Prosperity Preachers Debunked: Romans 8:29-39

okay today I think we're going to finish Romans 8 today we'll be talking about being like Jesus and how that is really not what some people think it is being like Jesus is sometimes used as an excuse for actually not being like Jesus so we'll we'll talk about that the goodness of what it means to actually be like Jesus we'll talk about how believers can overcome in terrible situations how we can actually be overcomers and consider ourselves overcomers in terrible hard situations and since I'm going to be talking about overcoming and and getting through hardship and all this I'm going to deal with if we have time prosperity preaching and I actually found an article on Benny Hinn I think as Benny ENCOM I'll tell you when we get there that was so bothersome that I thought I should address it oh so I'm going to I'm going to use it as a case in point of the tactics of prosperity preachers now don't get me wrong we know prosperity is nice we're not against prosperity but the you know what I mean when I say prosperity preachers we're talking about a move of anti-intellectual silly one-sided theology that gets used to manipulate people into giving money to that ministry usually that's the typical thing and that's exactly what we're talking about here so all that while we're doing verse by verse through Romans we're going to hopefully finish chapter eight today so starting in verse 29 of Romans 8 it says for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren now we've dealt with the controversial issues about foreknowledge election predestination but it's not just controversy we're interested in so like I feel like I've handled those issues and I'd like to say okay there delat let's let's lock that away and let's move forward let's keep going we we don't mind controversy I really I'm not bothered by controversy at all I'll go ahead and speak out I've actually had other leaders come up to me and be like like why are you teaching on that why would you even pick that as a topic and yet that becomes the stuff online that people are the most grateful that I've done because nobody's talking about it and they appreciate to have a calm and loving yet rational treatment of a subject they like that and so they're like me in other words I like that too I like it too when people are like can we just talk about stuff and not act like we're scared of everything like we're all just like chicken littles you know about about every deep theological issue or difficult you know issue in our culture but I don't want to stop there I don't want to just go let's just talk about controversy and then let's close our Bibles and go on our way yeah we will address the controversy as it comes but you've got to then say but there was a point but there was there was a reason why God was teaching us these things and it wasn't just so we could say I'm right you're wrong we become arrogant and shallow if we only dip into theology or the Bible for the sake of controversy and then we kind of close it and move on our way so let's look at these issues now again predestination but not for the sake of how does it relate to Calvinism Romanian ISM into that let's look at it verse 29 says for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that is were being conformed to the image of Jesus what are we what's our predestination for what is the destination it's to be more like Christ that I would be more like Jesus so I think this happens in a couple different ways conformed in my nature and conformed in my character so I want to talk about those two ways in which I'm conformed to be like Christ first John three to three to be says this so funny when you are you know just casually throw a letter at the end it just means the end of the verse right so first John 3:2 towards the end the verse that said is not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know that when he's revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is that my my future site of the revelation the coming of Christ there's a time there where I am transformed and I become like him not just in character but in nature like in the very makeup of who I am first Corinthians 15 talks about this this this mortal must put on immortality' this corruption must put on incorruption that there's a body that will be changed we transformed into a new body that is fit for eternity and it's like Jesus in some way Philippians 3 verses 20 and 21 it along the same lines it says for our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he's able to subdue all things to himself so I'm going to be changed like I'm actually looking forward to this this is a pretty exciting thing I have a lowly body you have a lowly body and it's going to be changed and transformed it's a likeness of Christ now this is not deification this is not like Mormon teaching about how if you're a good enough person and you and you get you know you get married in the temple and you then you always tie then you keep the commandments and you fulfill your vows that you can then become a god who then has your own planet and then produces babies with your spouse in heaven and populates this future planet and you start the whole thing all over again except now it's you being worshipped instead of God so you have like neptunemon instead of birds or something like this that's that's not what we're talking about it's not deification but it is glorification but it's more like this Jesus see he's not just saying I'm God and I'll make you like me you know he came and he took human form human form he lived he died he rose again and now he has a glorified human body and you will be in that likeness the glorified human body of Jesus that's the thing I'm going to be conformed to so it would be I think terribly inaccurate to say as one ancient church quote is that God became man that we might become God that's like you know in the multitude of words saying it's not like this is this is oh that's weird like you whatever you meant you shouldn't have said it that way that that would be inappropriate we will be glorified humans but we will be the image of Christ in our in our our nature Romans 8:18 talks about this it says for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us it's actually revealed in us this glory this coming glory and that creations waiting for the revelation of this glory of the of the the children of God so we are glorified now this sometimes kind of hits us and we're like well I don't want that Lord I don't want that but it's not something you earn it is a gift it is not something that you've worked towards it is something God has predestined to do in us because of his kindness so this is something I'm waiting on this is obviously not happened yet this is not going on right now it's a future thing but there's another sense in which I'm predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus that I'm not waiting on and that is in character in the character of Who I am not just what makes up me physically speaking but Who I am there's a phrase that I love love love its follower of Jesus I really like that phrase that phrase means more to me all the time and as I as I continue to grow in Christ as I continue to follow Jesus it means more and more to me all the time because it's not just saying that I simply believe but it's saying that I'm a follower of Jesus whom I following Jesus who's my pattern who's the one leading the way for me who's the example that I'm thinking after it's Jesus his teachings and his lifestyle and Jesus Jesus was the ultimate example of God's love and this is something God has predestined us to he wants us to walk in love the way that Christ walked in love we are to love each other the way Jesus loves us but call the husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church which is this incredible self-sacrifice love some people they they diminish this some people may be coming more from my camp of like a the bomb on ashamed of the theology and the truth of the scripture is a note we we sometimes can diminish love as though love is the word that has been hijacked by the vital by the religious liberals or something like this but it's the case like beloved we are what beloved and the we are called to be loving we're beloved and be loving that's the idea that's the call that's been given to us God loved the world Jesus example this love entirely in everything he did and I think if I could summarize this love it's a concern for others above yourself that's the left love it's so simple I'm worried more about you than I am about me my care and my thoughtfulness and concern is for you more than me I think that's a powerful thing as a powerful powerful thing I had someone called the church one time I think I may have shared this story with you guys before but he called the church one time and he and he asked hey you know I was think about going to your church but I wanted to know is your church a loving Church and I maybe sometimes I'm too short sometimes I just said yeah it is you should come that's all I said you know like yeah come check it out and he goes okay this thing is you know like I've been to churches and they weren't really loving and I want to make sure to go to church that's really loving and then I felt like I had some discernment situation and so I asked the gentleman I said you know do you know that God is actually not so much called us to find people that are loving but to be people that are loving that the fellowship you decide to attend the church is the family you put yourself in your job there is not so much to be receptacle of love but to be one who's pouring leaven to others and that a roomful of people that are trying to pour love into others that is the place you want to be not a room full of people that are looking around to see if they're being loved that's a room full of leeches and they're waiting for someone who's got some blood to walk in the room and that person is going to feel drained pretty quick pretty quick so concern for others over self this should be in my character this should be something I literally strive towards and push myself towards to purposely intent intently love others put on that loving attitude and let this be a major priority of my life to be conformed to the image of Christ but I want to offer one qualification this is this is where the whole concern about religious liberals comes in because I'm not too much concerned about the political liberals as much as I am the religious ones religious liberals we're talking with people who would deny the actual authority of God's Word and basically they reinvent Jesus to to fit whatever image they have of themselves on Facebook and Instagram but this is the qualification Jesus was not always loving in the way that you might think of loving it's funny how some people will say man you know Jesus wouldn't really do that but if you ask them to describe Jesus they always go to the same story it's always the woman caught in adultery having noticed this it's as though the story of the woman caught in adultery is the only story about Jesus we know and we don't know about him driving the money changers from the temple or calling the Pharisees hypocrites and then the response goes over mic Jesus only did that to religious people my thought is almost every human Jesus ever encountered was religious people and this stuff he did he did to religious people not just the Pharisees but he says what would you cause an ambassador well they weren't all just Pharisees so there's times where Jesus was not nice at all but he was always loving and that's the balance for us that's the balance to just realize that love is not always niceness niceness isn't even love in fact niceness often becomes enabling and not loving so that's the one qualification when we actually read the Bible we see Jesus did not approve of people he loved them if he approved of them he would not have needed to die for them because he would just open his arms ago but I accept you the way you are that's not exactly the theology of Jesus that's more of the theology of somebody else so love is one side of the coin to be conforming the character of Christ love love love it's got it love's got to be chief in my mind to be self sacrificial to be putting others needs above my own and to do this every day all day long but righteousness is I think the other side of that coin and that's what balance is I shouldn't say balances it out like you have to pull away from love because you want to love too much but rather it keeps love pure righteousness is the thing that keeps love pure love is the thing that keeps righteousness on target these things go together love and righteousness those who diminish love they don't get it they don't get following Jesus and those who diminish righteousness they don't get it either because Jesus was always righteous always righteous and following him he's walking in righteousness let me read to you Ephesians 5 verses 8 through 11 it says for you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness righteousness and truth excuse me the fruit of the Spirit is in all and look at the words goodness righteousness and truth that's the fruit of the Spirit in your life it's goodness righteousness and truth the fruit of the Spirit is generally character qualities not supernatural giftings those are gifts of the Spirit but the fruit of the Spirit is character qualities goodness righteousness and truth finding out what is acceptable to the Lord and have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them and this is what Jesus did he exposed and targeted controversial Jewish issues religiously of his day exposed them with a righteousness and love he could in one breath condemn the the the ungodly acts of those around him and then the experts say come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden I mean it just defies the stereotype nowadays where it's either you are approving and loving or you're righteous and condemning my thought is well maybe I could be righteous and loving like Jesus and be conformed to his image and just defy that stereotype that would be a good call for us some people think this is oppressive or legalistic to expose works of darkness to call out the the things going on either in a person's life not to try to embarrass them but to expose the work of darkness that's going on in their life to open their eyes to it to be the light this is look you got to turn you got to change man can't live this way this is unrighteous I love you too much to let you do this some people think that's oppressive or legalistic I think it's funny some people use the word legalistic I would like to hear them describe the word define it for me because there's a biblical definition that's probably completely different than when they're thinking but it's actually biblical if you're a follower of Jesus you should know this Jesus was holy jesus was sinless and God is the one who says be holy for I am holy he calls us to holiness and Jesus's mission involves preaching do you member when Jesus he said the words preached the gospel at all times if necessary use words remember when Jesus said that now he was busy preaching the gospel with words he never went to a city and just walked around and shined niceness he preached at them and what was his message read the scriptures in all four Gospels the messages repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand that's his message amman so I want to follow Jesus so if I go out and I mean years ago I thought street preachers had something wrong with them maybe because I was raised in a culture that thought street preachers had something wrong with them and then I started studying and reading the scriptures and I thought you know what I can't think of anything biblically wrong with going on the corner and just preaching I just can't find anything wrong with that you know you could do it in a wrong way but but the wrong way would be an ungodly way around loving way not just because you don't approve of everything that's happening in the culture that's not that's not ungodly now I I'm Morwenna like like maybe I should do that more degree I should be out there doing this more and although in a sense this is why we do stuff online is because this is the street preaching of the day this is this is the marketplace of ideas as online so we're trying to do that so the mission has to involve preaching it has to involve going into the world telling it like it is but when you have love as the thing undergirding all this that's what matters and you'll be misunderstood that's fine people misunderstood Jesus some people will also understand and they'll hear you and they'll hear the sincerity and the love and the truth and they might come to Christ so this is our destination to be conformed to the image of his son conform to the image of Jesus good for us to do that to focus on Jesus not the Jesus of culture but the Jesus of the Bible and actually we've been going through acts on Sunday mornings with the youth ministry it's exciting to read Acts and just let the Apostles preached the way they preach and go let's learn from this we finished going through the gospel before that we went through John and it was exciting to let John just be John let the gospel be the gospel let Jesus be sometimes he's really gracious and sometimes he just targets an issue of course in love but unashamed so it's good stuff good things to learn go back and relearn Jesus verse 30 continuing in Romans moreover whom he predestined these he also called whom he called these he also justified and whom he justified these he also glorified God glorified them so predestined called justified glorified I think we know what these words mean to be predestined as your destiny set ahead of time by God he has this plan in place we've been called maybe in two senses one since you know the call come and receive Christ everyone hears that call everyone is given that call openly it's not selective but when you receive Christ you have you have a call on your life because you're a child of God you're in Jesus you know how the call of God and then whom he justified to be justified I would like the song it says just as if I'd never done anything wrong that's me being justified my sins are washed away I may just become just or righteous by by grace and then these he also glorified now that's interesting he glorified there's a there's a candy called now and later this is this is this is the idea of this glorification it's now and later I'm glorified now there's no reason for that illustration I'm glorified now because I'm filled with the holy spirit so he lets me become I just treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency the power may be of God not of me like I'm filled with the Holy Spirit I'm empowered by God for my life I've been given some glory God upon my life so I'm Glore on glorified but there's a future glorification that's coming that fits the context of Romans 8 right Romans 8:18 it talks about literally the glory which shall be revealed in us I mentioned earlier the glory that shall be revealed so this is glorified there's a now and there's a later sense of glorified but why are all these past tense whom he predestined he calls he called he justified justified glorified I think that the scripture sometimes uses past tense to talk about sort of the sureness and the surety of a thing it's like done deal it's already done you ever do this at work your boss is like our knees you know counter register and then clock out all right it's done it's done boss and you haven't done it yet but you're like telling I'm like don't worry I got it and this is this is the implication God saying it's a done deal it's a done deal Romans 8 you can't read through Romans 8 without feeling a sense of security in your salvation without feeling a sense of confidence in the one that began a good work in you that's going to take it to completion so it's like a done deal so what's the point why what what am I really getting out of her 30 he predestined he called he justified he glorified the point is God does it all he predestined you he called you he justified you and he glorified you done deal it's already it's like it's already done it's all on God it's all on God it is him doing these things now some people we can very easily get confused because we see salvation is by faith but now that I'm saved I start to think I'm maintaining my salvation with works God knew this would be a problem and that's why he had the Bible written for us so I mean this is Galatians deals with this in so much detail so they receive elations 3:3 there's a group of people that they knew that they were wicked sinners they just accepted Christ received the gospel man they were saved but then they started thinking they had to do certain things to maintain or keep or or somehow secure their salvation Galatians three three it said are you so foolish having the the spirit are you now being made perfect by the flesh you guys saved by God just spiritually renewing you you were born again of the spirit but now you're going to work yourself is this you're going to be made perfect Oh might just work harder if I just do this or that this doesn't obviously mean sin all you want people are always worried about that it's a legitimate thing to be worried about but if you're sinning all you want and then using grace as an excuse you are not saved that's the clear teaching of Scripture so can I just set that category aside for the rest of us who are just disgusted by the idea of sin all you want you're disgusted because of the work of the Holy Spirit in you what we should say is we're kept by the one who saved us I'm saved by God and I'm kept by God it's His grace that keeps me that's that I think is the point of it being a done deal because some move from faith to works and then you start getting really scared and judgmental of others that wrong kind of judgmental I belong on my name reign shame anyway okay start I hear weird things sometimes sometimes most it's not just some precious and people who can sometimes start to look very cynically at everyone else in the Fellowship and they see that they're just they're like I see that person they come every single week I see them every week but what are they really doing for God lazy people Church is full of lazy Christian and I don't know anything about them and I become judgmental of them and then one day I look at myself and I realize how I messed up why and then I can't even reach my own qualifications for real Christians and then I feel condemned and this is this is the fate of those who find works providing them security their good works provide them a sense of security is that they're either judging others or they're judging themselves it's like they're in one mode or the other and they kind of bounce back and forth between this these two different things if you do come across a believer who seems very judgmental of others there's a good chance that they're very condemning of themselves privately and you might actually think of ministering to them along those lines just assume it just be like man they're so critical of others probably dealing with guilt they don't know how to out offer grace to that person because they also don't understand how grace works for them so you might consider offering them more grace which seems like the opposite of what you desire to do when you come across someone like that but maybe that's what they really mean verse 31 it says what then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us this is God giving us the application the application is you've been saved and God is empowering you to live this life you have a restored relationship where you can say Abba Father now the spiritual life you live in the spirit this is all in Romans 8 we're talking about there's no condemnation for those room Christ Jesus there's a glorification that is sure and that is coming and in the groanings you have you're being helped by the Holy Spirit and God is working all things together for good to them who love him and are the called according to his purpose like you've got all these truths that have ramped up in Romans 8 and the conclusion is so if God's for you who can possibly be against you what can anyone do to undo all that God has done for you this is a powerful thing but this verse is also sometimes totally hijacked and sometimes people take it and they apply it not to the things in Romans 8 they apply it to whatever they're doing just whatever they're doing like I'm going to go run America next week I'm running a marathon have you practiced no but you know what if God is for me who can be against me oh yeah my baseball team they're getting ready to go and play and we're going to pray before the game and we're like God we know we're going to win because if you walked over us who can be against us and we just gets dumb about these things Romans 8 offers you reasons to think that God is for you in this way but I shouldn't apply this to just meaning like success victory winning everything because I can do all things through him who strengthens me it's like this is this is sort of funneling all of Scripture and promises the Bible through a self-serving self-glorifying lens instead of the way God has given it to us so it is a general truth that if that if God if God is for me but I mean have you had a word from the Lord where he's like your baseball team is mine I would I would prosper you and there would be many home runs is that what like your pitcher will strike out the enemy just say it a lot like is that no God hasn't given that to you so why would I why would I do this it's just gets weird so this scripture it doesn't apply well to carnal or selfish thinking it applies well to the promises we've received in Romans 8 if God's for me working all things together for good then that means no matter what happens no matter what you do to try to attack me how you come against me I still praise God because he's bringing good out of this for those who are what in love with him called according to his purpose and my life belongs to him it's not him who belongs to my life is the other way around so who can be against us I like what Psalm 27:1 says the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid let me break that down that verse down the Lord's what he's my light my salvation and use the strength of my life he's my light that means he gives me understanding and he shows me the way he's my salvation he saves me forgives me of my sins and saves me from the greatest tragedies of life and he's also the strength of my life because life will not be without struggle life will not be without pain and the Lord will be the one who strengthens me through these things so why am I afraid why would I fear you why would I fear you it's like the worst you could do is kill me past life and what is that going to cause I'm going to be in the presence of God Christians should be at the same time incredibly humble and totally fearless and it's this beautiful marriage of humility and confidence that should be given to us in Christ as we were more and more biblically minded so what shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us who can be against us using this in a biblical way verse 32 he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things carrying the same line of reasoning going here like if God's for us what I mean wellhe's didn't spare his own son he delivered Jesus up the Meuse more valuable than Christ what thing is more valuable that God could possibly can you think even imagine a greater cost that God could pay for you is there a higher cost that's conceivable than Jesus well if God gave you Jesus delivered him up for us then he'll freely give us all things well what does it mean all things this is another one of those verses that are often taken out of context and you start to get the name it and claim it crowd which isn't - what isn't really the meaning of the scripture what are the all things he's freely giving us well it's the same thing in Romans chapter 8 is talking about how we are Co inheritor with Christ we inherit with him the whole universe the new heaven and new earth when he comes into his glory we come into it as well so in a sense the naming and claiming crowd is accurate but their timing is off it's their timing that's wrong it's not now let me read to you Romans 8 verses 18 through 20 you can even read it to yourself for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be a future tense revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was subjected to futility not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope this is the he has already given his son and he will freely give us all things but we're waiting on this we're waiting on this Hebrews 11 talked about this right the Hall of faith how these guys lived and died in faith because they wanted a greater resurrection there was something better there was a promise that was yet to come and we're waiting on that and we are as well we are as well now when you act like this stuff's coming now it creates all manner of confusion and faking and awkward embarrassing moments when you're the person in church who isn't really getting the kingdom blessings and then they tell you but you have to keep professing it and confessing it so you just keep it to yourself and you act like it's happening and then the person next to you thinks you're one of the ones it works for and they're the one that's messed up it just keeps probably getting the same cycle but I don't just want to you know use scripture to tell you what scripture doesn't say here's what it says you inherit all things how do I know that God will really be letting us be inheritors of the new universe a new heaven a new earth because he did give us his son when he's going to give us later is small compared to what he already gave us if he gave us his son how much more will he give us all things how much more will really be inheritors of this so it is coming and we need this hope present in our hearts present in her heart so there was a time in my life where I wanted to like go to heaven and I wanted to be the doorkeeper in the house of God because I somehow thought that was more glorious just be like the dork I just want to be like I'm a doorkeeper in the house of God whatever that would be you know and as I found out that there were treasures in heaven rewards for the service we do to Christ on earth and that there's this inheritance and there's glorification I was almost like I don't want that but here's the thing that whether that's real humility or false humility I'm not sure but here's the thing God has promised us these things and as you get older and you start going through hardships in life those things start to be more important to you and the real the reality that God is having us go through a temporary minuscule little moment of suffering for eternal glory you've got to have that present in your heart so that you can know that you're more than a conqueror so verse 33 it says who shall bring a charge against God's elect it is God who justifies who is he who condemns so we have an inheritance it's coming but now it talks about a charge what's a charge it's like an accusation you know when someone goes the court they bring the charges this person's you know their haircut is bad and they wear their pants too low so you know send them to jail that's the accusation or the charge a charge is an accusation that results in condemnation so the question here is who will bring a charge against you and I think there's two options one somebody else or two you just just cut the whole world in two into the categories we really think about me and then everybody else if it's somebody else who comes and brings a charge against you as a believer over you this and you this and you this yet you're really in Christ you're truly in Christ what kind of charge can you bring against you what charge can anyone bring that will stick but then there's another option is that you bring a charge against yourself and I think this happens a lot and I think the scripture actually talks about this this self condemnation not conviction convictions good you don't want to hide from it you want to be open and honest when you when you're when you failed or fallen in sin but first john 3 twentieths says this if our hearts condemn us God is greater than our heart and knows all things for Shaun 3:20 there are times where I bring the accusations against myself and I feel condemned and I feel assaulted and then I get reminded of God's grace and reminded of his love and that's important what's the response to me being accused or charged against from either others or myself it's God justifies who can bring a charge against God's elect it is God who justifies are you going to tell them he's wrong now this point someone says so Mike what you're saying is I need to forgive myself what I need is I need to forgive myself and I'll go look I don't know if you heard that on Oprah or like like Lifetime TV but this is like who do you think you are this is the point the point of the verse isn't that you have to forgive yourself it's that you have no right to charge or dismiss charges against yourself only God does no one else has a right to charge or dismiss charges against yourself God is the judge God says you know you're clean and you go well I don't know about that my thought is who do you think you are well I have to forgive myself you who do you think you are you're either forgiven in Christ in which case you're deluded when you think that there's a charge against you that's real or you're not forgiven in Christ in which case you're deluded if you think you can forgive yourself and have it do anything people who really honestly think I need to forgive myself I feel like they're moving into position of God over their own lives as if they can dictate forgiveness what you need to do is go to Jesus and trust in His grace he's the one that says all judgments been given to me all judgment it's mine and then he takes himself to the cross dies for our sins we believe in him were washed and clean so my guilt or my innocence is not dictated by me whoever condemns me be it you or me I literally have no right God has a final word that encourages my heart because then I can say with verse John 3:20 you know my heart really is condemning me but you know what God is greater than my heart and he knew what knucklehead I was and he still saved me so I'm just I'm just wrong which is a really nice thing to admit especially you know when you're married it's a good thing to say so continuing verse 34 it is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us you think you have to forgive yourself here's Jesus he died for you he rose again he's at the right hand of God interceding for you and you think you have to forgive you know you just have to recognize your forgiveness you've been given you can condemn you all day long it just doesn't work that's nice my condemnation doesn't work it doesn't work on others it doesn't work on me that's a nice thing to know I like this because it's like it's like math you know it's like two plus two equals four I could be like I feel really condemned and I'm like yes but Jesus because the equals forgiven so I'm just wrong and I still feel it but at least I'm wrong and you don't like it I can still feel it while being wrong it and that comforts my heart somewhat I think facts can help your feelings sometimes and this is one of those times this is why Romans 8:1 starts off with there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus are you in Christ yes then there's no condemnation but I think oh but that's okay because you're wrong verse 35 it says who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written for your sake we are killed all day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter yet in all the things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us these words tribulation distress persecution famine nakedness peril sword tribulation is a word just used for general hardship anything difficult is tribulation it really is a big umbrella word for any kind of difficulty you go through life distress is an interesting word in the greek the word distress actually the pieces of it mean a narrow place a narrow place like like you're being squeezed you're being pressed upon you feel like you're like squishing it on in on you that's the idea of distress or nowadays we just call it stress that's the common word we use so it's pressure on your life persecution that's harm for Christ because you're following Jesus harm comes upon you famine or nakedness this has to do with poverty it has to do with a lack of basic life necessities peril is the idea of danger dangers the idea of what might happen what could happen we tend to worry about those things then there's finally the sword the sword is talking about death is talking about death so whether it's general hardship stress I'm under persecution I'm being attacked for Christ's basic financial issues of like poverty famine and nakedness or peril the things I'm worried might come that kind of danger what could happen what might happen or if it's even death even being murdered for Christ yet in all this stuff I'm more than a conqueror I'm more than a conqueror even if I do experience all this that's the key in Romans 8 it's though I do go through these things I'm more than the Conqueror not the opposite prosperity gospel garbage you won't go through this it won't happen and then it just restores the fear you have of all those things because you're just even would happen it won't happen it won't happen how about this what if it does happen are you still a conqueror in Christ are you still overcoming some people they doubt God's love because they're going through hard times I've been experiencing this hard time I've been experiencing it experiencing they won't go away and I just can't stand it and it's starting to make me feel like God doesn't love me but I just want to say that the Bible never gave you an expectation this wouldn't happen you gave yourself that expectation the scripture is telling you how to conquer through it not how to avoid it this is the continual statements of Scripture I'm more than a conqueror through my pains in my pains because through forgiveness or deliverance into a better future I'm going to make it out of this on the other side I'm going to be okay that's a powerful truth now what do I have to do to be this Conqueror this is a beautiful thing all you have to do is wait that's it that's all you got to do whether it's the the tribulation distress persecution famine nakedness peril or sword you just wait you wait on the Lord but I've been waiting as well sometimes for like children you know my niece one time this is the best picture of patience that I can think of one time it was Christmas and she had a gift and she wanted me to put this gift together for her assemble it so she could play with it and she hands it to me and it has a thousand zip ties all over you know so I start like cutting away at the zip ties because that's how things are now did some cutting a zip ties and she I said she comes over she goes is it ready yet Uncle Mike and I was like no it's not ready it's not ready at Caitlyn just have to wait a minute I should just be patient she was okay she walks around the living room one circle just walks around the room and she comes back these are ready yet and I said I said no and she goes being patient is hard and then she walks away it just does another tripper on the circle then she took it from me and tried to do it herself and that didn't work either that that's me though sometimes except my trip around the circle is like it's been 10 years already shouldn't this be better now it's been 20 years already it's been a lifetime already and maybe you just need to wait until we grow into our inheritance maybe you're going through a struggle where it won't get better until it gets completely resolved in the resurrection maybe you won't see this you know the silver lining of this cloud until you see it in hindsight from glory but that is exactly what Paul's talking about in Romans 8 he's talking about me more than a conquerer in those things all you have to do is wait now I want to talk for a second about the prosperity preachers and how they use these these scriptures because that you can see them you can even read them and you can think like I could see where they would grab this verse out of context I would see where they grab this one but if prosperity was the expectation for Christians why are we so consistently prepared for suffering in scriptures why am I constantly prepared for pain in the New Testament if glory in this life was the expectation Israel nationally had promises of prosperity and this is where this is where the prosperity preachers get off here's what they do they quote in the Old Testament they quote promises to Israel about how they would have national prosperity if they had national obedience they quoted out of context then they act like it's God's promise for you then they switch obedience forgiving and they ask you to give them money let me give you an example on Benny Hinn's website Benny Hinn org under an article that is up right now it's up today it was called God's promises of prosperity for you I was not looking for this article but I stumbled and fumbled upon animals looking for something else God's promises of prosperity for you and the article has five steps it takes you through in this short article I'm going to walk you through these steps and I want you to see if you can figure out what is messed up about this stuff and if you when you see the implications of it you'll see why I think it's worth talking about because this is totally messed up you might been first it says God's you know God has prosperity for you and it talks about Old Testament people who were wealthy there's a list of them Adam was wealthy according to Benny Hinn gorg because Adam lived in the Garden of Eden ah but the same text talks about how others these hills nearby whether it was gold so Adam must have obviously been very wealthy talked about Isaac and Abraham and Jacob and Joseph he was poverty but eventually he got raised up and all this stuff and all these people every single one of them's from the Old Testament interestingly enough can't find one wealthy godly person in the New Testament as far as the the Apostles go or any leader in the church it's really difficult to find I think Lydia was a seller of purple she seemed to have some financial prosperity I think it's the only one I can think of who had that sort of thing going on but it's oh it's all Old Testament individuals they ignore the ones that weren't wealthy he does target the ones that were wealthy so that's step one step one creates an expectation of God with people being wealthy step 2 is this in the article that God's will for you is to be financially prosperous and now they miss U's and twist scriptures out of context where they're like promises to Israel about how God will bring you into the land flowing with milk and honey and all this stuff that's for Israel there's an application to us sure but it was directly to Israel so misuse of Scripture step three and I quote from the article here is the key got all God's prosperous people recorded in the Bible were obedient in giving all were givers or do you think this is going next after going on and on about how they were obedient in giving it doesn't talk about a righteous life or anything else like that or obedience to the law which is actually the requirement for Israel's prosperity I know we talked about giving then step four it says this September first is our day of prayer for debt cancellation it's coming guys September first mark your calendars there's a special moment where your debts can be cancelled as we pray for it and all you need to do is scroll down about three inches further on this on the article and you finish at home where they wanted you to be there's a donate button right there at the bottom of the article there's the donate button this entire article has been to manipulate you into desiring wealth thinking godliness as a means of gain and then thinking that by giving them money you will get more money it's totally ungodly and people who fall for it deserve it people who fall for it deserve it because I think that someone who's in love with Jesus just naturally see something's wrong with this Jesus didn't say in this world you will have prosperity he says in this world you will have tribulation Jesus was preparing the church for hardship not wealth this is just the truth the new testament indicates that there are some rich believers and some poor believers and that there's a danger in both of those first timothy 6 i'd like to read to you from the actual bible force timothy 6 verses 5 through 10 it says that there were there is false teachers and they'll have useless wranglings of men of corrupt mind and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain financial gain that godliness gives you financial gain that's the false teaching from such withdraw yourself now godliness with contentment is great gain not financial gain no no it's great gain real gain just being contented for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and clothing with these we shall be content what do you mean Paul what's the promise of prosperity just food and clothing and you're content what about the what about the new car and the jet doesn't your ministry need a jet having food and clothing with these we shall be content but those who desire to be rich the desire to be rich is the problem it's not just being rich but the desire to be rich if that's if that's in your heart I want to be rich so bad that's an ungodly desire those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition to even feed as Benny Hinn's ministries doing feed the desire to be rich in people they're pushing them towards these things that drown men in destruction and perdition leads them into foolish and harmful lusts for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows who do you think this might be talking about who today does this does this apply to if I go to a church and they passed the plate three times that's when I leave if I go to a ministry and they're all about giving if they start telling me about see seeds of faith and about how I have to donate to de No then I'm not in fact I'm assuming that they're doing this for their you know 12 bedroom mansion there are wonderful ministries worth supporting and it is good to give it giving is good but not giving to get that's not bad that's bad the scripture doesn't say give so you'll get it says work hard so you'll have extra money so you can give well if I had to work hard to have extra money to give then then that means that this giving is not getting any money back is it no because biblically giving is actually giving meaning whatever I give I have less of that that's kind of you know how physics works anyway anyway so as Christians our hope is not so petty as to be smothered by temporary suffering our hope goes far beyond that and the expectation of financial wealth in this life is a petty expectation that drowns men in wastefulness and foolish lusts we are more than conquerors even in poverty even in famine or nakedness or peril or sword or distress or persecution or tribulation or any of those things we are counted a sheep for the slaughter he says but more than conquerors because none of this affects my relationship with Jesus and that's how it ends in verses 38 and 39 Romans 8 ends for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come 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 what is it that nothing that I'm going through can do it cannot separate me from God's love that's in Christ if I'm in Christ I am secure in Christ and nothing that happens next not cancer not poverty not that not death not persecutions not hardships not the slow difficult anguish of long lasting trials none of these things separates me from God's love none of these things God consistently prepares us for suffering so I take a cue from this you in this world you will have tribulation I will to prepare your heart for it don't wait for it to come and then hope that you'll have the strength prepare your heart for it now place your hope in the resurrection place your hope in heaven place your hope in the transformation of your body place your open the strength God gives you you know look towards the Holy Spirit who helps you in your groanings which you will grown place your hope in him who works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose but we really you should go home and reread Romans 8 and reread it again and have it like on a regular reading schedule for yourself there one pastor said you know it should be so that when your Bible drops to the ground it just flops open to Romans 8 just right there this is because I want to actually honestly have this mentality not in some high ivory tower preacher sense but in a simple calm peaceful truth in my heart I am more than a conquerer in the suffering I'm going through in the hardship and the stress and the difficulty in the pain because nothing separates me from the love of God nothing let's pray father we thank you for your word and we thank you for the fact that you are using all things to to work towards good good and we pray Lord that you would help us be ready for suffering that is definitely going to come that would be prepared for pain by having our hearts secure in you and in your love by setting our sights on contentment on earth and on glory in heaven or just get us right minded about these things help us Lord to go through this world with with our eyes on Jesus author and finisher of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross Lord we have a joy that is set before us in front of us beyond where we're at now and let us just remember that I just remember that Lord Jesus name Amen [Music] your name we love me [Applause] train we'll blow by our God ever

Channel: Mike Winger

Views: 61,392

Rating: 4.879817 out of 5

Keywords: Benny Hinn, prosperity preachers, giving, giving to get, Mike Winger, BibleThinker, Bible Thinker, more than conquerors, Romans 8:29-39, Romans 8, help when suffering, what does the Bible say about suffering, glorification, deification, becoming like Jesus, conformed to His image, was Jesus nice?, is benny hinn a false teacher

Id: tqj3ZSVAWGc

Length: 53min 12sec (3192 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 20 2017