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Bro. Otis Fisher
If you'll all open your Bibles to Romans 8, 26, I need to ask you a question before I get started. Is everyone listening? Are excuses valid? Virgil, what do you think? Russell, what do you think? David, what about you?
They don't really do that. You're fooling yourself when you give an excuse. Well, I covered verse 26 last time, but I want to go back to it. Likewise, after the same fashion, likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.
But David, if we don't know, then why do we pray? We don't know how to pray, and that's an awful blow to some pious people, but the Spirit, the Holy Spirit himself, makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
He makes the intercession. What's intercession mean, Russell? All right. So on our behalf, he goes to the Lord. There's no automatic deliverance. Now verse 27, where our lesson starts. And he that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Now, the Holy Spirit, he knows the mind of the Spirit. We have two spirits here, David. And he that searches the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Who is it? And he that searches the hearts, who is that? Dave? Yes. All right. He that searches the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. What is the Spirit? All right. And he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Now he has to know the will of God in order to make it according to the will of God. So what is it he's doing, David? All right. Will he make intercession not in the will of God? He cannot. And we know that all things, now Greg, that to me would eliminate nothing, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Now, Greg, there is nothing that we can think of, that we can't think of, in this world or the next world or the after world, there is nothing that does not work together for good. Do you believe that?
All right. You're going to be called on to test it today. We know there is nothing. It becomes very difficult when something doesn't go the way we want it to. Why is that, Virge? I think I'd be rather strange if everything that occurred was according to my will.
It just isn't. No matter how pious I get, it just isn't. That's right. Absolutely. God's not the author of sin. But it is all directed for good. That's hard for me to understand, Greg. Now I can get run over by a ten-ton truck and it'd be good.
But what if I didn't get killed, I'd just mangled? Well, we must believe that all things work together for good. I cannot explain it. I can say the words and once in a while I believe it. Now, take something, anything, in your mind and prove that it works by itself.
Greg, you're a great thinker. Think of something that works by itself. Everything? Well, you're right. Just as the sun, the soil, the heat, ice, rain, drought, all work together for a good wheat crop.
If it were not for one of those, it wouldn't happen. So both good and bad work together for the good of the body of Christ. We have to have both. I've got a question.
Yes. You've got to know when that happens. No, that's right. Because there would be something good even though you were suffering first. Somebody saw that and you encouraged them and they were encouraged by what you're showing.
And there's what to do.
That's where it comes as far as we're concerned. Personally, I had a catastrophe in my life when I went into college the first year. Osteomyelitis struck me down. The doctor didn't know what to do. So for weeks and weeks I lay in the hospital deteriorating.
That wasn't good. When I got to the Inner General Hospital, I weighed less than 100 pounds, but I met Bea. And boy, has she been good to me. I wouldn't have met her if it hadn't have been for the illness.
Alright,. Ephesians 1 .11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. There again it reaffirms that it is all worked according to his will.
Romans 8 .29 For whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Now let's look at the pronouns. For whom he did foreknow.
Who is the he there, Greg? God the Father. Know that. God the Father. For whom he did foreknow. The word foreknow trips up most people. Doesn't this group, but other churches, it would. David, how did he foreknow then?
In what capacity?
Alright, alright. We were in him. I can't hear you.
Alright, we were in him. So, he foreknew us. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. Who's that? Alright, that's the son. Who is it that before that? He also did predestinate.
Who predestinated? God the Father. That he might become the firstborn among many brothers. This he is who? Jesus. That he may be the firstborn. If you have a first, he cannot be first unless there's what?
That's right. Others. Yes. Yes. Alright.
He had to have since it came from him. First of all, this verse proves verse 28. Jesus was first and then we're all second. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called. Russell, what kind of a call is this?
He called. Alright. Clarence, you want to say something? It was an effectual call. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, just that group, then he also called. And whom he called, then he also justified.
And whom he justified, then he also glorified. Now, we have predestinated. He predestinated those whom he knew. He knew only that that belonged to him. Then he called them. We're in time now. He called them.
The effectual call. Being predestinated was not enough. He had to call us. And those that he called, he justified. No? That's right. That's right. He knew all of this. He's just letting us know. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, that's fixed.
Finished. Then he also called. And whom he called, then he also justified. And whom he justified, then he also glorified. Now we go from this time to the next time. Uh. And whom he justified, then he also, the group, he also glorified.
Now, David. How can we jump around? We're talking about being predestinated. Talking about I was called. Talking about I was justified. Then he says I'm glorified. How can that be? So. So. All of you sitting there that are justified are also glorified.
That's right. Absolutely. Do I see a hand? Now the next verse. What shall we say then? Because of all of this. What shall we say in these things? He's talking about that that he had just quoted. If. God before us.
Who can be against us? Now I want you to look at this for as substitutionary. Joy, he is for you. Did you ever play a game and there was a substitute in it? You played baseball? How many of you ever played in the game that you had to be a substitute?
How many of you ever had a substitute for you? When the substitute was in there and he got hit, did it hurt you? Christ is our substitute. If anyone. Any spirit. Anything attacked me. They've got to do what first?
They have to attack my substitute. If God himself were to attack you. Virge, who would he have to first attack? Your substitute. God himself would have to attack your substitute. Of course he's not going to do that.
But that's how sure it is. We are more safe and secure than God himself. If that were possible. Because God himself is my substitute. He is for me. In place of me. He is my protector. My supplier. And my life.
Nothing that God has made or brought into existence. Can harm me spiritually. Let's have no whispering between each other. Unless I know what it is. I hate it. You what? I hate it. I hate it when you all laugh and I don't know why.
What do you say David? Nothing that God has brought. Or made. Can come into existence. And it harm me. It's just absolutely impossible. God does nothing. But what he reveals it to his people. Now think about that.
God does nothing but he reveals it to his people. This same group that we're talking about. How do we know that? Is there scripture to prove that? Turn to Amos 3 and 7. Virge, read it. Roger, or Russell.
And there you are. Now. Clarence, how does he reveal it to us? How else? How else? Roger, how else does he reveal it? Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Greg, how is it that he's going to reveal something to you?
How is it you can find out about it? Right. He guides our prayers. He does nothing in which you will be involved. Unless he has told you about it. Ahead of time. That's why we think he answers prayers.
From our viewpoint he does, but from his, no. That's right. Do you all understand? I don't want to go on until you do. He will do nothing with which you're involved. Unless he reveals it to you. Either in prayer, in his word, or some other way.
He will reveal that to you. Doesn't mean that you are the main character in it. But you know. 32. He that spared not his own son. Archie, Jesus was his son. That right? He spared not his own son. Katie, what's he talking about?
How did he not spare his son? He put him on the cross. He killed him on the cross. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. And all here refers to who? How shall we not with him also freely?
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? God did not give to us that which cost him nothing. It cost him everything. Now, if he gave that, how shall he not with him, through Jesus, give us all things?
The all things here speaks of what, Greg? I stopped him. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Clarence? That's right. Anything we have.
Who's talking? It doesn't matter who's talking. Okay. Now I can. Your face is just a blur. Go ahead. Yes, that's right.
It's all good. Abraham would have killed Isaac. But he didn't. 33. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's not God, because he justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It's not Christ, because he died for us.
Makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Shall distress? Shall persecution? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or peril? Or sword? As it is written, for thy sakes we are killed all the day long.
We are counted as sheep before the slaughter. If you stand for God today, right now, it'll cost you something. It'll cost you everything. And the world's getting more demanding. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Greg, what's the word separate mean? All right. And he's already established the fact that we can't.
That's right. That's right. Yes, we can't, can we?
God could not do anything but what he's done, because he did it all in eternity past. It's already finished. We're just acting it out as we go along. David, does that relieve me of responsibility? You mean I still have to answer for everything I do?
Why? You want to do it. Yes. Say that again. Yes. That's right. That's right. You struck right at the heart of it. Yes. That's right. There are no valid excuses. Thirty-six. We are sustained in all things by God, the Father.
By God and unto God we are the Lord's substitute body here on earth. He's not here. We're the substitute body. We get blamed for everything. We're inflicted with sores for everything. Nay, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
I want you to understand the phrase more than conquerors. Virge, what's that mean? All right, that's a start. Roger? That adds to it. Archie, you got anything? All right. That's good. That's right. All right.
We're admonished here to be more than conquerors. Clarence, can you add something? All right. I like to look at it like this. Somebody comes against me. I conquer the situation, but to be more than a conqueror I use that situation.
I use the person or the thing to witness for God. To be more than a conqueror is to go ahead and not just conquer but use that situation for God. So, to be more than a conqueror involves action on your part.
We know it's all finished and all that, but he's talking to us right here today on this earth. To be more than a conqueror I must take the situation, even though I don't like it, conquer it then use it to spread his word.
38. For I am persuaded. Now, this persuaded is absolute. Paul was absolutely he absolutely knew this to be true. He was the kind that if there's a bench in the park and it has a wet paint sign on it, you didn't have to go touch it to see whether it was wet or not.
Most of us would. For I am persuaded, perfect, passive, participle. I stand convinced that neither death death will but take us to him, as Virg said, nor life nothing in this life or the next will ever separate me from him we've already established that nor angels fallen or righteous, either one nor principalities, nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height, nor depth the space age nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If we are in Christ, we have that love. We entered this chapter with no condemnation, if you remember. We concluded it with no separation. In between, there was all things worked together for good. Now, how much better do you want it?
So finishes the eighth chapter of the book of Romans.
Is there anything from anybody? Yes. Alright. Well, he that searches the heart is the Holy Spirit within us.
David, do you know what he's just done? Well, we need to expose as much of it as we can. Virg dismisses. Yes, wait a minute. Somebody has something? It's God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Virg dismisses.
Please.