8-17-03.am.wpd

Title: From Groaning to Glory

Text: Rom 8:18-25

Date: 1-27-08.am

Introduction:

Last week we talked about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of belonging – being a new possession giving us a new family and a new Father. This morning we are going to see Him as the Spirit of hope – The hope of glory. But, will we take this time to actually experience Him personally as the Spirit of Hope? During our worship and praise we usually take a few moments to focus our minds and hearts on God as we sing praises to him. I invite you to do that again this morning to clear your hearts and your minds and focus on experiencing His presence in you this morning as the Spirit of hope.

The Reality of Suffering v.18

In verse 18 Paul draws our attention to the present reality of life in a fallen world, the reality of suffering.

The Bible doesn’t give us a sugar coated view of life. Beginning in Gen 3 we are introduced to the uncertainty, the trials and tribulations the hardships and struggles of life in a fallen world. In the pages of the bible we see family struggles, economic hardships, wars, famines and immorality of all sorts. We are told about Cain who killed his brother Abel. The Bible bears witness to jealousy, anger and murder, to the pain of losing a loved one, to the shattered life caused by war, the trauma of broken families brought about by lust and deceit. And of course any discussion of suffering is incomplete without mentioning the trials of Job. It’s not surprising then we see these things happening in the world today.

We have the personal testimony of Paul, who shared from life experiences not only about his struggles but also about the suffering and persecution he endured, and caused, because of the Christian faith. (2 Cor 11: 23-27; Gal 6:17) In addition to Paul the history of the world and the history of the church is filled with the testimonies of men and women who have known the reality of suffering in their lives. Some have suffered for their faith and others have suffered without faith. And most of us likely all of us have personally experienced or are right now experiencing trials of some type in our lives. We have talked about that before. We are painfully aware that Christians are not immune from the curse of a fallen world.

Of course the greatest witness to the fact of suffering is that of the Lord Himself. Heb 5:8 says: “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” (NAS) He was despised, rejected, abandoned, humiliated, mocked, tortured and crucified, and He was God in the flesh.

What am I saying? Don’t think the trials you have under gone or are facing this morning are something strange or new to God. He knows exactly how your stomach churns and how you feel like it’s tied in knots. He knows the anxiety and uncertainty He knows all the emotional turmoil you experience. He experienced it too. And the Bible is clear concerning His promise in Heb 13:5: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” The Psalmist wrote: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;” (Ps 23:4, NAS) Jesus Himself said: ‘In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NAS)

The Reality of Future Glory

It’s always good to be upbeat and encouraging in worship and in preaching but the Bible speaks clearly to the reality of suffering. Paul even as he was writing these words understood the reality of suffering. But Paul also understood and experienced a greater reality – the reality of a future glory.

There are a number of biblical terms translated glory. Glory can refer to an attribute such as excessive pride, it can refer to a person’s display of splendor, wealth, or prestige. When used in reference to God it doesn't refer to any one particular attribute but to the greatness of His entire nature. But, here Paul wrote of another type of glory. Glory in this passage refers to the future manifestation of God towards believers as our hope and goal for eternity, the final stage in the process of our salvation.

Last week as we concluded the message talking about our new inheritance as the present possession of God with us now as opposed to a future possession in heaven. Here Paul’s focus is on the future.

In 1 Cor 15:50-57 Paul wrote about the ultimate glory of the believer:

50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (NAS)

What Paul referred to as glory is an existence beyond what we know and experience in this present world. John wrote about that future existence in 1 Jn 3:2, when he wrote “ we will be like him.”

We don’t understand all that means. We won’t be gods, we won’t be divine. Some of the aspects of our future existence will include our complete and final vindication as believers, the consummation or completion of our justification and our redemption. There will also be a moral and spiritual perfecting and a completeness of our knowledge and understanding, and a new dwelling place with Him. (John 14:3) This future glory is a certain reality for those "in Christ."

When we think about present suffering and future glory there is only one conclusion. Paul summed it up in 2 Cor 4:17-18: “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 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.” (NAS)

Suffering is a reality but the greater reality is that our future glory is greater by far than our present suffering, no matter how hard that suffering might be.

This verse is not a statement of idle speculation, It’s not a pie in the sky promise. It is a declaration of assurance for you, for me and for everyone who has received Jesus Christ as Lord. It is a certain hope. Paul said, “I consider.” In other words Paul had taken into account all that he knew personally of suffering, the suffering he had experienced (2 Cor 11:23-28), the suffering he caused (Acts 9:1) and the suffering he’d seen on his missionary journeys and compared that to what he had experienced about glory and wasn’t permitted to share (2 Cor 12:2-4),

(I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows — 4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 2 Co 12:2-4 NASB)

and all that had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit about this future glory and says there is no comparison. The future glory is far greater than the present suffering.

For those in Christ the two realities are inseparable. We can’t talk about our suffering, whether it’s suffering that’s common to everyone, such as disease, death, financial or marital problems etc., or whether it’s persecution and suffering because of faith, without also talking about our future glory. Suffering and glory are joined together just as sure as the crucifixion and resurrection. You can't talk about the cross without talking about the empty tomb. One is a natural or supernatural progression of the other. The same is true about glory. Glory is not compensation for suffering in this world it is the final result of a victory which has already been won.

THE REALITY OF A PRESENT HOPE

Because our future glory is a certain reality, even though it is in the future, it is a present hope for all Christians.

Not only are suffering and glory inseparable. They are also incomparable. Dr. John Stott said we could come closer comparing a thimble of water to the ocean. What that means for you and me as believers is that we have an eternal, secure, and living hope, that will never fade and is reserved in heaven for you (1 Pet 1:4). That is certain hope v. 24

This passage is a continuation of what Paul began in verses 16 and 17 about the Spirit’s witness in our lives and in verses 19 - 22. Not only do we have a certain hope, but that hope extends to all of creation. Paul wrote that all of creation is waiting with us to be liberated from the destruction and decay caused by sin.

There is a lot of concern today about environmental issues, and Christians need to be aware and concerned. After all we were given watch care over God’s creation. But, creation also suffers from the effects of sin yet it too will one day be liberated from that curse.

I don’t pretend to understand all that means for the world we know as we know it. I don’t understand all that means for us as Children of God. The Bible only gives us glimpses of what that future glory will be, Paul even said there were some things he couldn’t share. But I know this: our future glory is certain. The realization and expectation of the greatness and blessedness of our future glory is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit Himself who indwells us as a foretaste of that certain future (v. 23).

We talked about adoption last week as a present reality for the believer, which it is. Here Paul speaks of it in the future sense as the completion or consummation of the salvation process when all of God’s plan of redemption is completed and all the suffering, trials and tribulations have ended. No more pain, nor more sorrow, no more tears, no more good-byes.

Fanny Crosby, one of my most favorite hymn writers, reveals through her hymns her personal understanding of this hope in her life. I've used her and her songs many times before but just listening to the first verse of Blessed assurance affirms the reality of what Paul wrote in verses 24 and 25, our salvation is characterized by hope.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood

Ours is a hope for something we don’t see, yet know is there, a hope anchored in Jesus Christ that is sure and certain, and we wait expectantly for it, strengthened and encouraged by the presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

James M. Gray, the third President of the Moody Bible Institute, In his hymn Compete in Thee wrote:,

Complete in Thee! no work of mine,

May take, dear Lord, the place of thine;

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And I am now complete in Thee.

Yea, justified! O blessed thought!

And sanctified! Salvation wrought!

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified, I too shall be!

Do you know that kind of completeness in your life this morning? Do you have that certain hope? For those of us who have already placed our faith in Him the challenge we face is to live daily in the fulness of that hope. If you don't know that kind of hope in your life we invite you to come and discover the Spirit of Hope in Christ. The Savior is waiting this morning to enter your heart why don’t you let Him come in.