with Christ each day? If we “take time off” from our relationship with God, we will miss the guidance of His Word and the fellowship we experience in prayer, going to Sunday school and church and having our daily devotions.
Along our walk in this world, we need to talk with the Lord Jesus, listen to Him, enjoy His presence, and trust in His guidance when we cannot see what lies ahead. It isn’t just the destination that’s important, but also the journey we take together, which is a continual relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thus, taking time off will seriously weaken our walk and especially our relationship with Him.
Additionally, in our instant age in which we live, we tend to be looking for shorter and easier ways of doing things. However, there is no way to acquire instant spiritual maturity regarding God’s Eternal Word. We cannot press a key, or click a computer button and have God suddenly create in us a wonderful, well-rounded knowledge of Him and His Word. Abraham couldn’t. It took years of seeking, trusting, waiting and obeying before he fully knew the God who called him (and so it is with us).
Peter urged the early followers of Christ to continue growing in their faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). He said, "If these things are yours and abound (or are increasing), you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". Without them we become blind and forget the marvel of being cleansed from our sins by His own blood. The future returns on our investment in our character will be:
(1) Godliness (2 Peter 1:5-7),
(2) Fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (v. 8),
(3) Assurance of our calling (v. 9), and
(4) Victory over sin (v. 10).
Believers do have the freedom to walk by the Spirit. Enoch, the Old Testament saint, "walked with God three hundred years" (Genesis 5:22). Then he just walked off the earth into God's presence without experiencing death (Hebrews 11:5). In Genesis, Noah is mentioned as a just man, perfect in his generations and he walked with God. Satan cannot, therefore, keep a believer from realizing victories over sin and the resultant joy and communion with God. Furthermore, believers can rest in the fact that they are justified by God and will never stand condemned before him (Romans 8:1).
We should ask ourselves how is our walk with God? Is it continual or do we some times take time off or lag behind? To walk with God, we must keep in step without taking time off, running ahead or lagging behind. It doesn’t make any difference how long you have been a child of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, you need to guard God’s precious Word and your relationship with Him, because 1 Peter 5:8 tell us to, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.
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3. A New Mind
Romans 8:5-8, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God”
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The believer, walking after the Spirit, also has a new mind. 1 Corinthians 2:16, “But we have the mind of Christ”. Our thoughts have the power to paralyze or motivate us, to thrust us into the depths of despair or propel us to heights of celebration. They can center us in truth or lead us, slowly but steadily down the destructive path of deception. Scripture tells us human wisdom is faulty at best, leading mankind to call good evil and evil good. Imagine having the power to rise above our petty, contrary, and often harmful thought patterns to view our world and circumstances as Christ does. Though we can’t know all that our Savior does, Scripture tells us once we accept His free gift of salvation, we’re given the mind of Christ
This means we have the ability to maintain the same focus and values as Christ has. I believe it also means viewing the world through a Christ centered lens. And yet this gift, which is given to every believer freely, must be developed in order to be of full value. We do this by taking our thoughts captive; reading, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture; spending consistent time in the presence of Christ; and leaning heavily on a trust accountability partner and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Further, to be spiritually minded is to be characterized by life and peace (Romans 8:6). Someone whose mind has been changed knows that he is on the way to everlasting life. In contrast, the mind of the flesh is death. The flesh is the old sinful nature (the old man). To mind the things of the flesh is to be centered in self, to seek one’s own gratification, to be occupied with the present with no thought of the future and glorifying God.
The person with the mind of the flesh is unsaved. He lives in the condition of death now and is on the path to eternal death. His mind actively opposes God (Romans 8:7). This opposition to God is the underlying attitude of the unsaved - even of people who do not seem antagonistic toward Him. It is the ruling factor deep in their souls, and given a certain stimulus, it will come to view. The mind of the flesh is incapable of true submission to God. Being subject to God’s law is contrary to the very essence of our old nature. Consequently, the unsaved cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
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4. A New Helper (The Holy Spirit)
Romans 8:9-11, 14, “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God”
If the Holy Spirit does not indwell an unsaved person; that person does not belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit abides in the body of every born-again person (1 Corinthians 6:19). This indwelling occurs the moment we are saved, and the Spirit never leaves us. We may quench or grieve Him (as we do from time to time), but we cannot drive Him away. Without the ministry of the Spirit, the church would never have been founded. Godly leaders would never have been called, believers added, gifts distributed, service rendered, or growth realized.
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St. Nicholas Church in Galway, Ireland, has both a long history and an active present. It’s the oldest church in Ireland, and it provides guidance in a very practical way. The church towers over the town, and its steeple is used by ships’ captains as a guide for navigating their way safely into Galway Bay. For centuries, this church has reliably pointed the way home for sailors.
Certainly all of us can identify with the need for guidance. In fact, Jesus addressed this very need during His Upper Room Discourse. He said that after His departure the Holy Spirit would play a crucial role in the lives of believers. As part of that role, Jesus promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).
What a marvelous provision! In a world of confusion and fear, guidance is often needed. We can easily be misdirected by the culture around us or by the brokenness within us (1 John 2:15-17). However, God’s Spirit is here to help, to direct, and to guide. How thankful we can be that the Spirit of truth has come to give us the guidance that we often so desperately need. We need to set our course by His life, and we will reach safe harbor, just as the sea captain’s did going into Galway Bay.
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5. A New Obligation
Romans 8:12-13, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation - but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live”
When we were unsaved, we desired to satisfy the lusts of the flesh. We felt obligated to satisfy its needs and passions. In fact, the person totally dominated by the old nature, yielding to its cravings and lusts, shows that he is in the way of death. He has not been saved; he shall die (Romans 8:13). This is the same truth Paul stated with different words in verse 6. The believer, however, is no longer a debtor to the flesh. He does not need to feel obligated to fulfill his former desires. Thus if, through the strength of the Holy Spirit, a person mortifies, or puts to death, the desires of the flesh (Colossians 3:5-10), he gives evidence of having been born again, of possessing eternal life. Verse 13 is not teaching salvation by works. Mortifying the deeds of the body is not the cause of salvation - it is the evidence of it.
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6. A New Relationship
Romans 8:15-17, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory”
A human heart naturally feels fear or terror toward God, which is why the heathen offered sacrifices. They try to pacify or appease God (or their gods). Generally, more civilized people show less fear, because many of them have been lulled into a sense of false security. They have convinced themselves that God is love. But when a person’s conscience is aroused, he feels fear.
Believers are not given this spirit of fear; instead, God has given them the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15). Judicially, or officially, God has placed believers as His sons. They possess all the legal rights of sonship. Yet the relationship is more than legal or external. God has also put the Holy Spirit in a believer’s heart. The Holy Spirit makes believers to instinctively call God their Father. As further internal evidence that we are children of God, we have the witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). This is not just the Spirit’s witnessing to our spirits, but joining with our spirits to assure us that we are true children of God. While we read the Word, listen to a message, or simply meditate on spiritual things - or even in an entirely unexpected moment - somehow the assurance that we are God’s children comes home to our souls.
Since we are children of God, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Joint heirs does not mean dividing, but entering with Christ into the whole inheritance. Many people long for an earthly inheritance. All Christians, the sons of God, will enter into an inheritance beyond valuation. In this life, all believers do not have equal material blessings. But all will have an equal place in Christ’s inheritance. This inheritance is future glory. It includes a redeemed body and fellowship with God and His saints through endless eternity, and is all by the grace of Almighty God!
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A. The Holy Spirit’s Work
Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God”
In our present state of suffering and hoping, we have many infirmities. One is specifically mentioned here: We know not what we should pray for as we ought (Romans 8:26). God’s will is not always immediately apparent to us. Sometimes we just don’t know how to pray. The Spirit then comes to our aid. He takes our groanings (our sighs that baffle words) and translates our perplexities into a petition. The Father, searching our hearts, recognizes the Holy Spirit’s prayer (Romans 8:27). Such prayer is always answered because it is always according to the Father’s will.
The Holy Spirit is mentioned some 56 times in the book of Acts as: (1) filling, (2) helping, (3) guiding, (4) calling, (5) aiding, (6) growing, (7) sanctifying, (8) maturing, (9) organizing, (10) assisting, (11)regenerating, (12) teaching, (13) testifying to, (14) interceding for, (15) reminding, (16) grieving over, and (17) loving believers, who make up the church.
Without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, there is no church, but with the ministry of the Spirit, the church shines forth beautifully. John 4:26 says, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” and John 15:26, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me”. When we are led by the Spirit, our lives will be characterized by love, joy, peace, and self-control (Galatians 5:16, 22-23)
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B. God’s Plan - Romans 8:28-34
Note how the truth in verse 27 leads into the truth of verse 28: Spirit-originated prayers lead into a pattern in which all things work together for good. Each experience may not be good, but together all experiences work for our good. The word purpose is the key to this section. God’s purpose is to conform believers to the image of Christ. While we are to grow in His likeness throughout our Christian lives, the task will not be completed until we are glorified at the Rapture, when we shall be like him (1 John 3:2).
God has determined that His purpose of conforming saved ones to Christ’s image will be fulfilled. To carry out this plan, He has established an unbreakable chain of five links in the process: He foreknew, then predestinated, then called, then justified, then glorified. While there are numerous ideas of precisely what election means in regards to salvation, the fact that believers are elect is indisputable (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). Simply put, the doctrine of election is that God chooses, determines, elects, predestines who will be saved.
The Bible doesn’t instructs us to be concerned regarding our status of elect vs. Non-elect. Rather, God calls us to believe, to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus tells his disciples that he has chosen them in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” He also notes that no one is able to come to faith “unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44), pointing to the idea that God is the one who starts the work of faith.
When discussing why people do not believe, Jesus also makes statements that reflect the teaching that God has appointed some, as he tells his opponents in John 10:26, “they do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” His sheep come from multiple folds (nations) and will listen to his voice (John 10:16). This teaching of Jesus is not confined to the Gospel of John. In Matthew 22:14 it is stated “many are called, but few are chosen”.
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C. God’s Unending Love (The Believer is Made Secure)
Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”. Our lesson says this about God’s love for us. Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be ale to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
If you are ever tempted to write yourself off as insignificant among the billions of people on earth, consider this. You are a one -of-a kind creation of God (Psalm 139:13-14). That’s true even of identical twins. There never has been and never will be another person exactly like you. Even more important, God values you (Matthew 6:26-30) and has gone to great lengths to show His love. The Bible says that His Son Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life for you (Galatians 2:20).
If you were to ask a loving mother of a large family which child she would be willing to give up, I’m sure she would think your question was absurd. Susannah Wesley, for example, had 19 children. Among them were John and Charles, who spearheaded the evangelical revival in 18th-century England. Yet, if you were to read the letters she wrote to each of her children, you would marvel at her concern for their unique personalities and problems. It was as if each child was her one ad only offspring. That’s a picture of how much God cares about you. If you are ever tempted to wonder if He knows you exist or cares what happens to you, remember what Jesus did for you on the cross. That’s how much He loves you. Think about this. God knows and numbers the stars, yet He is concerned about you and me, even though we’re broken by sin.
He binds our shattered hearts with sensitivity and kindness, and He brings healing into the depths of our soul. The greatness of God’s power is the greatness of His heart. His strength is the measure of His love. All the stars which He calls by name will fall from the sky someday. The are not God’s major concern, we are! He “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).
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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Can trials and suffering? Does experiencing these difficulties indicate that the Lord no longer loves us? An emphatic NO is the answer! In fact, these experiences, taken in the will of God, make us better Christians, and we become more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). The truth is that nothing can separate a believer from God’s love. Death cannot, nor can life (Romans 8:38), which for a Christian is sometimes worse than death. Nothing in the spirit world can. Nothing in time can, neither present nor future. Nothing in the heights or depths, the limitless reaches, of space can (Romans 8:39). No other creation can (Romans 8:39).
Since nothing shall ever separate us from the love of God, we are secure! God wants His chosen ones to be with Him in Heaven someday, so He prepared a plan that would not allow anything or anyone to prevent this outcome.
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Remember our love has limits but God’s love is boundless and loves you as much as if you were His only child.
When James was a college student, he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer‘s showroom for a very long time. He knew his parents could afford it and told them, that this car is all that he wanted as a gift on the day of his graduation. Graduation day came and his father called James into his private office. He told him: “I’m very proud to have such a good son like you.” He told him how much he loved him and handed him a lovely wrapped gift.
James felt disappointment, but he was curious to know what it was, so he opened the box and saw a leather-bound Bible. “You are so wealthy and all you can give me is a Bible” as James shouted at his father with anger and left the house. Time passed and James became a very successful businessman. He was happily married and had two children. Their family lived in a beautiful house. However, his heart and soul still hurt due to the broken relationship with his father. James hadn’t seen his father since his graduation day. One day he received a letter, which told him his father passed away.
According to the father’s Last Will and testament he had inherited all of the possessions of his father. When James arrived at his father‘s house and began to look for a important paper, he accidentally found the Bible, still gift-wrapped. Sadness filled his heart and with tears in his eyes, he opened the Bible and read a verse that was underlined by his father: “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give to those who ask Him?” Suddenly a car key had dropped from the back of the Bible. He knew that it was the keys to the same car that he desired at that time. James also found a tag with the date of his graduation on it and the words “Paid in full“.
God has given us a precious gift in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ for our salvation, and "A New Life - Now & Forever". All we have to do is accept His gift – the price has been “Paid in full” by the blood of Christ.
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Our text - Romans 8
Theme - The believer, who is eternally secure in salvation because of God’s plan and work, should have a walk that evidences the Spirit’s work in his or her life.
2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”
Memory Verse - Romans 8:5-6, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”
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Introduction
Because we are born with a sin nature everyone needs to be saved. Isaiah 64:6 says that “all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags”. Those who recognize their sinfulness and accept the free gift of salvation that God provided, are given a new life, now and forever. Romans 8:32 is a great verse that says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things”; and Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Our study provides a spiritual test of sorts in determining one’s spiritual health. It lists six signs of a new life in Christ. Every believer ought to examine their life for these signs and adjust their spiritual diet and exercise accordingly, to encourage spiritual growth within their lives. If you wanted to invest your money in the stock market you would more than likely go to a financial advisor to help you invest wisely for your future. He might suggest putting your money in high-yield savings accounts, money market funds, Government bonds and Mutual funds to name a few. What about our “spiritual account” ? Having accepted Christ as Savior, God wants us (his children) to invest wisely in our spiritual future as well. Through the ups and downs of life’s circumstances we should continually invest in a “spiritual account” - our character. In 2 Peter 1:5-7, the apostle Peter urged the early followers of Christ, (which applies to us today), to continue growing in our:
(1) Faith,
(2) Virtue, which means our behavior, showing high moral standards such as Goodness, Honesty, Righteousness, Truth, Worthiness, Purity and Integrity.
(3) Knowledge,
(4) Self-control,
(5) Perseverance,
(6) Godliness,
(7) Brotherly Kindness, and
(8) Love.
Peter said, "If these things are yours and abound (or are increasing), you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" Without them we become blind and forget the marvel of being cleansed from our sins by the blood of Christ. There isn’t any way to acquire instant spiritual maturity regarding God’s Word. We cannot press a key, or click a computer button and have God suddenly create in us a wonderful, well-rounded knowledge of Him and His Word. Abraham couldn’t. It took years of seeking, trusting, waiting and obeying before he fully knew the God who called him (and so it is with us). We need to read the Bible, meditate on it, putting into practice what it says.
James 1:22-25, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it they will be blessed in what they do.”
If we do what James tells us in these few verses we will then begin to know more of God Himself. His Word is nourishment for our mind, body and soul. The future returns of our faith and investment in our character will be:
(1) Goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual-affection and love
(2 Peter 1:5-7), (2) Fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8),
(3) Assurance of our calling (2 Peter 1:10), and
(4) Victory over sin and a rich welcome into His eternal kingdom (2 Peter 1:11).
Investing money in a retirement fund can be profitable for the here and now; however, investing in our spiritual lives offer the best kind of return for our future with Christ! May God grant us all grace to keep growing in the knowledge of knowing Him. That was my introduction. Now, we will get into the study. The signs of a new life in Christ are a new HEART, a new WALK, a new MIND, a new HELPER, a new OBLIGATION and a new RELATIONSHIP.
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1. A New Heart
A new heart is also a sign of a new life in Jesus Christ. The Bible mentions the heart around 1,000 times, which tells me it’s very important what God thinks about our heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is”? Prior to being born again with a new life our heart was naturally:
(1) Evil (Hebrews 3:12, “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God”),
(2) Wicked (Jeremiah 17:9),
(3) Weak (Ezekiel 16:30),
(4) Double (Psalm 12:2),
(5) Hard (Ezekiel 3:7),
(6) Stony (Ezekiel 11:19),
(7) Haughty (Proverbs 18:12),
(8) Proud (Proverbs 21:4, “Haughty eyes and a proud heart - the unplowed field of the wicked produce evil”),
(9) Perverse (Proverbs 12:8), and
(10) Foolish (Romans 1:21, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened”).
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However, having a new life, in Christ, God dwells in our hearts and He is the only One who can make our heart:
(1) Clean and pure (Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”),
(2) Good (Luke 8:15),
(3) Faithful (Nehemiah 9:8),
(4) Honest (Luke 8:15),
(5) Soft (Job 23:16),
(6) New (Ezekiel 18:31-32, “Rid yourself of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit;. Why will you die, people of Israel, For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live”),
(7) Tender (Ephesians 4:32),
(8) Pure, Matthew 5:8),
(9) Perfect (1 Chronicles 29:9), and
(10) Wise (Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom”.
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Proverbs 4:23 tell us to, ”Guard our heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”. We must also realize that guarding our heart is pretty much a full-time job because we don't know on any given day what's going to come up. You don't know when somebody may say something to you that may hurt you, disappoint you or let you down. Then suddenly, there's a wound in your heart that needs to be dealt with. Since you don't know when this will happen, you have to continuously allow the Holy Spirit to guard your heart and mind.
Our heart condition depends on the things we allow in such as: our thoughts and attitudes that will ultimately shape the deepest part of our being. God's work of creating a new heart within us involves testing our heart. Psalm 17:3 says, "Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed". Deuteronomy 8:2 puts it this way, "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty-years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands". God fills our hearts with new ideas, new wisdom, and new desires.
1 Kings 10:24, "The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart". My brethren, the heart is the core of our being, and the Bible sets high importance on keeping our heart pure. Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life".
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2. A New Walk
Romans 8:1-4, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
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God gloriously solved the problem of sin by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, the God-Man, to deal with it (Romans 8:1-2). For those who receive Him and are born again, Jesus Christ condemns sin in the flesh. That is, He renders it inoperative, like a bridge that has been closed to traffic. He does this by bringing in a stronger force, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit regenerates; He gives new life (Romans 8:2). This life is stronger than the flesh or the old sinful nature (1 John 4:4).
This new life enables the believer to have a new walk, a walk according to the Holy Spirit and not according to his own desires and passions (Romans 8:4). He lives differently than he used to live. This difference demonstrates that his life has been transformed. However, believers do not always walk according to the Spirit, as Paul clearly demonstrated in Romans 7. In reality, don’t we all sometimes go our own way and neglect our fellowship with Him? I know I have. Many times, I believe we are so worried about where we're headed in life and all the distractions there are today that we fail to enjoy being with Christ each day? If we “take time off” from our relationship with God, we will miss the guidance of His Word and the fellowship we experience in prayer, going to Sunday school and church and having our daily devotions.
Along our walk in this world, we need to talk with the Lord Jesus, listen to Him, enjoy His presence, and trust in His guidance when we cannot see what lies ahead. It isn’t just the destination that’s important, but also the journey we take together, which is a continual relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thus, taking time off will seriously weaken our walk and especially our relationship with Him.
Additionally, in our instant age in which we live, we tend to be looking for shorter and easier ways of doing things. However, there is no way to acquire instant spiritual maturity regarding God’s Eternal Word. We cannot press a key, or click a computer button and have God suddenly create in us a wonderful, well-rounded knowledge of Him and His Word. Abraham couldn’t. It took years of seeking, trusting, waiting and obeying before he fully knew the God who called him (and so it is with us).
Peter urged the early followers of Christ to continue growing in their faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). He said, "If these things are yours and abound (or are increasing), you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". Without them we become blind and forget the marvel of being cleansed from our sins by His own blood. The future returns on our investment in our character will be:
(1) Godliness (2 Peter 1:5-7),
(2) Fruitfulness in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (v. 8),
(3) Assurance of our calling (v. 9), and
(4) Victory over sin (v. 10).
Believers do have the freedom to walk by the Spirit. Enoch, the Old Testament saint, "walked with God three hundred years" (Genesis 5:22). Then he just walked off the earth into God's presence without experiencing death (Hebrews 11:5). In Genesis, Noah is mentioned as a just man, perfect in his generations and he walked with God. Satan cannot, therefore, keep a believer from realizing victories over sin and the resultant joy and communion with God. Furthermore, believers can rest in the fact that they are justified by God and will never stand condemned before him (Romans 8:1).
We should ask ourselves how is our walk with God? Is it continual or do we some times take time off or lag behind? To walk with God, we must keep in step without taking time off, running ahead or lagging behind. It doesn’t make any difference how long you have been a child of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, you need to guard God’s precious Word and your relationship with Him, because 1 Peter 5:8 tell us to, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.
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3. A New Mind
Romans 8:5-8, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God”
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The believer, walking after the Spirit, also has a new mind. 1 Corinthians 2:16, “But we have the mind of Christ”. Our thoughts have the power to paralyze or motivate us, to thrust us into the depths of despair or propel us to heights of celebration. They can center us in truth or lead us, slowly but steadily down the destructive path of deception. Scripture tells us human wisdom is faulty at best, leading mankind to call good evil and evil good. Imagine having the power to rise above our petty, contrary, and often harmful thought patterns to view our world and circumstances as Christ does. Though we can’t know all that our Savior does, Scripture tells us once we accept His free gift of salvation, we’re given the mind of Christ
This means we have the ability to maintain the same focus and values as Christ has. I believe it also means viewing the world through a Christ centered lens. And yet this gift, which is given to every believer freely, must be developed in order to be of full value. We do this by taking our thoughts captive; reading, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture; spending consistent time in the presence of Christ; and leaning heavily on a trust accountability partner and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Further, to be spiritually minded is to be characterized by life and peace (Romans 8:6). Someone whose mind has been changed knows that he is on the way to everlasting life. In contrast, the mind of the flesh is death. The flesh is the old sinful nature (the old man). To mind the things of the flesh is to be centered in self, to seek one’s own gratification, to be occupied with the present with no thought of the future and glorifying God.
The person with the mind of the flesh is unsaved. He lives in the condition of death now and is on the path to eternal death. His mind actively opposes God (Romans 8:7). This opposition to God is the underlying attitude of the unsaved - even of people who do not seem antagonistic toward Him. It is the ruling factor deep in their souls, and given a certain stimulus, it will come to view. The mind of the flesh is incapable of true submission to God. Being subject to God’s law is contrary to the very essence of our old nature. Consequently, the unsaved cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
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4. A New Helper (The Holy Spirit)
Romans 8:9-11, 14, “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God”
If the Holy Spirit does not indwell an unsaved person; that person does not belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit abides in the body of every born-again person (1 Corinthians 6:19). This indwelling occurs the moment we are saved, and the Spirit never leaves us. We may quench or grieve Him (as we do from time to time), but we cannot drive Him away. Without the ministry of the Spirit, the church would never have been founded. Godly leaders would never have been called, believers added, gifts distributed, service rendered, or growth realized.
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St. Nicholas Church in Galway, Ireland, has both a long history and an active present. It’s the oldest church in Ireland, and it provides guidance in a very practical way. The church towers over the town, and its steeple is used by ships’ captains as a guide for navigating their way safely into Galway Bay. For centuries, this church has reliably pointed the way home for sailors.
Certainly all of us can identify with the need for guidance. In fact, Jesus addressed this very need during His Upper Room Discourse. He said that after His departure the Holy Spirit would play a crucial role in the lives of believers. As part of that role, Jesus promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).
What a marvelous provision! In a world of confusion and fear, guidance is often needed. We can easily be misdirected by the culture around us or by the brokenness within us (1 John 2:15-17). However, God’s Spirit is here to help, to direct, and to guide. How thankful we can be that the Spirit of truth has come to give us the guidance that we often so desperately need. We need to set our course by His life, and we will reach safe harbor, just as the sea captain’s did going into Galway Bay.
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5. A New Obligation
Romans 8:12-13, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation - but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live”
When we were unsaved, we desired to satisfy the lusts of the flesh. We felt obligated to satisfy its needs and passions. In fact, the person totally dominated by the old nature, yielding to its cravings and lusts, shows that he is in the way of death. He has not been saved; he shall die (Romans 8:13). This is the same truth Paul stated with different words in verse 6. The believer, however, is no longer a debtor to the flesh. He does not need to feel obligated to fulfill his former desires. Thus if, through the strength of the Holy Spirit, a person mortifies, or puts to death, the desires of the flesh (Colossians 3:5-10), he gives evidence of having been born again, of possessing eternal life. Verse 13 is not teaching salvation by works. Mortifying the deeds of the body is not the cause of salvation - it is the evidence of it.
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6. A New Relationship
Romans 8:15-17, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory”
A human heart naturally feels fear or terror toward God, which is why the heathen offered sacrifices. They try to pacify or appease God (or their gods). Generally, more civilized people show less fear, because many of them have been lulled into a sense of false security. They have convinced themselves that God is love. But when a person’s conscience is aroused, he feels fear.
Believers are not given this spirit of fear; instead, God has given them the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15). Judicially, or officially, God has placed believers as His sons. They possess all the legal rights of sonship. Yet the relationship is more than legal or external. God has also put the Holy Spirit in a believer’s heart. The Holy Spirit makes believers to instinctively call God their Father. As further internal evidence that we are children of God, we have the witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). This is not just the Spirit’s witnessing to our spirits, but joining with our spirits to assure us that we are true children of God. While we read the Word, listen to a message, or simply meditate on spiritual things - or even in an entirely unexpected moment - somehow the assurance that we are God’s children comes home to our souls.
Since we are children of God, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Joint heirs does not mean dividing, but entering with Christ into the whole inheritance. Many people long for an earthly inheritance. All Christians, the sons of God, will enter into an inheritance beyond valuation. In this life, all believers do not have equal material blessings. But all will have an equal place in Christ’s inheritance. This inheritance is future glory. It includes a redeemed body and fellowship with God and His saints through endless eternity, and is all by the grace of Almighty God!
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A. The Holy Spirit’s Work
Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God”
In our present state of suffering and hoping, we have many infirmities. One is specifically mentioned here: We know not what we should pray for as we ought (Romans 8:26). God’s will is not always immediately apparent to us. Sometimes we just don’t know how to pray. The Spirit then comes to our aid. He takes our groanings (our sighs that baffle words) and translates our perplexities into a petition. The Father, searching our hearts, recognizes the Holy Spirit’s prayer (Romans 8:27). Such prayer is always answered because it is always according to the Father’s will.
The Holy Spirit is mentioned some 56 times in the book of Acts as: (1) filling, (2) helping, (3) guiding, (4) calling, (5) aiding, (6) growing, (7) sanctifying, (8) maturing, (9) organizing, (10) assisting, (11)regenerating, (12) teaching, (13) testifying to, (14) interceding for, (15) reminding, (16) grieving over, and (17) loving believers, who make up the church.
Without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, there is no church, but with the ministry of the Spirit, the church shines forth beautifully. John 4:26 says, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” and John 15:26, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me”. When we are led by the Spirit, our lives will be characterized by love, joy, peace, and self-control (Galatians 5:16, 22-23)
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B. God’s Plan - Romans 8:28-34
Note how the truth in verse 27 leads into the truth of verse 28: Spirit-originated prayers lead into a pattern in which all things work together for good. Each experience may not be good, but together all experiences work for our good. The word purpose is the key to this section. God’s purpose is to conform believers to the image of Christ. While we are to grow in His likeness throughout our Christian lives, the task will not be completed until we are glorified at the Rapture, when we shall be like him (1 John 3:2).
God has determined that His purpose of conforming saved ones to Christ’s image will be fulfilled. To carry out this plan, He has established an unbreakable chain of five links in the process: He foreknew, then predestinated, then called, then justified, then glorified. While there are numerous ideas of precisely what election means in regards to salvation, the fact that believers are elect is indisputable (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4-5, 11; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). Simply put, the doctrine of election is that God chooses, determines, elects, predestines who will be saved.
The Bible doesn’t instructs us to be concerned regarding our status of elect vs. Non-elect. Rather, God calls us to believe, to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus tells his disciples that he has chosen them in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” He also notes that no one is able to come to faith “unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44), pointing to the idea that God is the one who starts the work of faith.
When discussing why people do not believe, Jesus also makes statements that reflect the teaching that God has appointed some, as he tells his opponents in John 10:26, “they do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” His sheep come from multiple folds (nations) and will listen to his voice (John 10:16). This teaching of Jesus is not confined to the Gospel of John. In Matthew 22:14 it is stated “many are called, but few are chosen”.
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C. God’s Unending Love (The Believer is Made Secure)
Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”. Our lesson says this about God’s love for us. Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be ale to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
If you are ever tempted to write yourself off as insignificant among the billions of people on earth, consider this. You are a one -of-a kind creation of God (Psalm 139:13-14). That’s true even of identical twins. There never has been and never will be another person exactly like you. Even more important, God values you (Matthew 6:26-30) and has gone to great lengths to show His love. The Bible says that His Son Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life for you (Galatians 2:20).
If you were to ask a loving mother of a large family which child she would be willing to give up, I’m sure she would think your question was absurd. Susannah Wesley, for example, had 19 children. Among them were John and Charles, who spearheaded the evangelical revival in 18th-century England. Yet, if you were to read the letters she wrote to each of her children, you would marvel at her concern for their unique personalities and problems. It was as if each child was her one ad only offspring. That’s a picture of how much God cares about you. If you are ever tempted to wonder if He knows you exist or cares what happens to you, remember what Jesus did for you on the cross. That’s how much He loves you. Think about this. God knows and numbers the stars, yet He is concerned about you and me, even though we’re broken by sin.
He binds our shattered hearts with sensitivity and kindness, and He brings healing into the depths of our soul. The greatness of God’s power is the greatness of His heart. His strength is the measure of His love. All the stars which He calls by name will fall from the sky someday. The are not God’s major concern, we are! He “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).
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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Can trials and suffering? Does experiencing these difficulties indicate that the Lord no longer loves us? An emphatic NO is the answer! In fact, these experiences, taken in the will of God, make us better Christians, and we become more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). The truth is that nothing can separate a believer from God’s love. Death cannot, nor can life (Romans 8:38), which for a Christian is sometimes worse than death. Nothing in the spirit world can. Nothing in time can, neither present nor future. Nothing in the heights or depths, the limitless reaches, of space can (Romans 8:39). No other creation can (Romans 8:39).
Since nothing shall ever separate us from the love of God, we are secure! God wants His chosen ones to be with Him in Heaven someday, so He prepared a plan that would not allow anything or anyone to prevent this outcome.
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Remember our love has limits but God’s love is boundless and loves you as much as if you were His only child.
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forever with Jesus for eternity. No greater love than he laid down his life for us. 
