Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWaiting by the Hope of Glory
Bible TextRomans 8:18-25
Synopsis Sin has so affected God’s creation that both creation, as well as God’s people, patiently wait for that day when our hope will be turned into sight. Listen
Date20-Jan-2019
Series Romans 2018
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: Waiting by the Hope of Glory (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: Waiting by the Hope of Glory (128 kbps)
Length 46 min.
 

Series: Romans

Title:  Waiting by the Hope of Glory

Text: Rom 8: 22-25

Date: January 20, 2018

Place: SGBC, NJ

 

Romans 8: 18: 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. 

 

We live in a world full of suffering due to man’s fall into sin.  The sufferings of this present time are heavy, painful, sorrowful sufferings.  But, as heavy as they are, God says “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  Our sufferings are only for this present time: this present time that passes “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle”, this present time that is “a vapor that appeareth for a little time then vaniseth away”(Job 7:6; Ja 4:14). 

 

A woman can endure the travail of child birth by anticipating the joy the child will soon bring her.  We can endure the sufferings of this present time by anticipating the glory that shall be revealed in us.

 

Proposition: Sin has so affected God’s creation that both creation, as well as God’s people, patiently wait for that day when our hope will be turned into sight.

 

Divisions: 1) The glory to be revealed in us is so great that it affects all of God’s creation—2) Therefore, the hope in every believer should be even greater—3) The application—

 

Titled: Waiting by the Hope of Glory

 

GOD’S CREATION WAITS

 

Romans 8: 19: For the earnest expectation of the creature [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  20: For the creature [creation] was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21: Because the creature [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22: For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

 

Even God’s creation awaits the manifestation of the sons of God.  Our sin brought God’s whole creation into the bondage of corruption.  All animals are under the curse do to our sin.  God said to the devil,

 

Genesis 3: 14: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field;

 

That means the cattle and beasts of the field are cursed, too.  Not only the animals that God created, but the ground is cursed, too, because of our sin.

 

Genesis 3: 17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18: Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

 

Animals did not kill each other before the fall, nor did man kill animals, nor did animals kill man.  Before Adam sinned there was no death.  Death, sin and the curse are the result of sin.

 

Due to our sin, sinners abuse God’s creation for our own sinful lusts.  Everything God created was created to glorify him.  But sinful man takes the things of God and sacrifices them to the idol god of self.  Some even worship and serve creation more than the Creator—blasphemously speaking of “Mother nature.”

 

But it was God who subjected his creation to the curse.  He did it so that one day Christ shall deliver even creation from bondage—"For the creature [creation] was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature [creation] 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.” 

 

Paul personifies creation.  God’s creation has been under the curse since the fall.  But Christ creates a new heaven and new earth and then the new creation will not be subject to vanity.

 

Isaiah 65: 17: For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.  18: But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.  19: And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

 

The ground will no longer be cursed—no thistles and thorns, no land scarred by man, no storms or hurricanes or earthquakes, no death, no crying, because there will be no sin.  All animals will get along. Isaiah 65:25 has a spiritual application speaking of believers tamed by grace so that enemies now get along.  But it also has a literal meaning, speaking of what shall be in the new creation,.

 

Isaiah 65: 25: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

 

All the different environmental protesters: peta, tree-huggers, climate change people, green peace—all of their labor is another example of man trying to save by his own works.  Sinful man is the cause of creation being under the curse; therefore sinful man cannot deliver creation from the curse.  God alone preserves his creation just as he preserves the believer.

 

Genesis 8: 22: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

 

Jeremiah 33: 20  Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; 21: Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

 

Only God can deliver this creation and only God can deliver his people.  At this present time, every beast of the field is afraid of sinful man and we are afraid of certain animals.  We are at war with one another.  But in that day, God shall make a covenant between us both.

 

Hosea 2:18: And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

 

So even God’s creation awaits the manifestation of the sons of God, the glorious liberty of the children of God,

when creation, too, shall be delivered.

 

WE WAIT BY GREATER HOPE

 

Romans 8: 23: And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.  

 

Seeing that the creation waits in hope, every believer should hope with greater certainty of our deliverance due to what Christ has done for us and in us.

 

Every believer by being born-again of the Holy Spirit has the “firstfruits of the Spirit.”  My grandfather always had a large garden.  As soon as he dug the first potatoes—new potatoes—he would call me down to eat.  He would do the same with his first ripe purple hull peas.  He would say, “Clayboy the first fruits are a foretaste of what’s to come.” 

 

Ephesians 1: 13: In [Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

 

Christ purchased his people with his own blood.  We are his purchased possession.  Therefore, we groan waiting for the adoption, which is the redemption of our bodies.  Christ redeems his people three ways: one we were redeemed from the curse of the law and penalty of sin by the ransom price of Christ’s shed blood, when he died at Calvary as our Substitute (Galatians 3:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21); two, we were redeemed from the rule and dominion of sin by the power of God’s grace in regeneration (Romans 6:18); three, we shall be redeemed from the presence of sin and all the consequences of sin in the resurrection.

 

He calls the redemption of our body the adoption.  Likewise we are adopted in three ways:  one, we were adopted into the family of God by divine decree in eternal election (Ephesians 1:3-6); two, we were experimentally adopted into the family of God in regeneration, when we were given the Spirit of adoption (Galatians 4:6-7; 1 John 3:1-3); three, we shall enter into the full enjoyment of our adoption in the resurrection (Romans 8:23).

 

Every time a new believer confesses Christ I wonder if this is the last one.  When Christ has called the last elect child to life and faith then he shall return.  Not only will our spirit be resurrected but our bodies shall be raised incorruptible, too.  It will be the end of every trace of sin and its effects within us—no more death.

 

OUR HOPE

 

This great, last work is our hope.  Now, let’s see what God calls our hope:

 

Romans 8: 18: The glory that shall be revealed in us. 

 

When this redemption is accomplished and we are perfectly conformed to the image of Christ, Christ will display before all, the glory of God in the greatest display that could ever be.  That is the end purpose for which God saves his people—that we should behold the glory of his attributes and praise him.

 

Ephesians 1: 5: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will 6: to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved…11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the council of his own will: 12: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

 

Ephesians 2: 7: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

 

We will see God’s glory perfectly.  And so will those in hell.  But they will have the pain of regret for not believing on Christ when they could have

 

Romans 8: 19:…the manifestation of the sons of God

 

In this present time, “the world knoweth us not because it knew him not.”  God’s children are not recognized by this world.  But in that day, God shall make even our enemies know Christ in truth and bow to Christ.  Not in saving faith. But every tongue shall confess he is King of kings and Lord of lords to the praise of the glory of God.  And God shall make everyone know we are his children.

 

Romans 8: 21:…the glorious liberty of the sons of God

 

At this present time, Christ has freed us from the law, the curse, and sins dominion within so that we can believe on Christ.  But in that day we shall be gloriously set at liberty from even the presence of sin.

 

Isaiah 35: 10: the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

 

Revelation 21: 3:…[God] will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 

Revelation 22:3: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5: And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Then we will sing perfect praise to God,

 

Revelation 19: 5: And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 6: And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8: And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

 

This is the righteousness Paul spoke of in Galatians 5:5: We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

 

THE APPLICATION

 

Seeing we have this great hope—this sure hope of Christ our Righteousness—let us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, patiently wait for that hope by faith in Christ. 

 

Romans 8: 24: For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  25: But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

 

The only way we can have this inheritance is by faith in Christ—believe on Christ today and thou shalt be saved.  Believer, the only way we wait patiently in hope is this:

 

Colossians 3: 1: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  2: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  3: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4: When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

 

Amen!