Romans chapter 8. Let's look at verse number 18. I want to say just a couple of things. For anybody that's new, that maybe this is your first time on a Wednesday night, maybe you haven't watched any of the videos, and you're wondering, what in the world is all this scribbling up here? Well, that's the best my art class would allow me to do. But before you got saved, that's how you looked like. You were lost on the inside. But when you got saved, you became two people. You became two people. the flesh, the outer part, and the saved part on the inside, which is called the inner man. Those two people are at conflict with one another. That's what Romans 8, Romans 7, Romans 6 has been all about. So basically what I did, I took us saved folks right here and I just divided us into two people. I still have a flesh that I deal with on a daily basis. I have a saved part on the inside. And these two, you say, where do you get that out of the Bible? Galatians 5. Galatians 5 says the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. And these two are contrary one to the other so that you can't do the things that you would. That's Galatians 5. And that is the Christian life. And so the reason I point that out is because that's going to be Something we'll look at tonight in some of the things that we were talking about. Number two, we ended last week with the word adoption. And I don't think I did it justice. Because a lot of times in the Bible, when you run across the word adoption, the word adoption doesn't mean what we think it does. in our world today. Today an adoption takes place. A child is born in one family and then he's adopted into another family. Now he's not born into that other family. He's been born into this family but he's adopted into another family. One thing I pointed out last week was once that adoption takes place, it cannot be undone. Once that adoption takes place, you can't un-inherit a child after he's been adopted. Now, the only difference in the Bible adoption is when I was born into, let's say, Adam's family, Mamaw and Papaw Adam, I was born into a fallen race and I am a family member of the devil. Jesus said, ye are of your father, the devil. If you're lost, if you're like this guy right here, you're of your father, the devil. You're a part of the devil's family. Some might say, well, we're all God's children. No, we're not. We're not all God's children. We're all God's creation, but we're not all God's children. You're not God's child until you become a son of God by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. So I was born into the family of the devil through Papaw Adam. When I got saved, that's why we call it being born again. I was actually born again into the family of God. I wasn't, yes, we call it an adoption, but I was actually born into the family of God by the Holy Spirit. John 3, that is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not, I say unto thee, you must be born again. So I wanted to clarify that. Now let's look at verse 18. Verse 18, the Apostle Paul had just finished up, we're talking about we're children, we're heirs, we're heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we suffer with him, we also glorified together. Then verse 18, for I reckon, that's why Paul, I like him, he's a southerner, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Now, you say, what in the world is Paul talking about? Paul was beaten three times to the point of death. Matter of fact, Paul went through so much persecution. and so much tribulation. But this is what Paul said, you know, we think somebody slams the door in our face, we think we've been persecuted. We don't know persecution. The Christians that were persecuted, Let's just start with the disciples. Most of them died a martyr's death. Some of them got their head chopped off. Some of them were boiled in a 55-gallon barrel of oil. Some of them, matter of fact, in the Roman Empire, they had those big coliseums. Well, they didn't have electricity. So how in the world did they light the place so they could have their games down there? You know what they did? They took Christians, lit them on fire, and planted them all the way around that Colosseum, and that's what lit the Colosseum up. You think you're bad, you know, persecuted. No, you haven't seen persecution yet. That's what they did to Christians back then, just to shine light on their games that they had. That's persecution. But think about this. Think about this. One of your family members that were safe, and they were lit on fire, on a stake, a pole, and just lit up all these Christians. I don't know how many there were, a bunch of them. And it just wasn't one night, it was every night. And they would light them Christians up. And some of them, they would take those Christians, they wouldn't feed them lions for, you know, three or four days. And they'd take Christians and lead them out there. And the people in the stands were watching it. Just watch, that's persecution that the early church went through. But Paul said this, Paul said, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. It's what he said. He said, okay, let's look, Dalton, go down there and look about 2 Corinthians, I think. 2 Corinthians chapter four. Second Corinthians chapter four about verse number 17 Paul said this too, for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Notice while we look not at the things which are seen. but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Everything you've been through, you say, I don't know why God allows me to go through this. I don't know why God's caused me all this trouble and sent all this trouble my way. I don't know why I'm going through this. I don't know why I've been persecuted. And I've heard people say this. I've heard people say, well, when I get to heaven, I'm gonna ask God this, and why that, and why this, and why'd he cause that, and this, that, and the other. Can I tell you a little secret? When you get to heaven, this light affliction will not be worthy to compare to our eternal home in glory. When you get to heaven, you won't care why anymore. And so that's what he's talking about. We look at the temporal things down here and we think, oh my goodness, somebody's about to kill us. But you imagine this. I read just the other day, I read about a martyr. They set this young girl on fire. They tried to get her to renounce Christ. And they sort of burned her at the stake, and they lit the fire up, and she was sitting there praying, had her feet and hand tied. She just started praying and singing, and she sung her way all the way into glory. And everybody's standing around going, that's odd. You think it probably, I'm sure it did, but that light affliction wasn't even, don't even compare to when she opened her eyes and when she walked into heaven. Paul says, hey, this light affliction, don't worry about it, it's temporal. the eternal part of heaven is not, it's just, you can't even compare it, is what he says. And basically Paul is saying, hey, we're strangers, we're pilgrims, what's the song we sang? This world's not my home, I'm just passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. That's why the Bible says, set your affections on things above, not on things of this earth. A lot of times Christians are too earthly minded. We're too settled down here. And we need to be looking for things that are not seen. The city whose builder and maker is God. That's what he's talking about. Let's go back to verse 19. And then this is what he says, for the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. I'm back in Romans 8, Romans 8, 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the son of God. And let me say something about that creature. Could be two couple different things. You know, the Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things become new. It could be talking about this old flesh that I deal with, that earnest expectation, waiting on the manifestation to where I get a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. It could be talking about that. But then if you go down to verse, go down to about verse 22, Verse 22, for not only they but ourselves, let's see, go on, let's see, but for ourselves, 22, sorry, for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. So it looks like the creature, I tell you what, let me read Let me read 19, and let me read it in continuous fashion. Let me tell you what I think. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but of reason of him that is subject to the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Now, let me tell you. You and I, the blood of Jesus Christ, when he died on the cross and we accept that, we have been redeemed. We are saved. Now there's a part of me that I'm still waiting on the redemption of the body. I'll get to that in just a minute. But not only also we as saved people, man, I can't wait till the Lord comes. Think about this. The creation groaneth, waiting on the Lord to come. You know why? It's because this earth has a curse on it. Ever since Adam and Eve fell, did you know before Adam and Eve fell and sinned, did you know the lion would lay down with the lamb? a snake, whatever, a bear, all those things. They just sat and pat them on the head like a bunch of pets. There was no curse on this earth. But soon as sin came into the world, then they became the food chain. And that food chain, the line, you stick your hand, you say, well, I think we're in the millennial reign. I tell you what, go to the zoo, stick your arm in that lion's den and see if we're in the millennial reign. Because he's gonna tear your arm off. Why? It's because there's a curse on this earth. But there's coming a day when the thousand year millennial reign where the lion will lay down with the lamb and a child will be able to play over the hole of an aspen, the curse is gonna be lifted this world. Every time a volcano, every time an earthquake, all the floods, all the, the earth is groaning. Wanting the Lord to come and lift the curse off of this. You ever thought about that? The creation is groaning, wanting the Lord to change. You say, Brother Jeremy, is that it? Well, yeah. Revelation 21, behold, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. It's going to be redeemed. It's going to be given a new... When you got redeemed, you were given a new Well, the earth is gonna get a new earth and it'll be redeemed. So that's why it's groaning. Now watch this. Not only is the whole creation groaning, verse 23, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves. Now everybody in here over 40 is fixing to get this. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves. Waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of the body. Not only is creation groaning for the Lord to come, but every time you get out of bed, and it sounds like snap, crackle, and pop cereal somebody's eating, Your body is groaning for the Lord to come. Why? Because you're gonna get a brand new body. Fashioned like unto his glorious body. Look down there, don't about Ephesians, no, excuse me, Philippians. Philippians chapter three, talking about the redemption, or excuse me, yeah. Who shall change our vile, there's your vile body right there that I still wag around. You say, Brother Jeremy, I thought you were saved. I am, he's on the inside, you can't see him. But that's my saved part. This outside ain't saved yet. I still, my knees hurt. I woke up this morning, my back hurt. I did that video, throwing my back plumb out, trying to do that last little move, I did. My body's groaning. waiting for the redemption of the body. Why? Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. There's another one in 1 John down there, 1 John. Behold, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Why? But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. We're gonna get a body just like the Lord Jesus Christ. This earth's gonna get a brand new earth. It's groaning for the Lord to come. My body wakes up every morning and is groaning for the Lord to come. And that's what he's talking about. Now let's go back to verse, what were we? 23. But, and not only, only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit. That means your firstfruits of the Spirit, you're saved. Even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Now, to wit, somebody said, well, that's King James. I don't know why we King James. To wit, that's old Elizabethan. No, it's not. The courthouse, the judges, and the lawyers used to wit every day of their lives. in every legal document you've ever read, there's a tuwhit in there. And only the tuwhit, waiting for the adoption, tuwhit, in other words, to describe what is the waiting for the adoption? The redemption of our body. The tuwhit pulls two statements together and defines the first statement. The second statement defines the first statement, and the two wit joins them together and lets you know what the definition is. Waiting for the adoption. What in the world is the adoption? The redemption of our body. Now, you're thinking, if you were listening last week, you said, well, Brother Jeremy, you said, once we get saved, we're already adopted into the family of God. I did, but guess what? There's two of you. When I got saved as a 10-year-old boy, I got adopted into the family of God. When the rapture takes place, this guy is gonna get adopted. You know what? The redemption of the body. Did y'all know that you ain't all the way saved yet? Let somebody pull out in front of you, let's see how saved you are. Go to work tomorrow and let somebody just haul off and just pop you real good and see how turning the cheek works for you. Somebody, you know, a Christian, somebody spit in your face, I don't care how saved you are, that guy right there is gonna rear up, I don't care how inside saved you are, that guy's gonna rear up and groan. This right here didn't change when I got saved. When I got saved, asked Jesus Christ to come to my heart and save me, I got up, looked the same, nothing changed on the outside. What changed is the Holy Spirit of God moved on the inside, but this guy still gives me trouble, and he's groaning, and he's waiting. I got adopted when I got saved, but there's a future adoption that takes place at the redemption of the body. Did y'all know that y'all can't go to heaven like you are right now? You say, well, I'm saved, I'm going to heaven. I know you are, but guess what has to happen to your body before you can get to heaven? It has to be changed in a moment, a twinkling of an eye. That's why when you take your last breath, a saved person takes his last breath. Paul said to be absent from the body, okay? There's a saved person in his body. Paul said to be absent from the body. You take that saved part. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Well guess what, don't go. You'll be taking him down to funeral home. And he's so corrupt, you gotta take the blood out and put formaldehyde in it. Wait and you're gonna put you in the ground. And then at the rapture, that thing's gonna be changed and be reunited with this guy in the middle of the air, and you'll be complete in him, Colossians 2.10. And you are complete in him. This guy's waiting on his adoption. You say, Brother Jeremy, that adoption thing, I'll tell you. The old Romans would do this. When they had a child, let's say a Roman king, and he would have a child. That child, until he was 21 years old, He had to have a caretaker. But when he became 21 years old, they took him out from the city and announced him as, that is my son, he has full authority, he now can sign his own name, he can sign any legal documents, and he has a right to anything that I have. Question, at the age of 21, did he just become a son? No. He became a son when he was born. But at the age of 21, he became adopted, Bible term, adopted into that full inheritance. And the father claims, that I want the whole city, town, country to know that's my son. and he has full rights and inheritance of anything that I have. Well, guess what? When you got saved, we bypassed the 20. I don't have to wait till I've been saved 21 years before God considers me a child. I get it the moment I got saved. And so the moment I got saved, God declares, I'm about to enjoy my own Wednesday night teaching. But to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. The Father in heaven said, I want the world to know that's my kid right there. Now, when y'all put me out to the ground at the graveyard, when that thing raises up, Both of them's going to join. He's going to get adopted and get into heaven. And so he presents him a glorious body and puts it on display, says, that is my child. Full and complete. Hallelujah. Now, look at verse 24. For we are saved by hope. Now, Another word in the Bible that is often misinterpreted, hope. That is not a verb. That is not, boy, I hope I make it. Oh, I hope I get there. I hope I do. That's a verb. We are saved by hope. That's a noun. Who's the hope? Titus 2.13, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of who? The great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our hope. So I am saved by hope. Who's our hope? That's him. But hope that is seen is not hope. In other words, when he comes, it ceases to be hope because I'm sitting there looking at him. For what a man seeth, what does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it? Now verse 26, now watch this. I'm trying to catch, I'm trying to gain some ground here. Likewise, the spirit, now get this right here. Likewise, the spirit. Also, y'all, I'm sorry, my eyes are drying up and my contacts and I have to, and I get them. I don't know why they dry up so easy. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth. That's what I need right now, Lord. I need somebody to helpeth my infirmity right now. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now, here's something I want you to notice. Notice the creation groans. We ourselves groan, and now the Spirit is groaning. The Holy Spirit lives on inside of me, and he's living in a body that still has trouble with the flesh, and so the Holy Spirit inside is groaning for the Lord to come. Lord, would you please come and change this dude that I'm living in? I want him to serve the Lord, but sometimes I want him to read the Bible every morning, but he wakes up and wants to watch Jerry Springer. I don't even know what time Jerry Springer comes on. I think he passed, I'm not sure. Anyway, hopefully he's ready. Anyway, likewise also the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. the things we go through. Watch this. This is what this is talking about. Our tribulations, our troubles. If anybody knew anything about that, it was the Apostle Paul. The Holy Spirit helps us to go through our trouble by praying for us. Now, think about this. Think about the Holy Spirit. He sees your trouble. He sees it like you can't see it. He sees what you're going through. He sees the trouble that you're in. He sees it He sees tomorrow, which you don't see tomorrow. He sees God's purpose in it. He sees Satan's part in it. He also sees the testimony you could have if you come through this. and how many people you could help by going through what you're going through. And sometimes when we pray, likewise the spirit help with our infirmity, for we know not what should we pray for. How many of times have y'all heard, sometimes I pray it. I say, Lord, we have prayer requests here in a few minutes. And I say, Lord, now this is what I'd like to see done, but I don't know what your will is. I don't know if it's your will to do this or to fix that or whatever. We don't know a lot of times what we should pray for as we ought, but guess what? Somebody inside of you does. And the Holy Spirit that lives on inside of you goes up to the throne room in heaven to the right hand of God the Father, which is Jesus Christ, and says, hey, this is what he's asking for, but I don't think he needs that. I think he needs this, and the Lord looks at it, and he says, well, okay, I agree with you, because we're always in agreement, and if he goes through this right here, it'll be, it sure will be, Job, Job, anybody remember Job? Job in the Old Testament? Old Job. I guarantee you, he didn't think he needed all the stuff he went through. But when it made it through the throne room of heaven, God says, Job, I know you don't understand this, but I see all 42 chapters of Job, you're only seeing chapter one and two. And I'm telling you, Job, I know you, you're strong, you can get through this, and I'm fixing to put it to you. because when you get to forty two you're going to have a whole lot more than what you had in verse one and two or chapters one and two and you're going to be a whole lot better for it you may not believe me now but you will so the holy spirit inside of you knows what you need better than you do aren't you What did I read the other day? I read something about this lady hired a nanny for her kid. And the lady hired this nanny, and he's a sport-rockin' little kid. And the nanny, she told the nanny, the mama told the nanny, said, whatever he wants, he gets. Whatever he wants, he gets. No, I don't wanna hear, he gets, whatever, you give it to him. And she went off into the other room, started sewing and doing something. And she heard the awfulest racket, and that boy was, I want that, I want that, stomping and crying and carrying on. And the mama went in there and said, Nanny, I told you, give him what he wants. And she tried to explain. She said, no buts, no buts. Just give him what he wants. I'm trying to do my stuff in here. I don't want to hear it. Go back in there, the kid starts crying again, fussing and carrying on. She comes in there and says, I thought I told you to give him what he want, whatever he wants, you give it to him. And then he says, all right. She goes back in there and it wasn't a few minutes later and that boy was crying, I mean crying that you wouldn't believe he was crying. Old spring day, the windows was up. She come in there, she said, what's he crying for now? Nanny says, you told me to give him what he wants, he's over playing with that bumblebee, I gave it to him. Sometimes you don't need everything you want. And the Holy Spirit knows it. And sometimes you think you want it, and the Holy Spirit's going, mm-mm, that'll sting you, mm-mm, that'll get you. I've often wondered, I say, why ain't the Lord give me a million, I pray for a million dollars, why won't he give it to me? I promise to tithe on it. I don't know why he has it. I don't know. Where did we get to? Oh, yeah. Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what shall we pray for, for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession with us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now look at verse 27. And he that searches the hearts, that's the Holy Spirit, knoweth what is the mind of the, look at there. He knows the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. That's what I just tried to explain. Intercession, interstate, it connects two states together by a road. An intercessor, somebody that lives on the inside of you, Holy Spirit, is connected to the right hand of God, the Son. And so they are connected. He intercedes for you. He connects heaven to you when you pray. Dear Heavenly Father, boom, you're in the throne room. You don't have to go through a pope or priest or anything like that. You say, Dear Heavenly Father, boom, you're up there, and the Holy Spirit intercedes. He knows the mind of the Spirit, and he knows, and he puts it together according to the will of God. And sometimes you don't get what you pray for, because the Lord and the Holy Spirit's going, mm-mm, that ain't a good idea. I think Ruth Graham, Billy Graham's wife said this, she said, I thank the Lord he didn't answer all of my prayers. I'd have married the wrong man several times. Now verse 28, y'all ready for this one? And we know that all things, now we just come out of talking about going through your infirmities, likewise the spirit helpeth our infirmities and so we don't know how to pray and sometimes we want to pray this and we don't know the will of God every way. Verse 28, and we know, this is what we do know, that all things work together for good. to them that love God, to them who they're called according to His purpose. Now, I've always give this illustration. I give it, again, those of you that make chocolate pies. I haven't got one in a while, and may need one. But anyway, those of you that know how to bake them, and I'm not sure all the ingredients that goes in there. But y'all just pretend I do know, and if you're gonna make it from scratch. Now don't bring me one that, no, don't bring me one of them. It's got that fake chocolate pudding on the inside that wasn't homemade. Homemade, or just don't bring me one. But there's a lot of ingredients that goes in that. flour and whatever starch and you've got the milk and what else? Somebody holler. Cocoa, you got some eggs. Now any part of those ingredients that you took and you put in your mouth, just take your handful of just raw eggs, just put it in your mouth. That don't taste like chocolate pie. But all things working together. All if you'll give God time and let him work it together for good. For good. To them that love God. Sometimes we take a bite of life, we take a bite out of our life way too early. And we're saying, oh God, that tastes awful. He's like, would you let it cook? I'm working something together for your good. If you'll get somewhere, my favorite, get somewhere and sit down and be still a minute. Let me work it for good. And I'm telling you how many times we look back over 10, 20 years of our life, we look back and we go, man, if I'd have known then what I know now. That's all things work together for good. Just hang on, he's working it out for your good. You may not get everything you want, but an answer to the prayer, God answers all prayers. You say, he ain't answering mine. No is an answer. We think yes is the only way God, that's the only way. We say, well, thank God for answer, because I got a yes. Well, what if he says no? That's an answer. to prayer. Sometimes it's, hang on, there's three answers to prayer. Yes, wait, and no. You say, Brother Jeremy, I don't, I don't, I don't understand. Paul prayed. He said, I got a thorn in the flesh. I prayed three times, three times for him to take that thorn away from me. and he wouldn't take the thorn away from me. So then I changed my prayer and said, your grace is sufficient. If you want me to have this, you change my prayer, help me to endure it. All things are working together for good. Paul wrote 13 books in the New Testament. What we're reading tonight, cause he had a thorn in the flesh. Now verse 29, for whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." Now go back to verse 28 and let's look at this thing, or verse 29 rather. Verse 29, let's look at it because there's some words in here that When we use the word predestinated or predestinate, and we use that word here again, people don't know the proper definition of certain words. And so there are groups. There's a certain sect of Baptists, Presbyterians, that most of them are known, Reformed, Calvinist. And they say, according to this verse, he foreknew you and he predestinated you. Some people he predestinated to heaven. Some he predestinated to hell. You don't have a choice in the matter. He foreknew it. And so if you came into the church tonight, tripped over the chair, fell, broke your ankle, God foreordained that, predetermined that that was gonna happen. You didn't have a choice in the matter. He made it happen. Nowhere in the Bible. You don't even know your Bible, you're reading it upside down. For whom he did foreknow. Let's talk about foreknowledge first. Foreknowledge is not an act of God, it's a attribute of God. God knows everything. And just because he knows everything doesn't mean he forced it to happen. There's stuff that I knew about my kids growing up. I knew, I knew. As soon as we took those training wheels off that bike, I said, let's take them training wheels off. And you hold the back end of that, what used to be what they called a banana seat. And so you're holding the back of that and you're running along with the kid, right? And he don't know. He don't know yet you done took your hand away. I know, I foreknow. As soon as he looks back and sees my hand not there, he's gonna wobble and fall. That don't mean I kicked him off the bike. Just cause I foreknew it. That don't mean I made it happen. I just knew it was going to happen. You understand? Now, you say, Brother Jeremy, when did he foreknow you? Well, I can tell you this. Bible says what? Matthew 7, somewhere along in there. Depart from me, I never knew you. So, if you're a lost person, like this, he don't know who you are. He don't know you. He don't know you and the relationship between father and son. He does not know you. He says, depart from me, I never knew you. So if you're lost, you say, brother Jeremy, you got, yes, I can explain that for 30 minutes. Luke 16, I'll give you one example. Luke 16, the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom, heaven, okay? The rich man opened his eyes in hell. What was the rich man's name? Don't know, he was lost, I don't know him. The saved man, he called him by name. The lost man just said he's a rich man, I don't know his name. He didn't foreknew him. Don't know who he is. You say, well brother, when did he foreknow me? Well, I won't make him tell you. Let me get down here and find the verse, Dalton, so I can help you. I think it's Galatians 4. Look at Galatians 4. It's the last one on the page down there. Watch this, Galatians 4. The Bible is a wonderful book in a way that'll describe and help you. How be it then, when we knew not God, lost. We knew not God. Ye did serve unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, watch, now that you're saved, after that ye have known God, comma, or rather are known of God, you see that? God knew you when you got saved. He knew you by name when you got saved. So go back to Romans chapter number eight and verse 29 and let's look at it again. For whom he did foreknow, he knew you when you got saved. All of that stuff happens simultaneously when you get saved. For whom he did foreknow, he knows you by name. That does not mean before the foundation of the world he already picked who's going to be saved, who's not going to be saved, and he already sent these people to hell and predestined these people to heaven. You don't have a choice in the matter. That ain't what the verse says. So for whom he did foreknow when you got saved, what he also did, he predestined, predestinated to be saved? No, nobody's predestinated to be saved. Nobody's predestinated to be lost. Nowhere in the Bible it says predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son. We just saw the context while ago. Remember we were talking about adoption? To wit, the redemption of the body? When does that happen? At the rapture. That's when I get conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Y'all think, I don't look like Jesus Christ right now. No, amen, please. But I will. And he has predestinated that that be the case when I got saved. When I got saved, all right? Let me explain this predestination thing to you with the only illustration I know that can help you. First of all, let me say this. Somebody would say, well, predestinated, this little group over here to go to heaven, and y'all are predestined, predetermined, that ain't what the word is, but they'll change it, predetermined. God's already predetermined who's saved and who's lost, who's going to heaven and who's going to hell. You don't have a choice in the matter. He forces you to. That's baloney. It ain't even good baloney. It ain't even good baloney. But if that was the case, let's just pretend that's true. Predestinated y'all to go to heaven, y'all go to hell, or vice versa, whatever. 2 Peter 3, 9 says this. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. But as longsuffering to us, we're not willing that any should, but that all should come to repentance. So if he forces this group over here to go to hell, then when you get to heaven and God says, I'm gonna have to send you to hell, and you would have, you'd say, well, God, you're gonna have to, because I didn't have a choice in the matter. You're forcing me to go. God's not willing that any should perish, but it all should come to repentance. You say, all right, that ain't good enough. I need another verse. Okay, let me give you another one. 1 Timothy 2, verse three and four. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Is everybody gonna be saved? Uh-uh. Is there's more people going to hell than going to heaven? Probably, but God wants all men to be safe and come to the knowledge of the truth. Y'all see that now go back to, um, Romans, uh, eight and verse 29. Let me explain predestination and we'll probably get about that far. And then hopefully next Wednesday night, we'll finish Romans chapter eight. Hopefully if y'all listen real good, y'all just don't listen fast. for whom He did foreknow. When I got saved, He knew me. When I got saved, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Now, let me give you this illustration. Delta, I've flown Delta, I've flown Southwest. I may have flown some others, I can't remember. But anyway, mostly Delta and Southwest. And so, this is what, there's a group Let's just say Delta. Delta's got this little group that has met before they formed Delta Flight, whatever. And they met, and they said, okay, for this price right here, for $239, we will take this individual from Memphis to Dallas and make sure he gets there on time. Predestination, predestination, predestination. Y'all with me? Stay with me right here before we go. They predetermined, predestined for 249, we're gonna get this person from Memphis to Dallas. On the ticket, it doesn't say anything about the weather. It doesn't say anything about turbulence. It doesn't say what if I trip and fall in the aisle on the way to the bathroom while we're 40,000 feet in the air. It doesn't say anything about that. You coming into church, tripping and breaking your ankle, had anything to do with predestination. That wasn't preordained. That was just you tripped. For this little group, this board said, 249, we're gonna get this guy from Memphis to Dallas for that price. And we guarantee we're gonna get him there. Well, after watching the news here lately, I don't know if they guarantee they get you there or not. Anyway, but for my illustration purposes, before the foundation of the world, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost got together. And they said, for this price, boy, I'm fixin' to throw a Bible. For this price, I'll guarantee and predestinate that I'll get this person from Millsfield to heaven in one piece. What was the price? And so guess what? I didn't have to pay $249. I didn't have to pay anything. The son came and paid my ticket, and on my ticket it says, paid in full from Millsfield to heaven. It doesn't say anything about if I'm gonna get sick in the middle of that trip. It doesn't say anything about me breaking a leg, a hip. It doesn't say anything about me being in the hospital for two and a half weeks for a gunshot wound. It doesn't say anything about all of that on the ticket. It just says I'm predestined from Millsfield to heaven. I've already got the ticket. Half of it was cut off. Half of it's in heaven to guarantee that I'm there and I get on that flight and I've been on that plane ever since I was 10 years old and I'm headed that direction and it's been predestinated that I'm a going. And when I get there, I'm gonna look just like his son. That's what predestination is. Nothing more, nothing less. For this price, I will predestine that I'm gonna get you. The Lord Jesus Christ is gonna get you. And hey, he'll get you there. Somebody said, well, I'm worried about losing myself. I'm not. I'm on the right plane. And I know the pilot. And he ain't gonna crash. Hallelujah. I'm going to heaven. And it didn't cost me nothing. Matter of fact, the pilot paid my ticket. And I'm headed that way. Hallelujah. All right. I may preach that Sunday morning.