 Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us. We will begin now. Can I ask any one of you to please lead us in prayer, please? Anyone? Nobody wants to lead us in prayer? Dear Heavenly Father, we pray you should acknowledge your holy name. Thank you for this wonderful moment, Father. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to learn and seek you, Father, to grow in wisdom and stature. Father, thank you for this class. We pray for the past Salina. We pray for each and every classmate, Father. We need your divine intervention. We need your holy spirit, guidance, so that we can learn and grow in your own image, Father. Thank you so much for everything. I ask this prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you Prabhakar. Okay, so we were looking at Romans chapter 8 and we were looking at verses 24 to 28. Okay, and in verse 25, we saw on Wednesday that Paul talks about the hope that we have. Okay, what is the hope? Though we can't see it now, there is a hope and that's why it's called hope. And the hope is something to be in the future, you know, when our bodies will receive the full redemption. You know, we would receive our glorified bodies. We would no longer face death, but we will receive that. Glorified bodies, we will receive our redemption in full as we have received it in part now. Okay, and Paul says, you know, even as we have this hope, we can eagerly wait. And because we have this hope, you know, we can have this endurance and perseverance to go through all the weaknesses of the flesh that he's mentioned, which he's spoken about also about the sufferings that he's mentioned and he's spoken to us about. And all the difficulties and the hardships that we face. He says, we go through all these sufferings, we go through the weaknesses of the flesh. We struggle through in our journey in life, but you know, we have this hope that in the future, you know, we will receive this glorious bodies where we will be redeemed from everything that we are suffering of, from the corrupt, from sin, the bondage of sin and, you know, from the body that is subjected to death, with death, which is talking about corruption and decay and sickness and pain and suffering and the suffering that we are having because, you know, because creation has also, you know, fallen because of Adam's sin has also is going into degradation is also, you know, going slipping down. We see corruption in creation as well and death in creation as well as decay and, you know, this degradation of things. And because of the fallen world that we live in, you know, we experience sufferings and pain and he says, you know, we can look at all these things with the hope and what is the hope, you know, that we have is in the future, we will receive redemptive bodies when we redeemed from death, and we will receive our glorious bodies. He says, because of all this, you know, look at that and continue to run your race with perseverance and endurance. And even if you are struggling because the weakness of your flesh or even because you're going through the sufferings, you know, this is going to give us the confidence. This is going to give us the hope. This is going to give us the strength that one day, you know, we would be redeemed. And then hence we can run our race with perseverance and endurance. Now, interestingly, we see that, you know, Paul moves on or transitions to prayer. Okay, so in verses 26, 27, you know, he's talking about prayer. He says, and he's talking about another aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. So in this chapter and in the preceding chapter in chapter seven, he's introduced us to different, the person and the work of the Holy Spirit is given different titles to Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, you know, the spirit of Christ, you know, so he's again introducing us to another work of the Holy Spirit. He says, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, in our weaknesses. He helps us in our weaknesses. So what is the weaknesses he's talking about here in chapter eight verse 25. If you look at it in the overall context of what we've been studying or what Paul has been writing in his letter in his episode, the overall context of this word weakness or weaknesses is a weakness of our flesh. Okay, this is the overarching theme starting from Romans chapter six, that Paul has been talking about the weakness of our flesh. But in the immediate preceding context, Paul is talking about sufferings at the present time. So what is the sufferings of our present time he's talking about the corruption and decay because creation has fallen from its original intent, design, purpose and the plan of God. And because there's corruption and decay in creation, and hence we also are going through suffering because that's why we all have sickness and disease and, you know, health issues and all of those things. And it also can be referring to the demonic work or the work of Satan that brings suffering into our lives. It can also refer to wicked people who have wicked intentions, you know, who don't mean good for us. And so they can, you know, think wicked things they can bring about the wicked plans against us. So there are times when we go through the sufferings of life, when we feel weak and we don't want to pray and we don't know what to pray for. And so he says, you know, whether it's these weaknesses of our flesh or it is the journey of the sufferings of life. That is happening the present time. We can say, God, I do not know what to pray for in the situation. I'm just feeling so overwhelmed. I'm feeling so drowned. I'm just feeling so down that I can't even say anything. I can't even pray. My mind is totally, you know, dull. It's totally tired and exhausted. So, you know, there are times when we go through all of these sufferings, this weakness of flesh and we don't know what to pray. You know, at those times is the Holy Spirit, you know, and Paul is introducing us to the Holy Spirit. And he says the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. He says the same Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of life, who gives life to our mortal bodies, who quickens our mortal bodies, the spirit of life, the spirit of Christ. So, the same Holy Spirit, you know, is also there to help us in our weaknesses. And he makes intercessions for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. So, the Holy Spirit that is dwelling in each one of us, what does he do? You know, he intercedes for us and he does it with us. He does it along with us. He does it together with us and he does it through us. So, it's not just the Holy Spirit who is interceding or praying for us when we are going through these difficult, challenging situations, sufferings, the weakness of flesh when we don't know what to pray for. But it's the Holy Spirit together with us, along with us. So, the Holy Spirit who puts in the groanings into our spirit man. So, he does it with us, he does it through us. So, in verse 26, all says likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness. So, he also means he's talking about a different aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. Okay, he's mentioned so many things of Holy Spirit for us. He's a spirit of adoption as well. He testifies to us that the sons and daughters of God that we are has with God and has with God and God has with Christ Jesus. So, he's also a spirit of adoption. He's also the spirit of life that we saw. And it's the Holy Spirit that helps us to keep the commandments, to keep the laws, which all what Paul has been mentioned to us. So, he's saying also helps us. This is another work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He also helps us in our weaknesses. Now, the Greek word for help here literally means to take hold of together with us against. Okay, so that gives us a very good idea and explanation of what this really the work of the Holy Spirit here is. It says the Greek word really means to take hold of together with us against. So, it's the Holy Spirit taking hold of us or together with us against our weaknesses, against our sufferings, against the problems that we are going through. So, it's not the Holy Spirit going off somewhere and just praying for us. But so, Holy Spirit together with us, along with us, taking hold against our weaknesses, enabling us to pray. So, whether it's weaknesses of the flesh or whether it's the sufferings that we are going through the present time. The Holy Spirit takes hold of us and together with us, he prays for our weaknesses, which we do not know what to pray for. And how are these, you know, this prayer coming out says, growlings that cannot be uttered. Which means, you know, the expression is coming from the Holy Spirit. Its actual intercession is coming in the form of groaning that cannot be expressed in speech. So, it can be, groaning can be inarticulate speech. It's not, you know, the words that we really speak because we are in a very dire situation. The situation where we are down, we are given up and we really don't have the words. So, it comes out as groaning means, comes out as inarticulate speech. It can come out as, you know, it can come out, it can be expressed in tongues. It can be expressed crying, weeping, whatever fashion, you know, is the Holy Spirit releasing the prayer through the life of a believer. Verse 27 says, he who searches the heart. Now it's coming back to the heart of the individual. So, God is looking into the hearts of the individuals. So, where are these groanings being released from? You know, the groanings are coming from the Holy Spirit, but it's released from the heart of the believer, from the spirit of the believer. So, this prayer, this intercession that helps us in our weakness, it comes from the Holy Spirit and it is released into our hearts and into our spirit as groanings. And these groanings, which cannot be expressed through our own words, you know, just comes out in, whether it's expressed through tongues or, you know, weeping, moaning, crying, whatever. But it says here that God looks into our heart. That means God knows, and it goes on to say, God goes on to say, He knows what the mind of the spirit is. So, God knows what the Holy Spirit is saying or what the Holy Spirit is giving intercession for our weaknesses or the suffering that we're going through, because the intercession is the intercession for the saints according to the will of God. So, whatever the Holy Spirit is telling us, we need to know always that it's not from Him, but it's coming from Jesus according to the will of God. And it's, hence, it's the perfect intercession. So, even when you don't know what to pray for any situation, you don't even know what to pray for. You can just pray in tongues, because, you know, when you're praying in tongues, we're actually praying mysteries, which is mysteries to us, but not mysterious to God and to the Holy Spirit, because they know. And, you know, we were just speaking those mysteries, which is accordance to, you know, God's will plan for our lives. It can also be speaking to our situations, the problems, the difficulties. God, and we're also speaking what God is orchestrating towards our difficulties, towards our situations, towards our problems. So, it can be all of these things, but it's mysterious to us. But what we are saying is in alignment to God's plan and purpose, it's in alignment to His divine will. And even though it's mysterious to us, it comes into us split man, it's released into us split man by the Holy Spirit. You know, we can also receive answers to the Holy Spirit can also give us solutions to the problems that they're looking to answers to the difficulties that we are going through. Okay, so God looks into the heart and this kind of intercession, what the Holy Spirit does for us is perfect intercession, because we are praying according to will of God. We are praying just as God wants us to pray. Okay, so in this process, we see who is having the weakness? Who's going to the weaknesses? It's we, right? We the saints. Okay, who is helping us in prayer? The Holy Spirit. Who is, how is he helping us by making intercession along together with us? Okay, who is doing the intercession? Who is doing the intercession? Yes, correct. The believer who's doing the intercession with the help of the Holy Spirit. So where is the intercession coming from? It's coming from the heart of the believer, but who has put that in the heart of the believer is the Holy Spirit that is put it in the heart of the believer. And who's listening to us when we're in the city? God is listening to us and he already knows what is in the heart and mind because it is put in by the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit reveals the mind of Christ to us that we read in the preceding verses. Okay, so God looks into the heart of the believer, he knows what the Holy Spirit is saying. He knows the mind of the Spirit and this intercession we know is in accordance with the will of God. Okay, so we see that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray in our weaknesses according to the will of God. It comes out as groaning and it's prayer that comes from the Holy Spirit. It's been expressed in inarticulate speech, it's not something the believer because inarticulate we're saying is because it's not coming from the mind of the believer. Okay, he does not bring up these things but it's coming from the heart of God. I mean the Holy Spirit is releasing it and these points can be expressed in tongues through crying, weeping, whatever fashion. But what is the result of this kind of prayer? It is accordance to the will of God. Okay, and what does it do also? What is the result? It helps the saints in their weaknesses, gives them answers, solutions to their problems. Okay, so the light of this, you know, looking at Romans 8, 28 says, And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and those who are called according to His purpose. Okay, so these are the sufferings that we're going, all of us are going through suffering in the present time. We are going through this but you know, this is our confidence. What is our confidence? Not only that we will have the seful redemption of our bodies but Paul also says that our confidence is that all things will work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. So when we go through sufferings, difficulties and tribulations, trials, you know, this should be our hope, this should be our confidence. This should be something that, you know, we can endure through that, you know, and all things God is going to bring out His good. Even though we go through the suffering, we are not able to see anything good, God will bring out something good. The ultimate result will be something that He brings out which will be good because, you know, we love God. We're called according to His purpose and also, you know, what He brings out will not just be something good but will also be that God's purposes will be brought about in and through the sufferings and the difficulties and the tribulations that we go through. Okay, because we are loved by God and we're called according to His purpose. So all things will work for our good. Amen. So this is our great assurance, this is our great hope. This is something that we can hold on to. This is our anchor when we go through sufferings that all things will work together for good and whatever is happening, you know, God's purposes will ultimately be fulfilled and His purposes will be brought about in our lives. And so that can give us the endurance and the perseverance to go on. Then He says in verses 29 and 30, what is His purposes? What is God's purposes? So can Hamlet please read verses 29 and 30 please. God knew His people and plans and He chosen to become like His Son so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him and having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself and having given them right standing, He gave them His glory. Thank you, Asha. So just beautiful verses here and what Paul reveals to us. He says, for whom God foreknew is basically talking about the omniscience of God. God is all knowing, He knows everything. He says that whom God foreknew, He also predestined. So that means He predestined means that He planned before time. Now everything that God planned to happen in history that we are seeing unfolding before our lives will happen in the future is something that He has done arbitrary. That means it's not something that He does randomly, comes up with some idea now. But it's everything that is something that God has already planned even before the foundations of the world. So even before we even were conceived in our mother's womb, even before the foundations of the world, God even knew who you would be, what you would do, what your choices would be, where you would go and all of those things. So He knows everything. All the days of our life are in His book even before even one came to being. So He's planned everything beforehand before time. He's decided everything. So what did He predestined? He predestined means He did not predestined our choices. Now this is very important for us to understand and catch. God did not predestined the choices that we will make. That means He did not beforehand, before we were created, even before the creation of the world, He did not predestined. That means He did not make it our choice. He did not destined Adam and Eve to make the wrong choice. It was their own choice that they were going to make. But did He know beforehand that they were going to make the wrong choice? Yes, but He did not cause them or He did not make them to make that wrong choice. They are able to understand. So He predestined us before the creation of this world. He knew beforehand what are the choices each one of us are going to make. So He did not say, OK, I'll get Asha to make these choices to choose me, to believe in me, but I'll make Koon to refuse and not accept the gospel. That's not right because when we say that, we're saying that God is a partial God, which is going against His very nature. So predestination basically means not that God makes us choose, but He has given us the free will to choose. So that is why I said last week, last Friday, He created us in His image. That means He gave us a mind of our own. A mind that we will be able to think and understand and discern what He is saying. He gave us a will to choose. That is why He created us in His image. That's what it means in His image. A will to choose. He helps us to choose. When we go to Him and say, God, what do I choose? He helps us. He gives us the leading and the guidance through the inner witness, the Holy Spirit, to the audible voice of the Holy Spirit, to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, to prophecies and to the gift of the Spirit. But He does not make us choose what we choose. It's our own choice. So He predestined means He did not make the choices for us. But He predestined means He knew the choices that we are going to make. So He knew that each one of us are going to choose Him as our Lord and Savior. He knows who is not going to choose Him as Lord and Savior. And those He predestined, He also conformed to the image of His Son. So He knew beforehand who is going to choose Him. And those who choose Him, He predestined them to be conformed to the image of His Son. So it's all of them who by their own will, their own choice, choose Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Those He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. So it does not mean that God predestined each one of us to choose Him. Some of them not to choose Him. No, that's wrong. The choice is for everyone. So God knew beforehand our choices. So we are the ones who are making the choices. God does not determine the choices that we make. He does not determine the choices that we make. He knows the choices we are going to make. And He knows who is going to choose Him, who is not going to choose Him. But those whom He knows are going to conform, are going to conform them to His image, to conform them to the image of His Son, conform them to the image of Jesus Christ. So those who make this choice, they will be made in the image of Jesus. And that's why He says, because He is the firstborn among many brethren. So it says that we should be like our brethren of Jesus, like Jesus. So we would become like Jesus. That is what God has predestined for us, that we would be like Jesus. So what's predestined? It says more over whom He predestined. These He also called. Whom He called, these He also justified. And when He justified, it says that these He also notified. So all who become like Jesus, they are the ones who will become the called. Those who make the choice and choose Jesus as a Lord and Savior, these are the people who become the called of God. So the question is that does God only call those He predestines or does He call everyone or is the invitation extended to everyone? So the question again is, does God only call those He predestines or does He call everyone or is the invitation extended to everyone and those who respond to the invitation are those who are called. Okay, to everyone, yes? Yeah, it's extended to everyone. It's extended to everyone. God only discriminates against anyone. He desires that everyone come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. So yes, it's extended to everyone. Yes, thank you. So it's God's good pleasing will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He calls everyone. Does that mean God knows ultimately who is going to be saved and make it to heaven? Yes, because He knows beforehand the choices that each one of us will make. Yes. Okay. So, you know, we need to answer this question. This is very important because one school of thought, you wanted to say something, Siddharth? Okay. So one school of thought says that God has already predestined things. He's predestined who are going to be saved and they are going to be the called. Now, if this is true, then there is no need for us to preach the gospel. Right? There's no need for us to busy ourselves and to give our lives to preaching the gospel because, you know, we already know, okay, these are the ones who are going to predestine. He's already predetermined. You know, they're going to be saved. So they will, they will just automatically be saved. Let them be saved. By the way, we have to spend our time and energy doing this. But that's not what the New Testament tells us. Okay. The New Testament tells us, Jesus tells, gives us a command, go into all the world and preach the gospel, preach, teach, and make disciples in, you know, to all. Okay. That was even the command that he gave, the great commission he gave even before he ascended to heaven, you know, preach the gospel to everyone. And also the invitation is open to all. We have to go and preach the gospel to every creation. John 3.16 says, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. So Jesus died for everyone but whoever believes in him. So the invitation is basically open to all. Anyone can believe. But the ones who believe, they are the ones who become the called. Okay. The called ones. They are the ones who God formed you to be predestined or whom he called to be predestined to the image of his son because he already knows that they're going to make this as a choice. They're going to make. Okay. And those he calls, he also justifies. What's the meaning of justifies? He makes them righteous, right standing with God. They also saw what was the benefit of the right standing in grace, right standing with God. Okay. And those he justified, he also glorified. So what's the meaning of glorified? Okay. Just in the preceding verses we saw, you know, made his children. Made his children. Correct. Yes. How are we glorified? Which means we become hares with God and co-hares with Christ Jesus. Okay. So that is the glorious redemption that we can have. That's what Paul talks about, the glorious redemption, which means we become hares and joint hares with God and joint hares with Jesus Christ. Okay. So this is how he, you know, just beautifully just sums it up. So it's very important for us to know, because there are many theological arguments about predestination. Many of them says, you know, say that God actually caused Pharaoh's heart, you know, to be hardened so that he can display his miracles. He can display his glory, which is not fair. But it's not God who hardened Pharaoh's heart. I mean, that's how it's written in scripture. But Pharaoh basically had a hard heart. God knew that. And God knew the choices he's going to make. And it's not that God is going to harden his heart, which means if you're saying God is going to harden his heart, that means God is going to cause him to sin. God cannot give us anything that he does not have. God does not have sin. He cannot cause us to sin. Right. He's totally going against the nature and the whole theology of who God is. So God did not, when we read it, we can literally say God, see God hardened Pharaoh's heart. It's written in scripture. It means that, you know, Pharaoh's heart was already, he was a hard hearted person. God just used him and, you know, his stubbornness, his hard heartedness. He was not letting go, but he just used it to reveal his glory. Now God does not need to use our sin to reveal his glory. Right. He's a holy God. He does not need to use our sin to reveal his glory or his power or his might. Okay. Irrespective of that, he does not need to use us or our sinful attitudes to show how righteous, how good, how holy he is. It's a long theology that we will be preaching. So it's important for us to know that, you know, wherever it says God caused them to do this and all of those things, you know, we also saw that in healing and deliverance, God put the sickness on this person, that person. It's not that God put the sickness. He can't give us sickness because basically he does not have sickness. But it's because of, you know, we saw the various reasons. In the same way, we interpret this likewise. Okay. So God does not pre-test in the choices that we make. We have the free will to choose. That is why Adam and Eve chose the wrong. But, you know, God already, did God knew that they're going to make the wrong choices? Yes. Did he have another plan? Yes. He was unfolding his other plan. He brought about his other plan. And he's still executing his plan. You know, even though we can go away from his plan and his will, but he can still unfold his plans in our life even today. Yes. Do you have your hand up? Yes, Pastor. Would it also be correct to say, in addition to what you said, is that God knows all the possible choices that we can make and where he's never caught on our ways of what we choose at the end of the day. Yes. Yes. He knows the different choices that are there before us. He knows what are the choices that can harm us, that can seem good to us, but can harm us. And that is why, you know, he's given us the Holy Spirit. He says, the Holy Spirit is your teacher, your guide, your counselor. He will lead you. He will guide you into all truth. John chapter 16, John chapter 14, we read that. And we also see that, you know, he guides us in all truth. And the Holy Spirit will also reveal things to us and tell us, you know, things to come. And also will remind us what Jesus has taught us about. So it's the work of the Holy Spirit. And we know through, you know, the inner witness, the Holy Spirit, the inner voice, the Holy Spirit, the audible voice, the Holy Spirit. To the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can receive guidance and leading in every area of our lives, small and big, significant and insignificant as well. Okay. Louis says, Pastor, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, if God knows the choices to be made, knows the choices that we are going to make. Yes, but in respect of the choices that we are going to make or the invitation, the gospel is still going to be preached to everyone because he knows who are going to hear that gospel and who is going to make the choice. So God is not trying to justify his sovereignty. He does not need to justify anything about himself to anybody because he's God. He already stands justified, doesn't need to justify. So we need to correct these statements. It's not that God knows the choices to be made, but he knows the choices we are going to make. And because we are going to make those choices, he predestines us to be called, we confirm to his image of his son to be justified and to be told to fight. Okay. I hope I answered your question, Louis. Okay. Say you have your hand up. Yes. So Pastor, in other words, what you're basically saying is that God knows the choices we are capable of making all choices. So again, he's not caught on our ways, regardless of what choice we make. He already has a clan. He already knows what to do. He's never caught on our ways, but at the end of the day, he leaves us to make that choice. Yes. He knows the choices that we are going to make because he's given us the free will to choose to give the position to choose. Yes. Yes. Somebody else has their hand up. You can go ahead. Yes, Pastor. I just want to ask you a question now with regards to the predestination. We are praying for someone and are we able to, maybe through one of the gifts of the Spirit, get a sense that this person has already been predestined, that he will not be saved. And then do we still continue? I mean, can we make a change? Can we change that predestination that will affect this person? I just wanted to understand from that point of view. Yeah. But see, the thing is, we don't know whether that what choice that person is going to make. Maybe that person, here's the gospel for, say, 15 years of his life, 20 years of his life. And we have people like that, right? 15, 20 years, they're born in a Christian family, they don't, their parents are praying, crying out for them. And then one fine day, they just they just accept. So we don't know who are these people. God knows, but we don't know. But we can still go ahead and pray because that is what we are called to do. That's what Jesus says. And he says, I know who are going to make the choice. So I'm going to lead them and show you who to go. He would have said that in that mandate, in the Great Commission. He says, go into all the world, preach the gospel, preach, teach and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So he says, go, go to all the people, preach and teach. He doesn't say, I'm going to show you who is going to, you know, choose me, the XYZ, who's going to choose me to them. You go, but he says, this whole preach the gospel to everyone. But he knows, you know, ultimately he knows who's going to make the choice. Yes. Then my intercede for people to be said, it's important to pray for people, to intercede for people to be saved because, you know, God knows that, you know, they will choose. But, you know, there are things that are hindering. It can be the work of the devil. Like we saw, even our sufferings that we're going through, is because of we're living in a fallen world. Creation is falling and we're suffering because of that snow. It's, we just catch a viral fever or, you know, we, many people died with COVID because it was just in the air. And also, you know, some of the problems is demonic oppressions, what Satan puts in our lives, sufferings. It can be also wicked people who come in, in the garb of being nice people. And we think they're nice people, but to turn out that, you know, they really fooled us. So, yeah, it's important that, you know, we pray for people so that the eyes are opened to see the truth that is in Jesus Christ. So, you know, we need to pray, we need to make intercession for people so that, you know, they can be saved. So that, you know, the blindness that covers their eyes is removed and they're able to see the light, see the truth in Jesus Christ. Yeah. So, they will be saved no matter what, because their predestined God knew that everybody is going to be predestined like this. Then he would say, you would never have told us to preach and teach the gospel. And we would never see the early apostles and believers going to such persecutions. And even Jesus would not have come down to the earth. He would have just come down, died on the cross and gone. He would have not preached about the kingdom of God. He would have not revealed the Father's heart of God to us. He would have not done science miracles and wonders. He would have not preached about the kingdom of God. See, why do we preach and teach to the people who know the truth? They will come to the truth. They will accept the truth. So, it's not for us to say, okay, God knows when also let him save them, save him by themselves. No, we are called to do it. We will do it. That's how God has planned it to be. Okay. I hope I answered your questions. Okay. If there are no more questions, we will move on. I just want to ask one other question. So, in our prayer, we should not really try to sort of get an understanding of whether the person is being predestined to be saved or not saved. I'm just thinking that if we were to ask that question, and maybe through the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the gift of knowledge or whatever, we get an indication of that. Or can we get an indication of that so that it makes us sort of... I don't think the Holy Spirit will indicate that about us. He will just... See, the gift of the Spirit is basically to edify the church, to strengthen, to exhort, to build up a person. It's not to put them down and discourage them. So, revealing this about the Holy Spirit is what the Holy Spirit would never do. He would reveal, even just say, this person's sinless injury will not even reveal the deep intimate sin of that person. It might reveal it to the person, but not to you. So, you don't stand as a judge, but you just say, okay, I just sense that the Holy Spirit is saying, there's some sin you can, you and God, you can confess it. But what do we see from Scripture? See, we always need to interpret Scripture in the light of other Scriptures. So, what does our Scripture tell us? Scripture tells us that it's God's good, pleasing and perfect will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It just says, all men be saved. So, we don't say, who are the ones show us, who are not the ones show us, God's perfect will all men be saved and come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We just go with that. We just speak into that. We just pray into that. And we just want to see that fulfilled. And all of them will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Does that help? Yes? Okay. So, we'll move on to verses 31 to 39. So, here in verses 31 to 39, Paul is putting together all that he has spoken in, you know, so far in the chapter so far, you know, because he's going to shift to an entirely different theme in chapter nine. So, this is kind of, these verses are kind of a grand conclusion of putting everything together, tying up everything to gather everything, bringing everything to a closure. And he, Paul wraps it up and he goes into this, you know, celebratory proclamation. He's saying, here is all that God has done and I'm celebrating everything that God has done. So, he's bringing everything to a perfect conclusion, all that he has spoken, because there's going to be an entirely shift in the theme that he's going to speak about in chapter nine. So, he's putting forth four rhetorical questions here, which he has done several times throughout in this episode, which is something unique in this Roman episode, where he's asking these rhetorical questions, where he asked the questions and he himself gives the answers. Okay. So, what are these questions? These questions can be questions that come up in the mind of people or the questions he would like to come up in the minds of people. And because he wants to summarize the main things that he has been writing so far or saying so far. So, verse 31, what then shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us? So, he says, we know that we all go through sufferings and hardships, weaknesses in our flesh, you know, but we all go through this, but what is our response to all of this? So, he says, our response is if God is for us, who can be against us? So, this is the first assurance that he gives us, if God is for us, who can be against us? The second thing is, in verse 32, he says, he who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not with him also freely give us all things? That means, how will he not along with the son, you know, when he's given us his only son, how will he not along with him graciously give us all things? So, we have this assurance of God's presence that God, when God is for us, nothing can be against us, which is an assurance of God's presence. We also have here an assurance of God's provision. That means, when God did not hold back his only son, you know, how will he not along with him, you know, graciously give us all things? So, while they're going through sufferings in the present times, while we are waiting for the adoption of the glorious redemption or of the glorious liberty that is coming up again, the hope that we have, while we're going through all the sufferings of weakness and uplesh and tribulations and difficulties, we can say, God, you are for me. If you are for me, nothing can work against me. And, you know, that is God's presence and say, God, I have your provision. You know, when you gave your only son, how will you not along with him graciously give me all things? Amen. Okay. So, God will provide for me. God will also be with me. So, God's presence and God's provision is the assurance, the hope that we have when we go through sufferings, tribulations and difficulties. Okay. So, the next question he asked in verse 33 is, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. So, you know, Paul has already explained this whole truth about justification. And so, he sums it up with this. He says, look, God has justified you and me, and because he's justified us, no one can accuse us. No one can condemn us. There is no accusation against us. Okay. Just to finish the last two verses, if you could speak with me, you know, verse 34 and verse 35, he says, Who is he who condemns? 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. So, Paul has already explained to us that Christ was dead, buried, resurrected, ascended. He's seated at the right hand of the Father. And what is he doing there? He's making intercession for us. So, we live with the sense that we are justified. And the one who justified us and made us righteous is at the right hand of the Father. So, there's no way anyone can bring any condemnation or accusation against us. And even if they bring it against us, nothing will prevail. And then, he talks about the love of God. He says that the love of Christ, you know, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And Paul says, you know, in Romans chapter 5, verses 1 to 5, Paul has been saying that hope does not disappoint us, okay? Because the love of God is poured out in our hearts. So, this hope is consolidated. It is strengthened because God's love is poured out into our hearts. So, here, he's saying that I'm so assured of this love. That is why I have this hope. This hope is, the hope that I have about the future things that is going to take place is undergirded by the love of God that has been poured into my heart or is poured into our hearts. So, we are so confident of this love. And then he talks about all the troubles and tribulations in verse 36 to verse 39. He talks about the natural things, the spiritual things that happens, nakedness, famine, persecution. You know, he says, even neither death nor life, angels or principalities or powers, which are talking about spiritual things. He's talking about neither height nor depth, nothing in all creation, which is a natural things, again, can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. So, he says, the love of God which is poured out into our hearts, we know that nothing can separate us from this love of God, nothing in the natural realm, nothing in the spiritual realm, okay? And he says, whatever we are going through is going, we are going to come out as more than conquerors. So, which means Paul is saying, we are not just going to be victorious, we are going to be more than victorious. Whatever we go through in life, we are going to come out victorious, we are going to come out more than conquerors. And nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. And he says, this is what gives us the hope. And hence, he brings us to this grand summary of chapters, all that he's written from chapters 5 to 8, which is, he basically celebrating, proclaiming all that God has done, everything that God has already done for us, and what is the hope that we have? The hope we have is his love, and I think it separates us from his love, and that we can be more than conquerors, more victorious, and that we can be more than conquerors to him who loved us, okay? So that is Amen. Yes, Amen to that. Thank you, Asha. I hope you enjoyed chapter 8. It's just such a wonderful piece of literature, of the revelation that Paul received that we could just chew on, but I hope it will just become a reality in our lives. Okay, any questions anyone has? Any questions? So have a good, if there's no questions, we'll, yeah. Yes, Louis. Yes, go ahead. Good morning, ma'am. Good morning, class. I just want to ask, I don't know whether it's a use of language, but Romans 8, 33, 34, 35, started with Wu, Wu, Wu. If you read 35, it says, Wusha separates us from the love of God, Nazism, tribulation, distress. I thought Wu was supposed to be a personal pronoun, if I'm correct, in English language. Who is he that condemns? Well, I should not say Wu. He uses it as a person, but the things he's quantifying are tribulation, distress, persecution, famine. I thought it was supposed to be what? It's all Wu. So is he just a semantics or just accurate? Yeah, thank you for the question. So because you're asking only 34 and 33 and 34, and the 35 also has the Wu, but it qualifies the Wu there, tribulations, distress, persecution that can come through people, angels, demonic beings, we're talking about the spirit realm. So that who is already explained to us or qualified for us here, but the Wu here can bring any charge against God's elect, can be the accuser himself who is Satan. Who is he that condemns? He condemns he's an accuser, so it can also refer to him, it can refer to the demonic beings that accuse us, or it can also bring, it can be people, the wicked people or people who do not know Christ, who accuses, or who condemn us, it can even be them, people of the world as well. So talking more about the natural and the spiritual realm. That can also mean no one, nothing. Yeah, no one, nothing. But just as a word I'm saying, so nothing and no one can come against whatever relationship God has given us with him in Christ Jesus. Yes, no one can stop that relationship, that intimacy, that blessings, our spiritual standing, who we are in Christ, where we are placed. Yes, no one can descend, it's something that we've received by grace, but here he's asking, who can it be people? It can be people in the natural realm, it can also be people in the spiritual realm, it can have Satan, demons who stand, charge against us, condemn us, accuse us. We can have even people, even sometimes even fellow believers who can condemn us for things that we have done, just to put us down, put our ministry down, talk in of us, so anyone can be. So who can bring charge against God? Yeah, like for Jesus it was the high priest, the Pharisees that teaches the law, you know, who stand and condemn, it was the people themselves. You can do for both the natural realm and spiritual realm. Did I help answer your question, Louis? Yes ma'am. Thank you. I'll take you up on them. Any more questions? Okay, if not, we'll end class. Thank you all for patiently staying through for an extra eight minutes. Have a blessed weekend and just live in the celebrate, you know, everything that God has proclaimed and, you know, purchased for us on the cross, lived that life in the fullness of the spirit. Okay. Thank you everyone. God bless you all. Bye.