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!