Romans 8:18-31
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not 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. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In 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. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Infinite Opportunity
We have been working through a sermon series called “To Infinity and Beyond.” We have followed the central characters of a movie called Toy Story these past few weeks as we have been discussion the future of our ministry. The first week, we talked about moving beyond fear. The second week we talked about moving beyond doubt. Last week we talked about displaying infinite love. This week we bring the series to a close with a sermon about infinite opportunity.
A few months ago I wrote a newsletter article about why I accepted the call to Fairbury. The biggest reason that I felt God calling me here, was the infinite opportunity that this church has waiting to be seized. When I visited for the first time, I could feel it in the air. It was electric… it had the fingerprints of the Holy Spirit all over it. It was like a welcome banner was placed over the carport… “God has big plans for First Presbyterian Fairbury.”
You see, our church is unique to any other church. Our church has a unique opportunity to do ministries that no other church can do. We have unique gifts and a unique calling in Fairbury. We can’t worry about being like any other church because we can’t be like any other church, nor do I think we would want to be. We want to be the church God is calling us to be, nothing more.
There are churches in Fairbury having success, but even in their success… there are still close to 2,000 people in this town who do not have a personal relationship with Christ. 2,000 people, not being reached by the churches and ministry already here in Fairbury… and I can’t help but keep thinking “God has big plans for First Presbyterian Fairbury.”
Over the last few months I’ve been seeing something develop. You all are beginning to see it too. Some of you have seen it for a long time. Some of you are just beginning to scratch the surface of it. It’s been developing since long before I got here… and God will continue to nurture it long after I leave. But it’s there! It’s hope. Hope of a future. Hope of a bright future! It is the knowledge… that greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done! Hope is going to be the focus today… so I want you to turn to the person next to you and say, “There is great hope!”
Now I want us to go back to our scripture text today and just focus on verse 18 a bit. Paul is writing a response to the problem of suffering, and turns to the prospect of hope in verse 18. He writes, “18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Now I wanna stop there.
There’s something of a textual problem here in this verse. Most scholars don’t bother too much with it, some fight it and say a different reading would be preferable… but usually when Paul writes about the glory of the Lord being revealed… it is being revealed TO us. But here, in Romans 8:18 he writes about the “glory that will be revealed in us,” as though it would be God’s work in us, God’s work through us… that we will be able to see his glory at work.
There’s a lesson in that for our church. We may suffer, we may have hard times as a congregation, times when we decline, times when we feel lost, times when we feel stretched too far… too thin, but there is the promise God has given us always there pushing us onward. “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us,” like a banner set before your eyes… “God has big plans for you!”
Hope based upon a future you are being led to by God! Hope based on the infinite opportunity literally at our doorstep. A hope like the hope found in the words God gave to the prophet Jeremiah, “11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”
Hope based not upon where we are now, but on where we are going. Hope based not on fear, not on doubt… but in trust and in faith that God is going to do something great in and through us. Fear and doubt would convince us not to do anything, to stay put, to weather the storm, to keep what we already have. But Paul challenges us on this point, verse 24 “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But we hope for what we do not yet have, and we wait for it patiently.”
It’s going to take some time. The transformation will not happen overnight. We may grow frustrated and despair if things do not move as quickly as we would think, but hold the hope forever close, and remember the promises of God in our lives, remember the promises of God in our church… as long as we follow Christ, as long as we continue to make God our top priority… well as Paul writes, “31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Wrapup into video (The hope found in Buzz and Woody)
Video (Buzz and Woody Fly)
1) Working together to light the fuse…
- They have been working hard to get back to Andy… despite their differences. They manage to escape dangerous situations, help others, and make the long journey together, and now at the end of the journey, they are able to work together to light the fuse of the rocket strapped to their backs.
2) Riding the scary ride
- Once the rocket is lit, they are in for one very exciting and scary ride… going higher than they’ve ever gone, going faster than they’ve ever gone… both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
3) Reaching the destination
- By working together… by taking that scary ride… they are able to land safely at the place they’ve been trying to go all this time.
To put the lessons of Romans and Toy Story together… we may have difficulties… we may have a scary ride ahead of us, but if we work together with each other, if we work together with God… we can accomplish everything God is calling us to do.
