Romans 8:11-17 (#29.2025.11.09)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show Notes and download the Blank Insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website@beholding Bibletruth.com and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:47

Well, doesn't matter who you are, your experience with your father, your earthly father, some are good, some are bad, some are really good, some are really bad. Some are kind of in the middle. But everybody's got a different experience, don't they? My dad was not bad at all, but he was just not there. He was climbing the corporate ladder. So he was gone most of the time. And he was Carl Kaeper iii. My brother was Carl Kieffer the fourth. My brother was athletic, outgoing, very smart.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:22

He was everything I wanted to be and wasn't. So I was. I was neither. So my dad was just kind of vacant for my life. I remember when I came to Christ, the challenge is not to put the experience that you have with your earthly father on your heavenly father. It's really hard to disconnect those, aren't they? Because you tend to think that the heavenly father is like my earthly father, right? So for me, it was distant and disapproval and all of those feeling like, I'll never add up, I'll never. Right. I'll never be enough, never be enough.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:59

And it's a great experience to come along the road, not that it's not still a challenge. And realize my heavenly father is not anything like my earthly father. Not anything like him. We have an awesome heavenly father, awesome heavenly Father. He's good, gracious and kind and merciful and tender, even though he is in power and authority and dominion over all things. But the kind intention of his will, right? He has a kind intention that he's set upon us. And so we are in the process of going through here in the middle of Romans, my favorite, which is the gospel for believers. This is right here in the center.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:47

This is the gospel for believers. And as I said there in this section, we tend to think about the gospel is what we share with unbelievers, right? It's the good news but the gospel is deeper and wider and richer than we share with unbelievers, which is your sins can be forgiven for in the name of Christ, Right? For the. For the sake of Christ and by the work of Christ. We're looking at the depth of the gospel here. So if you would stand with me, if you will, we're going to read this section of the Scripture. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give light to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you, so then re we are under obligation not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die. But if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live for all who are being led by the Spirit of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:02

These are sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of slavery, leading to fear again received the spirit of adoption as sons which we cry out Abba Father, the Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are children of God. And if children heirs, also heirs of God and fellow bears with Christ, if indeed we start with him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. The word of the Lord thanks be to God. So Paul will, through the Spirit of God say later, at the end of chapter nine, oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. And the Spirit of God through the apostle Peter will say, Paul says things which are sometimes hard to understand, right? So that literally is, when you read it, sometimes you say, whoa. What? Huh? Huh? So we're deep into the truth here. And the first thing that I noticed, because he's talking about the fact that the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God, right? But who's behind that? Well, the Father is behind that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:18

And so we see the Trinity in the resurrection. We see the Trinity in the resurrection. The resurrection is God's power over death, right? Final enemy. When we see the Trinity in the resurrection. So he reminds us that God the Father raised God the Son through God the Holy Spirit. God the Father raised God the Son through God the Holy Spirit. Imagine what it would be like to walk on the moon. Impossible, right? Impossible.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:01

How would I imagine what it's like to walk on the moon? How do I imagine what I've never experienced? How can we imagine the Trinity? How can we imagine the resurrection? These are things which we have never experienced. Are they difficult to imagine? Yeah, impossible in a way, without the spirit of God. Enlightening. That's why Paul says he prays that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened. The eyes of our heart. I can't get glasses. I don't cataract for the eyes of my heart. Right? The eyes of my heart.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:37

It's a spiritual eye opening because these are not things that we have ever experienced. Right? So the idea of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, at work in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, huh? From the dead. From the dead. So he's saying God the Father who raised God the Son through God the Holy Spirit, he will raise you from the dead. He will raise you from the dead. So he says our citizenship is where, really? In the heavens. In the heavens. Where is that? We always say up there, but it's really not up there, is it? It's just there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:28

There's no up or down, Right. We say up there versus down there. Right. It's kind of. Kind of for our way to say heaven, hell. But it's just heaven is where God is, where he reigns on his throne, Right? He reigns on his throne. Thy will be done, right. Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:51

Heaven, where God's will is done, right? Perfectly right. So he says, your citizenship, your. Your. Your card of identity is in heaven, from which we also do what? Eagerly wait. Do you eagerly wait, do you? What's he eagerly wait for? A savior. Wow. Who is Lord Jesus Christ? Not just Jesus, human, not just Christ Messiah, but the Lord Jesus Christ, defining not only who he is, but our relationship with it. He is our Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:34

If you are an American citizen, I'm assuming you are. We don't have a Lord. America was. Was begun by protesters. That's why we are Protestants, right? We are by our nature, we are free. We are about freedom. Which means I don't have a Lord. I am my own Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:57

I'm the captain of my own ship. We are a society. About me. It's hard to say the Lord Jesus Christ. So the apostle Paul calls himself a bond servant. I've never shared. People say, what do you do? Oh, I'm a bond servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like, right? You'd think, well, but that's how Paul identified himself.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:27

That was his identity. So he's saying, my card, right, of where I belong is where the Lord fully reigns. Right? He reigns in all places, but he reigns in heaven. He says, my citizenship. And we're eagerly waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ. Really? What Are we waiting for? What will he do? He will transform. What's he going to transform? The body of this humble state. How many wake up with the body of this humble state? And the more you wake up and the longer, the more miles you put on, the more it is a body of a humbling and humbler state? Right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:11

As you drag your humble state out of bed right in the morning, so he reminds us, what's he going to do with that body of humble estate? He's going to conform. Transform. Not, not tweak it. He's going to transform it. That means not make it a little bit better, but completely and totally renew it. And what's it going to be like? Into conformity. With what body? What's the body of his glory? The resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was seen by the apostles when they raised him from the dead, stuck their finger right through his hand and his side recognized who he was. He ate and he walked through walls, right? I.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:05

I can't imagine that. But it is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will be into conformity with that body. Really? How's that going to happen? By the exertion of the power. Whose power? The Lord Jesus Christ. Now that he sits at the right hand of the Father, he is able to subject all things to himself. So when we see him, we will be made like him. Huh? Huh? Who say, that's a good future.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:49

That's a good future. Who'd say that's good news? Yes. No, that's great news. That's great. This body of Humboldt's estate, right? He will conform it. He will conform it. So he's saying, God the Father who raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, through his Spirit he will raise you from the dead. And that Holy Spirit dwells in you as the Son dwells in you and the Father dwells in you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:17

So it says the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. That's one of the weirdest things, isn't it? As a Christian, where is the Holy Spirit? Christ is in me. Where is Christ? God the fathers in neighbor is God. And then as I crank through life on a regular basis, I think he's in there. Where is he? Like what's going on, right? Hard to comprehend, isn't it? Hard to comprehend? But he reminds that that Holy Spirit is in you. And he's a pledge and he's a deposit of the future glory. So he says here that we are, we are under obligation. So he says, so then, brethren, right? So then, brethren, so it's a reminder, by the way, you are not in this alone.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:08

He says, so then, brethren. Right. So then, brethren, in other words, we are going through this experience together. So together we can say, I don't totally get it. I don't totally understand. This is a hard thing, right? Fall, wake, get up. Right? All of that. But we are in this together.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:29

So he says, so then, brethren, he says, we are under obligation, but not to the flesh. Under obligation, literally, debt in debt. There's that. That word. A person indebted. So he says, I am under obligation. Use this at the very beginning. Romans, both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:50

So Paul says, in other words, I am the. My calling puts on me the sense that I owe it right to the Greeks to preach the gospel because that's what he's called to do. Does that make sense? So his calling has along with it this sense of that's what I owe my calling to preach the gospel. Somebody says, notice thus, for my part, I am eager to preach. So he's called, therefore, this. There's an obligation with that calling, with the gifting. But he says, I'm eager to do that, right? I'm eager to preach the gospel. So he says, here we are under obligation.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:36

So the idea is, we are eager debtors. We're eager debtors, we're under obligation. In other words, we're under obligation to the spirit, not to the flesh. Does that make sense? But we're to be eager debtors. It's not this burden of debt. We're eager to do that. But he says, we're under obligation but no longer to live according to the flesh. Because we were debtors to the flesh, weren't we? We were slaves to sin.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:09

We've been set free. And the deeds of the flesh are evident. I know they're evident. I live with them every day. I don't know how about you? So he said, here they are, right? Immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, stride, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing. Well, I don't have all those, Lord. Right. So we go through this girl like, oh, I'm good on that one.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:41

And he's got us with that list, right? Right. Is that right? Like this? And it's not all of them. He's just saying, this is what the deeds of the flesh look like. I know what they're like. I lived in them. Right. I was in debt to them for 28 years. I know what it's like to serve the flesh.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:59

How many know it's like to serve the flesh? So we're not an obligation. Under obligation, we're not a debtor to the flesh any longer. Doesn't mean we don't struggle. We're just not in debt to the flesh. We sing. That's what it looks like, Lord, I know what it looks like. I know what it looks like. And he says, oh, by the way, right? As this is clear in his gospel, he says, those who are in the flesh and living according to the flesh must.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:24

They must die. They must die. So Gil says, such persons are dead whilst they live. How many remember when you were dead in your sins and trespasses even though you were alive, we say you really weren't alive, you were dead. Shall die a second or an eternal death that grace prevent not. It may be asked whether one that has received the grace of God in truth can live after the flesh, flesh or corrupt nature, though still in such a person has not the dominion over it. We're not in. In debt to it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:58

Right. To live in sin or in a continued course of sinning course is contrary to the grace of God. But flesh may prevail. What do you mean? May does prevail and greatly influence the life and conversation for a lot. How long this may be in the case of a true believer, which of course is where everybody goes. How long can you go right? What does it mean, right? He says, under backslidings, through the power of corruptions and temptations, he says, it cannot be known. How long can you backslide? He's saying, I don't know. I don't know.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:33

But the Christian is a true believer. I just know, Lord, don't ever let me get to that place. And if I slide, just pull me back. One thing I've asked that I shall seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That's my daily prayer. One thing I've asked, one thing that's like, don't let me go, because that's me. I'm sliding over the hill or down, I'm going back. A dog returns to its vomit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:00

That's me. I don't know about you, but that's my proclivity. That's my nature. That's my inclination. What he's saying, right? Through the power of corruptions, right cannot be known, but is certain that it shall not always be thus. So what's Gil saying? That a believer can backslide and backslide for a time. People say, hey, Gil, right, Pastor Bill, how long will it be? He says, I don't know. But then he says, Christ expressly says, such shall not die that live and believe in him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:35

So he says, grace, which is implanted in their souls is an incorruptible and never dying seed. Grace and glory are inseparably connected to together. So in other words, right, we always stand. Well, what about. What about. Well, I thought they were believers. Where are they now? I. I don't know.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:58

They're saying, I don't know. But understand that grace and glory are inseparably connected in your life, separately connected. So there's a word here, of course, in while Paul is preaching the gospel to believers, he's preaching the gospel to unbelievers. The word is to both. Does that make sense? If you live according to the flesh, you must die. But he's saying, you, right, you. The Spirit of God dwells in you. So he says, by the Holy Spirit, we are to put to death the deeds of the body by the Holy Spirit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:37

So he's saying, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. He's saying, if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're not a believer. If you're a believer, you have the Holy Spirit. The idea that there's a second Spirit or something else is kind of there's. There is no, you don't get a little bit of the Spirit. Some later, half a beaker full and there's more beaker later. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. God the Father dwells in you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:00

God the Son dwells in you. Not in some measure, in full measure, always. Now, that doesn't mean I am fully surrendered the God, the Spirit, God the Son, God the Father. That's the challenge, isn't it? Not whether they dwell or not. So he says, by the Holy Spirit, we are to put to death the deeds of the body. So it's a reminder. It's a reminder that you cannot have victory on your own, in your own strength. You cannot have victory over the flesh in your own strength.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:35

You won't will your way to victory over the flesh in your own strength. How many tried? So what I do, right, it's our nature is. What we'll do is we'll bring victory down to about three things. I can check on a list. And then I say, oh, I got that right for a time. And he says, what about the motive behind that? What about your heart? About the whole thing, right? So he reminds Us, you cannot have victory of the flesh in your own strength. So he says, if by the spirit. By the what you are putting to death.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:16

That means a continual action, a inclination direction in your life. Putting to death the deeds of the body. Sometimes I wish it was once. How can we be done? Don't you? Once. And you'll be done. There are some who say, oh, you can become fully, fully without sin. No, not on this side of heaven. That's the promise that when we see him, we will be made like him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:50

But that's not happening here. This is a now until then battle, isn't it? Nouns of endow. And a reminder, by the way, if you're still here on earth, God has more for you to do. It's not like he's just saying, well, just hang around for a little while and I'll call you later. If you're still here. He still has more for you to do. He's got the time right. The date and the time has already been determined.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:23

And so you'll be here when? While you're here. There's still more to do. Every still more to do. So he says, you cannot have victory walk by the spirit. And you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another. I realize that the battle without.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:49

There is a world system we battle without. Sometimes it's less of a concern for me than the battle within. For me it's the battle within. Right. Spirit against the flesh, flesh against spirit. They're worry. Sometimes I think I want to be in war. I want to be in war.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:06

I want to be in peace. Well, we're made for shalom. But until he comes again or he calls us home, the battle rages dead. Battle rages within. But we're not alone. 108. He says, oh, give us help against the adversary. Why? For deliverance by man is in vain.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:34

You cannot win that battle on your own. Can I win? For deliverance by man is in vain. So what are we to do? He says so to the spirit. So to the spirit. So sounds like a verb. Verbs indicate actions. So he's saying, you can't have victory on your own. However, you are to go to the spirit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:14

So he reminds us, do not deceive. God's not mocked. In other words, there are principles in the kingdom. They're principles in the kingdom, aren't they not? What is it for? Whatever a man ses, that's what you reap I can't imagine going into a garden and getting fruit of stuff I haven't sewn. That would make sense. Where's the apples? Did you plant any apple seeds? No. Where are the pears? Right. What have you sown? So he says so, right? If you sow the flesh, what do you get? Corruption.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:57

One who sows the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. So think about some ways. How do we sow to the spirit? How do we sow the spirit? So seed to the spirit, right? You think about how do you sow? You break ground, plant the seeds. You water, right. Think about the. The whole. The whole process. He bears fruit, but we can plant seed.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:23

So how do we sow to the spirit? About worship. Worship makes sense, right? Read the Bible. What's that? Read the Bible. Yeah, sure. So, Verrant, the veil has been torn so that you can enter. Veil has been opened so that you can go in. The high priest sits at the right hand of the father so that you can have access to the holy place. The holy place.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:16

So this is good. This is good. This is necessary. What we do here is only a result of what we do there. Everybody get personal worship. Write scripture. Of course. Writing, read, listen, memorize immediately different ways to in ingest the word.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:43

Right. The word richly. Well, in you, right? Spoke of the law shall not depart from your mouth, that you shall meditate on it day and night. Or how I love thy law. It is mine. Right, Cool. Okay. Well, how else do we.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:06

So to the Spirit. Yes, evangelizing. Yes, evangelizing. So I'm going to put that in the context of employees. Your gift or your gift? Because we tend to think that ministry is just sharing the gospel. Oh, ministry is employing your gift. And some more. Now, that doesn't mean all can share in some places, but generally it's when we employ our gift for the common good.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:37

Because if you employ your gift, it's the gift of the Spirit, which means I employ that gift. Spirit of God moves in and through me because it is the. The gift of the Spirit, Right? Our gifts and our calling. Right? Yes. And. And right. Gospel. During the gospel, certainly.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:00

But think about that, right? If I look at my field, I can tell, right? Have a sense of how much seed am I? Am I, Am I sowing? Does that make sense? What seed am I sowing? So he said, we sowed to the spirit. So the spirit sowed to the Spirit. So just ways, you know, we've heard it before to think about how do I. In other words, how Do I give fuel to the spirit? How do I get fuel to the spirit? I want to have his word in there. So when the spirit, sword of the spirit grabs a word, there's a word in there to grab, right? All right. So he. So did the spirit. So did the Spirit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:46

So the Holy Spirit dwells in you. And by the Holy Spirit, we're to put the death of deeds of the body. But now he goes to the most important component of the Spirit of God who dwells in you. You flip over the Holy Spirit. So again, putting to death the deeds of the body. He's a deposit. He's the security, if you will, the surety of future. But he's saying the Holy Spirit is the spirit of adoption.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:14

The Holy Spirit is the spirit of adoption. Spirit of adoption. And so the very first thing he says, you were. He says in love, you were predestined to adoption. As what? As sons. Underline that. As sons. This is.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:44

This is not a gender thing. This is a. An identity. Your sons, right? Your sons, right? Adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, who is himself. It's God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ. Right? According to what? His will has a kind intention to. It is a good thing to know. His will is a kind intention to it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:21

Are you grateful? Think about. God is eternal, immortal, invisible. He's the only God. He did not have to be kind. He does not have to be gracious. Nobody called God to account. There's no court that God is called to. He could be like the kind of gods that we imagine.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:43

Like us, only with power. I mean, think about. Think about how we kind of picture Gods, right? Voltaire said God made us in his image. And man has been trying to return the favor ever since. Think about our superheroes. They're powerful and broken. That's what it would be. If I had the power of God and I was like.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:06

But he. He has. He has his power and authority, dominion and glory. Yet he's also kind and gracious, compassionate. His mercies are over all his work. Scripture says, and it is to the praise of the glory of his grace. He is gracious. Aren't you glad he's gracious? Glad he's gracious.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:34

And what did he do? He freely bestowed his grace on us in the Beloved. Who's the beloved? The Son. God. The Father says, this is my Son, in whom I am well pleased. I'm well pleased. So in Christ we become beloved. We become the sons who are well pleasing to the Father. That's the gospel.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:11

Do you Understand, this is the gospel in Christ. You become beloved and you become a son, and all that comes with being sons, and you become well pleasing. We should wake up every day and go, well, that's not fair. That's not right. So everybody wakes up and says, well, God, why are you doing this? Why aren't you doing this? Right? This is what we say, like, why aren't you doing this? How can you answer that prayer? How can you, oh, I asked for, I prayed for a long time for this. What are you doing? I can't believe it. What are you doing? The name of those people. Nobody wakes up and says, okay, Lord, grace on me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:54

I'm beloved. I'm the Son in whom I'm well pleased with inheritance. That's not fair. That's not right. Really clear. But we're not. This is the gospel for believers. Sonship in the beloved.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:10

We're in the beloved. What, you've now become beloved and then you look at yourself and go, well, that doesn't make sense. That doesn't make sense. That isn't right. It isn't right. It's grace. It isn't just. It's grace.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:30

Because he carried out the justice in his son so that we could receive the grace. And he freely bestowed it upon us. Freely. Which means he did it of his own. He did it of his own will, of his own purpose. He freely bestowed it upon him. He did it not because you deserve it. He did it because he freely, of his own will and purpose, because of the kind intention of his will, he has poured it out upon you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:04

Isn't that something? So in Roman culture, adoption was a permanent legal relationship, so that someone became like a natural born son, granting a new what? Identity, a new father, a new family, along with new privileges from responsibilities and full inheritance rights, while erasing all former debts, new position, new identity, new family, new everything. Adoption. Adoption. Think about the pictures that God has chosen so that we understand what he's done in Christ. What he's done in Christ. So this. Oh, once saved, always saved. Once saved, always saved.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:58

No, the question is once adopted, always adopted. Once adopted, always adopted. Can you? Unadopt? Probably in American culture you can, but in Roman, I don't think it was possible. And not only were we adopted, he says in Ephesians, it's in love. He predestined us to adoption. Does that mean chosen before the foundation of the world? This was done with full knowledge who you are, what you are, what you've done. Predestined to adoption as sons. How do we know? How do we know? Well, we had a spirit of adoption.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:58

That's what the Holy Spirit's called, the spirit of adoption. It's part of the proof. It's part of the proof. He says you have received a spirit of adoption as sons. Well, what does that spirit do? The spirit himself. Remember the promise of the New Testament? He would take your heart of stone out, replace it with a heart of flesh. He would give you a new spirit which was dead. You were dead in your sins and trespasses, and he would put his spirit inside of you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:37

So the new spirit, born of the Spirit, now communicates with the Holy Spirit. That's our ability to have fellowship and connection with him. And the Spirit right away testifies with our spirit. And what's he say? That you're a child of God. The Spirit testifies with your. Your spirit that you are a child of God despite all the. Am I Christian? How many times have you said that? Am I really Christian? Oh, my gosh. I did that thing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:09

I can't believe it. I'm not really. I mean, all that stuff you go through that. But he reminds you my spirit testified with your spirit that you're a son. That you are a son. It's the spirit of adoption. The Holy Spirit intensifies with our spirit, that we are children of God. And it says by which we cry out, abba, Father.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:35

Abba Father. Lot of thought about what that means. It's Aramaic. Some say Daddy. Can't imagine. Jean say Jesus saying Daddy doesn't make sense. More like Papa. So Daddy is something a three year old says.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:52

Papa is something an adult says to the father. Just think, it's a mature. It's a mature intimacy. Does that make sense? However you might say that? However you would say intimately. Right. That would be expressed different as a 6 year old than it would be as a 25 year old. How you would address your dad, maybe you'd say that. I don't know.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:15

But it's that word of mature intimacy that makes sense. Abba thought. It's an Aramaic term. But look, notice. He says we cry out abba, Father. And who are we crying out to? By the word of the Lord, by the word of Yahweh. The heavens were made by the breath of his mouth all their hosts. He gathers the waters of the seas together in a heap.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:43

He lays up the deeps in storehouses. He said, let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. He says he measures the waters in the Hollow of his hand. Put out your hand. How much water do you think you can put in there? What do you think? Tablespoon? Couple ounces? I don't know. What do you think? Tablespoon? So on the earth, there are 64 quintillion gallons of water. Oh, there we go.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:22

I'll never eat them. Quintillion gallons. It's 64. With 16 zeros in the hollow of his hand. Now, of course, he doesn't have a hand. There's no hollow. But he's saying, that's the Lord. He says he measures the water in the hollows of his hand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:43

And. And he the. The. The depths of the heaven by his forearm. Huh? That God who spoke all things into being, you now can call Papa Father. Huh? Huh? Is that awesome? My father. We his were his sons or his sons. So adoption means intimacy with the father.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:23

I don't need the high priest to go in before me to make sure that I'm not consumed. Because in the Old Testament, it will remind us, the only one who went into the holy of holies was the. The high priest. Our high priest has gone in once for all, sat down, the veil is rent, which means, come on in. You could come in. It's a throne of grace. Adoption also ensures us of the love of God. He says, see how great.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:56

How great. What a love. How great a love. So he says, to think about the love of God, how great it is. Well, how do we know that? Because God has bestowed on us what's the greatness that we should be called children of God. How great of a love would it take for me, a sinner, to become a beloved son of the Most High? Son of the Most High. When Jesus said he was the Son of God, what did they want to do? Philip, like you're not? No, but Son of God is equal to God, of the same right. Adoption means freedom from fear and slavery.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:47

Freedom from fear and slavery. He says, therefore, you're no longer a slave. Which means you were. It's not. And that you could have been just free. I mean, think about this. If God said, no longer a slave, your sins are forgiven. Just go on your way.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:09

You're good. That would be grace. He said, your sins are forgiven. You're a son. Come close. Your sins are forgiven. Your son. Sit at my right hand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:25

Your sins are forgiven. Now you're beloved. The first was great. What's the second? Mind blowing. You're no longer a slave, he says, but a son. So he's saying, look, that's what you Were. This is what you are. From a slave to a son, slave to a son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:00

And if a son, also an heir. He said, there. There is now no fear in love. What was the fear of? The fear involves punishment. Talk about this isn't the Glenda right? Beer involves punishment. Well, so what's perfected in love? God's love perfects and overcomes my fear. In other words, my fear is right. If I blow it, God's gonna send me loose, right? I fall.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:32

What's he gonna do? Take his love away, unadopt me? Pull his spirit back, unpledge himself? Take the down payment away, change. I mean, think about it. God, how many pictures has he given us? But my fear is, if I blow it, I'm toast, right? He says, no, my love will transform your fear. My love will overcome your fear. My love will remove the fear. Because you're no longer a slave, but you're now a son. Don't fear punishment. What does that mean? God trains us, right? Scripture says he disciplines us because he loves us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:15

That's very different, very different than punishment. Adoption means freedom from fear and freedom from slavery. So the Apostle John said, what we've seen and heard, we proclaim to you also. Well, why do you proclaim it, John? So that. That's always pointing. So that you too. You also. You also may what? Have fellowship with us together, believers.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:50

And our fellowship is with whom? The Father and his son, Jesus Christ. We have fellowship with one another and we have fellowship. So in 94, when I went to Russia with Josh McDowell and we would go out at night, it was white nights there. So the. The sun came up at 4 in the morning and it said at midnight. So you go out late at night. So we fill our backpacks with. So when we were up in Moscow, Red Square, we went a couple of different places.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:27

Andre who, some of you know, Andre and Lily, he and I would go out and we would fill our backpacks with the Gospel of John in Russian, which was. And the. And the other side was the Gospel of God and More Than a Carpenter, which was his book, and it was printed on Communist presses. Really interesting. And so we would go out, we'd share. And I still remember one night, we're walking back, I'm just praising God in. In English and Andre's praising God in Russian. I didn't know what he was saying, but I knew what he was saying.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:02

And we went to a service there, and it's all in Russian. I didn't know what they were saying, but I knew what they Were saying why we have fellowship with one another even though we speak different languages. There's a common spirit. There's a common spirit. We have fellowship with one another. And our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son. So fellowship. And he says adoption means we are fellow heirs.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:33

To mean to be an heir. Heirs have inher attempts. An heir has an inher attempts. Right? Right. With Jesus Christ. Right. So we and an eternal inherit attempts. He said, therefore you no longer a slave, but a son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:03

And if a son, then an heir through God. Somebody dies, they have a reading of the will. So it says in Hebrews, right? There is no. There is no reading of the will unless there's a. A death. That a last will and testament doesn't become binding until death. Does that make sense? Called the last will and Testament. The New Testament didn't become binding until Jesus died.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:35

When he died, the Testament came, became active. It is the New Testament. The New Testament is in place. And under the New Testament, the last will and testament of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a share in his inheritance. It's in there. Read the. Well, there it is.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:58

We have a share in his inheritance. What's he say? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, why do we bless him? Well, he's the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Which means he's our God and Father, who according to his great mercy. What's he done? He's caused something. What's he caused? To be born again when I received Jesus. Well, that's incorrect. Just incorrect.

Scott Keffer [: 00:48:31

When God caused you to be born again, your eyes were open and you realized that Christ had come to dwell in you. And you go, when I receive Jesus, Right? Why? Because I'll look after my own ship up in America. I only do what I want to do. I will that I received Jesus. I made a choice. No, he says he caused you to be born again. He caused you to be born again. Love that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:48:55

No question. What are you born again to? A living hope. Where did that get demonstrated and happen? At the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. When the last will and testament became active. To obtain what? What was under the will? An inheritance. Well, what is it? What is it? Who gets the car? Who gets the furniture? Who gets the 401k? Who gets the jewelry? Right? Okay, what is it? What is the. The inheritance? It's imperishable. So it can be jewelry.

Scott Keffer [: 00:49:37

It's undefiled. Will not fade away. So what is that? Where is it? It's in heaven. And the reserved is not really a strong enough word. It really means protected and guarded in heaven. That. That Greek word means it's guarded in heaven for you, it's guarded in heaven for you. And what are we, by the way? Not only is your inheritance guarded, but it says you are protected.

Scott Keffer [: 00:50:18

You. What am I protected by? The power of God, through faith for a salvation ready to re revealed in the last. So how many of you, from time to time, will pull up a statement, your net worth? Pull up an investment statement. Pull up a 401k statement. Go. What's happening to that? Oh, this is good. Oh, it's not so good. Oh, it's good.

Scott Keffer [: 00:50:50

Oh, it's not so good. What's the market up? The market down? What does it mean? Right? So that's okay. You should do that because we are to be stewards of that. Just a reminder, when you pull up that statement, imagine yourself pulling up your other statement and say, there it is. It's eternal, right? It's. It's protected in heaven, which means it's protected from the stock market crash, from the crazy economy, from the future of the world, even from you. The reason you put money in trust is because you're afraid your kids are going to screw up. It's not only protected from other things, it's protected from you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:51:33

I take that inheritance and mess it up. But he says it's reserved in heaven. It's protected in heaven. It's protected and you're protected. Is that good news? No, it's great news. That's the gospel for believers. That is the gospel. The inheritance is reserved, it's protected, and you're protected by the power of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:51:53

What are we protected for? Future glory. Future glory. Future glory. C.S. lewis said, I don't know what future glory is. He said, it seems to me like brightness, right? Or. Or reputation. That's what glory is, he said, Seems to me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:52:11

Two things I don't really get. I don't want to burn like a bulb, like bright like a bulb, or, you know, my reputation. But the glory of God has this idea of brightness, eternal brightness and glorious favor, right? Favor that we have eternal future glory. You will be made underline this like Jesus Christ. How many? Can't wait for that. What is sleep besides physically good for you? It's God's grace that I get a break for seven hours for myself. Isn't it, like, enough? I can't stand being like, I need a break. And you wake up the next day and okay, I'm going to be better Today.

Scott Keffer [: 00:53:01

And then you're not. And then. You know. I didn't need seven more hours. This is my break. Right? Is that. But he says, what are we longing for? Beloved? Do you like how he started this? But you are beloved. Just stop there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:53:17

Beloved. I don't know what it is to beloved or be loved, but it's certainly special now. We are children. Children of God. You're God's own possession. It's not yet appeared what we will be. I don't know what will be. Right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:53:42

We know that when he appears, you will be like him. I'll be like him. Like the Lord Jesus Christ. Pure, holy and righteous and true. He's upright. I mean, in him is no darkness at all. And get what I think in you is. There's no darkness at all.

Scott Keffer [: 00:54:06

Not. Not some. None. He's upright. You know, if you. If you put a point, it would never waver. He doesn't waver down or falls. He's pure and true and holy and good.

Scott Keffer [: 00:54:19

He's light. And we're going to be made light. How can that be? But he says, we will see him as he is. We will see him. The mount of transformation. He shone out his glory. Just to pee. Just cracked that door just a tad.

Scott Keffer [: 00:54:39

And this they said, whoa. We'll see him like he is. We. And we won't be consumed, right? In the Old Testament said anybody who sees God will die. You can't. Can't. Like I say, it's always like venturing near the actual physical sun. They can't get within 4 million miles of it because the craft they're in would be consumed by the power of the light.

Scott Keffer [: 00:55:03

We now have access, intimate access. When he appears, we will be like him. You will be made like the Lord Jesus Christ. Holy smokes. So for now, what do we do where he says, we know that if the earthly tent in sacredence, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God. How many feel your house being torn down every day? That's what it feels like. The body is breaking down. It's like it's breaking down.

Scott Keffer [: 00:55:35

He says we have a building from God. A house not made with hands. It's eternal in heaven. So indeed in this house we groan. We groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. And sometimes I think I don't groan for all that that means I just groan from. Tired of being in this right in this earth suit. We saying we grow.

Scott Keffer [: 00:55:58

There's a groaning, but there's an inside in our spirit. There's a Groaning for there's a more. There's something other than this. Because there's part of us that do everything you can to keep your physical body. And you think, if I. My physical body was good, I'd be good. He's saying, no, understand? The earthly tent is fading to remind you that it's not eternal. It's not eternal.

Scott Keffer [: 00:56:22

Right. There's something more. He says now, who has prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge, down payment, a deposit. Right. Therefore, what he says, be always of good courage. Always of good courage. What does that mean? That means we will generally not think. Understand? When God says, be always of good courage, it means you will often not be of good courage.

Scott Keffer [: 00:56:53

What's the opposite of good courage? Discourage. Disappointed. Right. Frustrated. So he's reminding us, be of good courage, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. While I'm here, we're absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and be at home.

Scott Keffer [: 00:57:26

And to be at home with the Lord. So then I think, wait a minute. Do we preach and teach we should long more to be absent from the body and home of the Lord, which means death. Right. I can remember the first time we went when Shirley's husband died. Shirley McPherson was a woman who helped me when I first came to Christ. Helped us grow. And we would.

Scott Keffer [: 00:57:56

Went to. What was the name of the church? Bethany Baptist. Bethany Baptist. Right. Bethany Baptist. And we. We went there and we were, you know, we were the. We were the marshmallows in the hot chocolate.

Scott Keffer [: 00:58:08

So, I mean, it's all an all black congregation. And just Beth and I and, you know, we go in there, you know, very Presbyterian like, you know, very mournful. We sit down and all of a sudden the music starts. And they're. They're celebrating. And I thought, this is different. Yeah. What are they doing? They're celebrating.

Scott Keffer [: 00:58:30

Celebrate. Right. Transformation. What awaits us. Transformation. Transformation. That's what awaits us. We should be excited.

Scott Keffer [: 00:58:42

Excited. We do celebration of life. How about celebration of death? We should celebrate death. Death isn't. Is the entrance into glory. It's the entrance into glory and to be home with the. The Lord, he says, therefore. Therefore.

Scott Keffer [: 00:59:02

Here's the application. He says, in second Corinthians, we also have as our ambition. Wow. What is our ambition, whether at home or absent? To be pleasing to him. So now seek to please the Lord. There's only one way to do that. By faith. Without faith, it is possible to please him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:59:30

He comes to God, must believe that he is and that there's great news. What's the great news? He's a rewarder of those who seek him. He's a rewarder. Those who seek him. We put. But we please him now as a son. Please him now as a son. Not one of someone who is earning his favor, already have his favor.

Scott Keffer [: 00:59:56

He just bleeds him as a son. Everywhere I go, I try to remind myself I don't remember always I'm here, I'm his. I'm his. I'm his in this place. That's who I am. That's my identity. Not what people are doing to me or with me or for me, any of that. It's just I go as one of his.

Scott Keffer [: 01:00:15

So he says, for now, seek to please him. So the Holy Spirit is a spirit of adoption. So he's saying, understand that you are a son. The assurance of adoption is our sonship. It is our sonship. We have the spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit. We have intimacy. We're insured of the love of God.

Scott Keffer [: 01:00:34

We have freedom from fear and slavery. We have fellowship. We're heirs. We have an eternal inheritance with future glory. So look up there under adoption and say of those right, which one or two really are the ones that speak to you? Benefit of adoption, Benefit of adoption. Is it intimacy? Is it the love of God and the assurance of it? Is it freedom, fear, slavery? Is it fellowship? Is it the inheritance heship that we have, right that we're heirs? Is it future glory? So that's the gospel for believers. The gospel for believers. We are sons of the Most High or sons of the Most High God and all that it means because of the Lord Jesus Christ, who now is seated at the right hand of God, the thought.

Scott Keffer [: 01:01:57

So who had an insight today? Who had an insight from today? I didn't know there were that many zeros in quincil. I always think about this. There are. There are pictures or. Or examples for us, positive, but they're also negative examples. And sometimes those are as powerful as the positive examples. Right. So thankfully, he's not.

Scott Keffer [: 01:02:26

Yes, he's not. Yeah, well. And may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, may He bless you, may he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you shalom, peace from God deep in your soul. And may you know for certain, for certain, for certain, for certain that you're his, that you're his eternally. Eternally. Not only is he eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, but He is the One who is keeping.

Scott Keffer [: 01:03:03

May he bless you and keep you always free will. Amen. Amen. Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible, in His Son, Jesus Christ. Until next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

Scott Keffer [: 01:03:30

And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time. May God bless you and keep you.