“Saints Future Glory”
Romans part 11
Opening Illustration: From Blue Fish TV – “Moth and Rust!”
* This clip challenges the Christian to think about eternal things rather than the temporal things of this world.
Thesis: The Saints have the promise of a future glory in eternity as long as they persevere in the ways of the Spirit. The Saint is predestined to be like Jesus and share in His glory!
Scripture Text: Romans 8:16-30
16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Introduction:
Saints are the children of God and every saint has a divine purpose and one day they will receive a future reward associated with the Glory of God.
They are promised that their suffering will be rewarded in Heaven by God. Those who share in the suffering which comes from living life like a Saint in this world will one day also share in the glory that comes from faithfully serving the Lord.
Paul tells us that our present suffering do not equal – or measure up to the reward associated with the glory of God. The comparison would be doing working for minimum wage and at the end of the day receiving $1,000 dollars an hour. The work may have been hard but the pay was out of this world. There is really no comparison – when we press through our time of suffering like a Saint. Our earthly life with all of the hurts and the pain will seem like a hard swim across the pool when we are living in eternity with Jesus. The promise from this passage is when we enter eternity then we will participate in God’s glory!
So what is God’s glory? – It’s called a heavy weighty presence of God Himself with all of His splendor of being light. Listen to a few definitions which seek to help us see what this reward will be like.
Definition of Glory:
(1) Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honor (Ps. 49:12); glory (Gen. 31:1; Matt. 4:8; Rev. 21:24, 26).
(2.) Honor, dignity (1 Kings 3:13; Heb. 2:7 1 Pet. 1:24); of God (Ps. 19:1; 29:1); of the mind or heart (Gen. 49:6; Ps. 7:5; Acts 2:46).
(3.) Splendour, brightness, majesty (Gen. 45:13; Isa. 4:5; Acts 22:11; 2 Cor. 3:7); of Jehovah (Isa. 59:19; 60:1; 2 Thess. 1:9).
(4.) The glorious moral attributes, the infinite perfections of God (Isa. 40:5; Acts 7:2; Rom. 1:23; 9:23; Eph. 1:12). Jesus is the “brightness of the Father’s glory” (Heb. 1:3; John 1:14; 2:11).
(5.) The bliss of heaven (Rom. 2:7, 10; 5:2; 8:18; Heb. 2:10; 1 Pet. 5:1, 10).
** (From Parsons Dictionary)
T.S. - Saints need to keep their eyes on eternity and the promise of future glory. This
eternal perspective will empower them to not give up their pursuit of living life like a
Saint in a fallen world filled with sin.
I. Our present suffering does not even compare to our future reward of glory!
a. Suffering is associated with life – in a fallen world. We all must face the hardships that come with life and living in a sin filled world. But in the end it will all be worth it.
i. Illustration: In the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, a Japanese gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, was competing in the team competition. Somehow, during the floor exercises, he broke his right knee. It was obvious to all reasonable observers that he would be forced to withdraw. But they reckoned without the determination of a true competitor. On the following day, Fujimoto competed in his strongest event, the rings. His routine was excellent, but the critical point laid ahead—the dismount. Without hesitation, Fujimoto ended with a twisting, triple somersault. There was a moment of intense quiet as he landed with tremendous impact on his wounded knee. Then came thundering applause as he stood his ground. Later, reporters asked about that moment and he replied, “The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal and the pain in gone.” Source: Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence, (Victor Books, a division of SP Publ., Wheaton, Ill, 1985), p. 152.
1. Gary Inrig states, “This doesn’t mean our troubles cause us to go through life despondent, defeated, overwhelmed and without joy. We don’t respond to suffering this way because we recognize that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” In other words we can say, like that Olympian, “It is all worth it!”
ii. I recall at a past Olympics the time when the one little girl in gymnastics also did her routine with a bad ankle so that the Americans could win a team medal. Her coach went over picked her up off the mat and carried her off after she did her routine on the horse. The president was so moved he cleared his schedule and went to the Olympics to cheer them on to victory.
1. Today in America I am not sure the American Christian has this type of determination to live like a Saint. If some Christians get a hang nail they miss church for weeks. If they get offended some leave the church.
2. We must understand that the church will suffer for its stand and we must determine to live life like a Saint.
iii. The trials and hardships of this life are tiny and temporary when compared to the concept of glory in eternity.
iv. The future holds tremendous blessing for the children of God. Christians need to do the spiritual math and figure out that living like a Saint is worth it – suffer a little now – live in eternity for ever and receive the many blessings of God.
1. We need to be reminded to look at our problems from an eternal perspective from an eternal point of view.
2. Yes this life is filled with real life hurts and pains but they come with the territory.
a. We are all in the same boat!
3. Gary Inrig shares what some of these pains are:
a. There is the hurt of losing a loved one.
b. There is the hurt of sickness, infirmity and physical pain.
c. There is the hurt of rejection from others.
d. There is the hurt of poverty and financial problems.
e. There is the hurt of broken relationships and the disappointments of life.
f. He adds, “We must recognize these things as present realities but we must also look ahead to the glory to come. Only then will we be able to have the attitude of hope and patience that Paul calls for in verse 25” (From sermoncentral.com – sermon by Suffering and Glory by Larry Starver).
b. Our Spirit groans for the day we are redeemed in eternity – it longs for it as this world’s sinful ways make us groan in agony for it destructiveness.
i. Over the last few weeks I can say that my spirit has groaned for what I see happening in America in the political realm.
ii. I see the sin nature of many politicians running wild.
iii. I see and hear the cry of unborn babies being slaughtered for selfish reasons.
iv. I see prisons filled to over flowing and injustice every where I look.
v. I see people stealing from the Lord.
vi. I see people living in sin with others and thinking nothing of it.
vii. I see a world filled with darkness and despair.
1. All this makes my Spirit groan!
c. Larry Starver shares this thought:
i. Illustration: A physical fitness trainer might say to a beginning student after the first few days of exercise, “If you are sore, don’t be discouraged because that is a necessary part to becoming healthy and toned muscularly. The teacher is not expressing doubt about a students soreness, that’s a given. He is only trying to encourage the student by relating what the soreness means. This is what Paul us doing for us in this verse. He is saying that we should not be discouraged by the hardships of this present life since they necessarily precede the future glory of being a child of God. We can actually rejoice in our sufferings because our hope for the future is certain. (Romans 5:3-5). The Christian Can Be Certain Of Future Glory Despite Present Suffering.
ii. He also adds the following thoughts:
1. What does it mean to “share in His sufferings?” The rest of Chapter 8 will indicate that it means more that suffering for Christ by being persecuted for our faith. We suffer with Christ in the sense that, although we are children of God, we still experience the ills of living in a fleshly body and a fallen world of sin, a world that is filled with various kinds of suffering. Jesus, although the Son of God, suffered the trials, tribulations, hardships, pain and death of this world before He was glorified. Should we expect any differently?
T.S. – Paul’s point in this section of scripture is the real fact that yes we will suffer and we will have to endure hardship for the Gospel but it is nothing in comparison to sharing in His glory in eternity -- so we need to stick with it because it is all worth it. We need to know that everyone has suffered from the fall even Creation itself so we are not alone in the struggle.
II. Creation is yearning for the Saints to be revealed in glory so that its burden of sin is over.
a. Creation itself is yearning for the day when the saints are revealed by the power and the glory of God. Creation is yearning and groaning for the return of Jesus so that everything cane be put back into its proper place.
i. Even Creation itself has paid the price for the sin nature. Creation has been polluted, distorted, mutilated, corrupted, altered, scorched, abused and misused. All from the sinful nature of mankind.
b. John Bevere notes: That when Adam sinned in the Garden he not only became subject to decay and death all of creation itself suffered the consequence of Adams choice to sin.
i. “Consequently, not only Adam but all creation he was placed over immediately took the nature of death. Prior to Adam’s treason-animals didn’t devour and eat flesh, nor did they die. Tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, famines, disease, and pestilence didn’t exist. This all resulted from and not guarding what God entrusted to his care, now not only mankind had the nature of death, but all creation as well. We read: “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Romans 8:20-21 (NLT)” Nature wasn’t cursed with death by its own choice, but rather by man’s insubordination to God. He didn’t protect what was entrusted to his care. Adam subjected not only nature, but himself, his wife, and future offspring to what was originally Lucifer’s curse, separation from God. What treachery; what treason!” (Page 76, Driven by Eternity).
c. Creation itself has suffered as a result of the fall we are not alone in our suffering – everyone has paid the price of the fall and its weight is heavy.
i. God’s own creation cries for the Lord’s return and the revealing of the Saints in glory.
ii. There is a day coming when all will be restored to its past position of beauty and glory.
d. Video Illustration: A World filled with Evil - - from Blue Fish TV
i. This clip compares today’s society filled with sin and evil to the way it was in Noah’s day.
T.S. – Creation itself has suffered from the fallen condition of this world and yearns for the return of Jesus and the glorification of the saints. So as Creation hopes for the future so should the Saint be placing their trust and hope in the future.
III. Saints have an eternal hope in their future glory and they are to wait patiently for the return of the King.
a. Hope is the power which enables us to be patient and to believe for the future.
i. Someone has wisely stated that if you could convince a man that there is no hope, he would curse the day he was born and then give up.
1. I see this happening far too often in America today – many lose hope and take their life!
ii. The question of "Is there any hope?" is common in our world today. We hear this question being asked by young, middle aged, and older people.
1. We hear the cry of the depletion of the Ozone layer.
2. We hear the cry about global warming.
3. We hear the effects of what could happen in a nuclear war.
4. We hear that suicide is at an all time high.
5. We hear about A.I.D.S. and its deadly effect on lives all across the world.
6. We hear that our country is on the brink of moral and even economical collapse.
7. We look at society around us with the breakup of the family unit.
b. The list could go on and on and we ask, "Is there any hope?" And the answer to this question is, "Yes, there is!" But to clarify this "yes", let’s first look at this term "Hope".
i. Hope is not something we have naturally. It’s something supernatural! - Material from "A Future and a Hope", Ogilivie
1. Hope cannot be humanly induced on demand. I cannot give myself hope.
2. To better understand what "Authentic Hope is we need to see what it is not!"
a. Hope is not wishful thinking - We try to wish our dreams into reality and we try to wish away the hurts of life but it never works.
3. Hope is not yearning.
a. Ogilivie states, "We often incorrectly use the word, "hope" to express our yearning. "Oh, I hope so!" We say, expressing a longing for something to be true or to happen. "Here’s hoping," we say in response to a possibility." (47)
b. The sad fact here is we usually end up with disappointments because our expectations are not met.
4. Hope is not simply cheery optimism.
a. "Hope certainly can produce and optimistic attitude, but an optimistic attitude is not a substitute for true hope." (48)
b. Optimism that is not based on God’s promises, power, and faithfulness fades under the pressure of disappointments.
ii. Hope is centered in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ’s life, message, atonement for the sins of the world and resurrection are now the basis of hope.
1. Jesus Christ is the object of Hope, but also He is the one and only who enables us to truly have lasting hope.
2. Hope comes to us by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It comes from knowing God on a personal level.
a. Romans 5:1-5: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
c. Quotes from Sermon “You Always have Hope!” - Tim Bond
i. “As Paul talks about life, he does not want to candy coat the pain and struggles that we go through. But what he wants to do is to put them into perspective. Look again at what he says in 8:18 (Read). Paul uses language that helps us see life as an eternal proposition. We live here on earth for a little while, but we live forever. What Paul wants to make sure of is that we don’t get so discouraged with the difficulties of this life that we lose sight of the big picture of eternity. He says, "Don’t forget, there will be a time when there won’t be any more struggles, pain, death or tears. For those who are in Christ, there will be only joy and happiness."
1. “…Now look at what Paul says next. (Read vv. 19-21) But the truth of the matter is, that right now we live in a world that is less than perfect. This world is subject to the second law of thermodynamics. That law states that everything in this universe is decaying. What seems fresh and new one day will some day be old and broken down. Something that is growing and vibrant will some day shrivel up and die. To use Paul’s language, this world is in "bondage to decay…"
2. “…Every living thing will eventually die and decay. That includes me and that includes you. The second law of thermodynamics doesn’t offer any hope for anything on this earth. And when you run smack dab into the unyielding wall of that truth, it is sobering…”
3. “…A philosopher of earlier in this century, Bertrand Russell was an outspoken atheist. He even wrote a book called Why I Am Not A Christian. When Russell was 81 years old, he was interviewed on a British Broadcasting Corporation radio talk show. The interviewer asked him what he had to hang onto when death was obviously so close. Russell responded, "I have nothing to hang onto but grim, unyielding despair." What an honest yet hopeless response. You see, when you live only for this life, when you invest your life in the flesh, when you think that this is all there is, you can’t help but live in despair…”
ii. Paul expands on his thought in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
1. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
T.S. – Saints have a hope that will empower them to wait patiently for God to reveal Himself to all people. One day the presence of God in His glory will be unveiled to this world. Therefore the Saint must determine to stay focused so that they themselves participate in the unveiling.
IV. God is going to work out all of the hardships the Saint’s face to their good as long as they persevere to the end.
a. A key to being able to persevere for the saint is by praying in the Spirit and allowing the Holy Spirit to intercede on your behalf and to make sure you align your life with the will of God.
i. Perseverance is a strength that comes from the Spirit of God.
ii. We will face many obstacles in life that will overwhelm us so therefore we must seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit so we can press through to glory.
1. Paul says the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf and then leads people into the will of God for their life.
2. Paul notes that doing the will of God for your life will bring eternal rewards in heaven and one of them deals with receiving the Glory.
3. When we follow God’s will and God’s purpose for our life then He will see to it that our lives produce good things for eternity.
a. He also promises that good things will come out of our life even from situations involving tragedy, heartache, death, and difficulty.
i. The promise from the Word is that those who love Him will have a life filled with good works and eternal blessings.
ii. Yes, suffering will be there but so will God.
iii. In spite of the evil in this world and its negative impact on it – The Word says the good will rise to the top and transform it.
4. A Saint who follows the will of God will be blessed by the Lord and receive eternal rewards in Heaven for following the Lord’s will.
T.S. – The Lord promises that the Holy Spirit will helps us discover God’s will and He will enable us to press through and fulfill the call of God on our life. This hope will empower us to live like a Saint and open the door to God’s glory.
V. God has predestined us to a call – to a divine purpose for Him and for a life filled with eternal value.
a. God has called all of the saints to become like Jesus – to follow the divine purpose for our lives.
i. Each of us here has a divine purpose and we need to pursue it with all of our strength.
ii. God has predestined the faithful to become like Jesus and even share in the glory that Jesus received for being faithful to the end.
b. Thought on this word “predestined” -- even though we are predestined – you can choose not to follow the will of God and therefore forfeit your call – forfeit justification - forfeit your eternal reward of glory.
i. Those who are predestined – he called - those he called are justified – those who are justified will be glorified in Heaven.
ii. What does it mean to be Predestined by God?
1. Unconditional election means that "our final destination, heaven or hell, is decided by God not only before we get there, but before we are born. It teaches that our ultimate destiny is in the hands of God" (R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, p. 161). God did not base His choice on anything in man. He did not choose those whom He foreknew would choose Him, but based His choice upon Himself and His holy purposes only. From: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/8449/uncon.html
2. Predestined http://geneva.rutgers.edu/src/christianity/predest.html - This page discusses the way in which human responsibility interacts with God’s responsibility. A proper balance here is critical to the Christian life. If human responsibility is overemphasized, Christianity turns into legalism, without an appreciation for God’s power active in our lives. If God’s responsibility is overemphasized, Christianity turns into fatalism, losing the emphasis on obedience to God and service to others. Both of these problems have occurred at times.
iii. The Christian orthodox position maintains both of the following points about God and Mankind:
1. God is in charge both of history in general and of our lives. We are unable to come to know and serve Him on our own power or ability – The Spirit is involved in this process. We are completely dependent upon His decision to save us, and His divine work in our lives to transform us and make us new creatures in Christ.
a. One preacher said it this way, “Sometimes Christians so emphasize God’s responsibility that they lose sight of the need for our lives to be transformed, and for us to be active in working with others.”
2. Humans make responsible decisions. We will be judged by God for how we respond to him, and how we deal with each other.
a. This same preacher said, “Sometimes Christians so emphasize human decision that they lose sight of our dependence upon God. Christianity then becomes a demanding moral code, but it loses contact with Christ’s work to redeem people who are unworthy of it.”
iv. DAVID C. PACK gives us the following the thoughts to ponder about Predestination.
1. “Is this true? Is this what the Bible actually teaches when it makes reference to predestination? Did God actually pre-plan every sin, every act of immorality and every crime that has ever been committed? Is God the author of every war—every act of civil disobedience—every divorce—every suicide—every murder? Did God pre-plan every rape—every act of child abuse—every lie ever told—every time one chooses to cheat on his income taxes? Understand. If God has already charted the course, in advance of everything that will ever happen, all acts of sin and unrighteousness cannot be excluded. Now turn the coin over. Has God predetermined which people will obey Him? Has He decided in advance who will be righteous—and thus who will become Christians and ultimately be saved? If this is true, we must at the same time consider whether He has also decided who will be lost. And can the “lost” not choose to repent and be saved? Can the saved not fall back into, by choice, the way of life that will cause them to be lost? These are important questions. Is anything missing? Yes, a great deal has been completely overlooked from the pages of the Bible. It is time to answer this important question. We have clearly seen that predestination does not mean that God has determined the fate of all human beings in advance—that the entire course of their lives has been decided for them. It does not mean that all human beings who have ever lived were chosen to be either lost or saved.”
v. The Word tells us that the Lord knew us in the womb - According to the Bible, God knew you before you were born.
1. Psalm 139:13-16. “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”
2. Luke 1:15. “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.”
3. Jeremiah. 1:5. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”
a. Before we are even formed in the womb, God knows us. He knows how each day of our lives on earth will unfold. His love and care go with us throughout life.
b. Each person sitting here today was chosen by God to perform a divine task for Him and for the Kingdom of God.
c. Video Illustration: Charles Goodyear’s Extraordinary Passion from Blue Fish TV
i. This clip reveals the call on Charles Goodyears life-he felt he had a divine purpose to develop rubber for God’s Kingdom.
c. The bottom line here in this text is we are called – predestined as Saints to be like Jesus – this means that we accept the call of God – we become saints and then we are justified by God – made right with Him through Jesus and then we live a life reflecting the characteristics and the nature of Jesus and then we die and we receive the reward of participating in the glory of God.
i. This sounds like a great deal to me!
Conclusion:
Our section of Scripture tells us that there is a future glory waiting for the saints who persevere and finish their course for God and His Kingdom.
• We are told that our current suffering is not worth the reality of being blessed with God’s glory in heaven. When we get there we will say, “Man that short time of suffering on earth was worth it to get so much for so enduring so little!”
• We need to understand that even Creation is groaning –yearning for the day when the Saints will be revealed in the glory of God. Why? Because then it’s time of decay and destruction from sin will be over..
• We Saints need to tap into the power of our hope in the Lord and wait patiently for all that God has promised in the future.
• We need to realize that in the end all things will have worked out for the good.
• We Saints need to realize that God has predestined us with His call to be like Jesus and to receive the great gifts of justification and glory.
The truth is when we make it to eternity there will be a host of rewards for the Saint who persevered with their call from God. If you have ever searched out the eternal rewards of Heaven you will be amazed at what is going to be bestowed on the faithful Saint for God. Here is just a few of God’s eternal rewards:
The Crowns:
1) The Imperishable Crown (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
2) The Crown of Exultation or Rejoicing (Phil. 4:1: 1 Thess. 2:19-20)
3) The Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
4) The Crown of Eternal Life (James 1:12)
5) The Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:1-4)
John Bevere in his book Driven by Eternity notes these rewards on pages 270-271 – see the book.
