FUTURE GLORY – PRESENT HOPE
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 20, 2022 under 2022 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday message; March 20, 2022 from Romans 8:18-25
Theme: Our confident expectation of future glory sustains us with hope during present trials.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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The apostle Paul was a man whose life was filled with trials.
When the Lord first called Paul to Himself and commissioned him to His work, He said of him, “… I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). You know things are going to be rough when God announces something like that from the very start! And indeed, Paul suffered much. It was an almost unimaginable amount of suffering that he endured in his service to the Lord Jesus. Paul himself once wrote out a list of it all:
in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? (2 Corinthians 11:23-29).
It’s an amazing list of trials. And it’s probably not even a complete one. Suffering any one or two of those things might have tempted some people to give up on the work of ministry altogether. But Paul didn’t. He remained faithful in his labors for the Lord to the very end—and he kept a victorious attitude of hope all the way through.
Now; it may not be that you and I have the same kind of trials that Paul experienced. We may have been shipwrecked lately. We probably haven’t been beaten with rods. But for us personally, the trials that we undergo may be just as real. We may feel the pain of them every bit as much as Paul felt in his. As a friend of mine once explained to me, with regard to his own experience with trials, “I always know that other people have it worse than I do. But to me, whatever it is that I’m going though is the biggest headline on the front page.” And it’s not just the weight of our own trials that we feel. There’s all of the weight we feel from all of the other troubles of the world around us. Every day, the news seems to throw more burdens upon us. There may be times when we feel that we’ve gone way past the end of our own emotional resources, and are very tempted to give in completely to despair and hopelessness.
So then; what was Paul’s secret? How was he able to bear up joyfully in it all? And is there a way that we can tap into his secret ourselves? Well; I ask you to turn with me to Romans 8. It’s there that we find that was not a secret at all. Paul shares with us what we need to do.
Romans 8 is a wonderful and very encouraging chapter in the Bible. It’s one in which Paul tells us about the ultimate glory that is the destiny of everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ. It tells us about how Jesus—the Son of God—was born into this fallen world as one of us, how He has taken our sins upon Himself and died on the cross for us, and how He has risen from the dead in victory. It tells us about how Jesus’ resurrection has completely ‘flipped the script’ in this dark and fallen world. And in verses 18-25, the apostle Paul tells us how the things that Jesus experienced for us are to now impact your and my life. He wrote;
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance (Romans 8:18-25).
How then was Paul able to experience overwhelming victory during such horrible times of trial? It was by the fact that he had his hopes fixed on something greater than the trials—something higher and far more glorious—something sure and certain that was yet to come.
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Now; this passage in Romans 8 has become very personal to my beloved wife and me.
As most of you know, my wife had spent the last 14 years with a debilitating illness—and most intensely over the past five years. It kept her house-bound and bed-ridden for much of that time—and made me her caregiver. For us, life felt as if it had been put on hold for almost a decade and a half. We praise God that—while she’s not completely well yet—she’s a whole lot better right now. Many of you have stood with us, and prayed for us through what was an extraordinarily difficult trial. It was a trial for many of you too. But do you know that one of the things that my wife did during this trial that helped sustain her soul? It was that she committed Romans 8 to memory. She’d tell you that she couldn’t recite it perfectly to you from beginning to end at the moment. But even today—if the right thing jogs her memory—out would come almost complete portions of this wonderful chapter. It had become a sustaining word of God to her throughout her trial; because she hid it in her heart.
And it had become a sustaining word to me too. I can’t say that I memorized it like she did. But I went to it time and time again, and drew strength from it during some of my weariest and most discouraging times. And that would be particularly true of the portion of Romans 8 that I’ve just read to you. It speaks of the sure and certain expectation of future glory in Christ. I drew strength from that expectation time and time again. I remember explaining to a family member once how my wife’s illness had drained us in almost every way—and that it may be that this heavy trial would be something that we would suffer under for the rest of our lives. I told this family member, “Right now, I can’t be sure of anything for the future on this earth. I don’t really have anything but the hope of heaven.” But by God’s grace, that ‘hope’ was enough to sustain me and keep me going. I hope that it always will be.
So; I don’t know what your particular trial is right now. I don’t know how anxious the troubles of this world are making you. I don’t know to what degree it may be that you’re feeling burdened by it all. But I’m convinced that the encouragement of this passage—with its declaration of victory in Jesus Christ, and the sure promise of future glory in Him—is something that the Holy Spirit would want you to embrace.
It shows us how—as believers in Jesus—the confident expectation of future glory in Him sustains us with hope during present trials.
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Now; that sustaining hope doesn’t come automatically. It’s not something that we receive passively. It won’t just pour into our being while we sit around and do nothing. I find three things that are suggested to us in this passage that we must do in order to experience that victorious hope that Paul had. Verses 18-19 tell us that there is something that we must intentionally look ahead to. Verses 20-23 tell us that there is something that we must intentionally listen to. And verses 24-25 tell us that there is something that we must intentionally lean in to. If we do these three things—and do them habitually—then this confident expectation of future glory will sustain us in our trials as it sustained the apostle Paul in his trials.
First, then, notice that we must follow Paul’s example and …
1. LOOK AHEAD TO THE GLORIOUS REVEALING.
In verse 18, he wrote; “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
The “glory” that Paul spoke of—the one that will be “revealed in us” in the future—is the glory that every believer will share with Jesus at His second coming. Paul spoke of it in verses 16-17, when he wrote;
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (vv. 16-17).
The Bible teaches us that, after Jesus was crucified and buried, God the Father raised Him from the dead in victory. Jesus was raised in the very same body in which He was crucified. But it was raised in glory—a body that was made fit for eternal victory in heaven. And the Bible also teaches us that, if we have placed our faith in Jesus, then His death will have become our death, His burial will have become our burial, and His resurrection will have become our resurrection—so much so that it is now our destiny to be glorified with Him just as He was glorified. That will happen when Jesus returns for us. Those believers who have died will be raised; and those of us who believe and are alive at His coming will be transformed. As Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17;
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
What will that future glory look like? The only thing that we can know for certain about it right now is that we will be like Jesus. Just think of how glorious He must be at the right hand of God right now! And we will share in that glory with Him forever. In thinking of that future glory, Paul considered that the trials we now experience on earth aren’t even worthy to be compared to it. He said in verse 19 that “the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” In some mysterious way, all of creation looks forward to it. In the original language, Paul figuratively says it ‘stretches its neck out’ in anticipation of it—or, as one translator put it, it stands on its tip-toes to watch for it. What a glorious future it must be that God has for those who trust in Jesus!
Now; Paul said that he “considered” that the present trials we experience are not worthy to be compared with it. And when he said that he “considered” this, he didn’t mean that he just passively fell into this way of thinking. He meant that he thoughtfully reckoned it to be so—and put it down in the ledger as a trustworthy certainty. He deliberately and intentionally “looked ahead” to that future glory—right in the midst of his trials. That was how he was able to have such overwhelming victory in the midst of them.
And dear brothers and sisters in Christ; that’s also what you and I must do. Right now, there’s a great deal of pressure put upon us to ‘pay attention’ to and ‘gaze intensely’ upon everything that is wrong in this world—and also upon everything that’s wrong with us personally in the midst of it all. Our trials—and how we suffer in them—are made out to be the primary focus. And of course, we should know about such things and be aware of them. But they aren’t what we’re primarily to “look upon” and “consider”. As Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18;
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
Or think of how he put it in Colossians 3:1-4;
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4).
So; the first thing we need to do is to make sure we are doing as Paul did. We need to make sure—in the midst of our trials—that we’re concentrating on the right thing. Our trials aren’t the whole story. There’s great good yet to come when those trials are over. We need to be sure that we’re ‘looking ahead to the glorious revealing’.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; Paul gave us an example of this forward look. He spoke of how creation itself looks ahead for—and eagerly awaits—that future ‘revealing’. And that leads us to another thing that we need to do in order to experience the sustaining hope that Paul experienced.
In verses 20-22, Paul said, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” And this reminds us to …
2. LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF CREATION’S GROANING.
Now; I realize that what I’ve just said probably sounds a little strange—to ‘listen to the sound of creation’s groaning’. But it’s my poor attempt to describe a remarkable thing that’s being told to us in this passage. It’s something that we wouldn’t have known unless the word of God had revealed it to us. It’s that, in some way, creation itself has a vested interest in our glorification with Christ as believers. Creation longs for that day; because when we who have believed on Jesus become glorified with Him, then creation itself will experience the benefits.
You see; the Bible tells us that when God made Adam and Eve, He placed the world under their supervision and management. He gave them dominion over this created realm. And when Adam and Eve fell in sin, they brought the whole created realm with them under a curse. Immediately after Adam sinned, God told him;
“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).
We live in a time right now when important people all around us—scientists, politicians, and climate experts—are all warning about the catastrophic things that are happening to this world. To some degree, they rightly see these things. But they wrongly interpret the cause of these things. This world is broken and is suffering because it has been brought under a curse because of our sin. It is, as Paul said, “subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it …” It’s not something that creation brought about. Rather, it was a curse that God had made creation suffer because of our fallenness in Adam.
But you’ll notice that, in verse 20, Paul said that God subjected it to futility “in hope”. That’s because the creation itself will be delivered from its ‘futility’ and suffering under the curse of sin when Jesus returns—at which time, we who believe in Him will be glorified with Him. God gave us a hint of this in Isaiah 65:17-19 when He said;
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying (Isaiah 65:17-19).
He gives us an even clearer hint of it in Revelation 22; when we read of the glory of the new Jerusalem—our glorious, eternal home. In verses 3-5, it says;
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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:3-5).
Did you notice those first words? There will be “no more curse”! As Paul told us in verse 21 of our passage, “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” It’s no wonder, then that creation “groans and labors with birth pangs” until even now. ‘Birth pangs’ are a picture of present pain … but with the promise of a joyful outcome.
And we should, as it were, ‘listen’ to that groaning. It’s meant to be a reminder to us of our own longing for future glory. In verse 23, Paul wrote, “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” This created realm groans; and we groan too. Our bodies grow sick or weak. They get old and frail. They die. We have a longing in us for eternal life; but these frail bodies weren’t meant to last forever in their present condition. For us as believers, every ache and pain—every illness and injury—every trial and affliction—and even every death and every funeral—is a ‘groaning’ that reminds us of what the Holy Spirit within us testifies to us. We are meant for eternal glory. We aren’t there yet … but we will be soon.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; let’s learn to listen to the sound of creation’s groaning. It groans because it longs for something good—and that is, for the glorious liberty of the sons of God. It points our attention to our own future glorification in Christ—right in the midst of our own present times of groaning.
* * * * * * * * * *
So then; Paul’s example encourages us that if we want to experience his own victorious joy in the midst of trials, then we need to be sure that we look ahead to the glorious revealing as he did; and also to listen as he did to the sound of creation’s groaning.
And there’s one more thing. Because these things point us to a glorious expectation that is sure and certain, we must do as Paul did and …
3. LEAN IN TO THE PATIENCE OF WAITING.
As Paul went on to tell us in verses 24-25, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
God our Father—in His great wisdom and love for us—designed our salvation so that it isn’t complete right away. We place our faith in Jesus, and our sins become forgiven, and we become destined for eternal glory. But we also still live in this fallen, groaning world—struggling every day with our own sins and failures—feeling the burden of trials and afflictions—longing for the redemption of these frail bodies of ours. We are saved—but we don’t yet see the full completion of that salvation brought to pass yet. It makes us hope for a glory that we are sure and certain to experience—but do not yet see. It makes us live on this earth—in the midst of our trials—with a sense of eager anticipation. It makes us wait for it with perseverance.
And instead of fighting against that in frustration, God wants us to trust Him and lean into it wholeheartedly with patience and hope. The apostle Peter expressed this to us beautifully in his first letter. He wrote in 1 Peter 1;
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9).
God has designed it so that—somehow—the act of patiently enduring with hope, and eagerly waiting for what we do not yet see, actually strengthens our souls with joyous trust in Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote about it long ago; and what he said is still as true as ever:
Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:27-31).
* * * * * * * * * *
The apostle Paul knew all this. He had learned—in the midst of his trials—to look ahead to the future ‘revealing’ of our glory, to listen to the groaning of creation as it longed for that day, and to lean in to the patience of waiting for it. That was how he was able to have an attitude of victory and joy in Christ—all the way to the very end.
May God help us to do the same.
AE
