Sermon Brief
Date Written: May 3, 2012
Date Preached: May 6, 2012
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Title: Waiting on the Glory!!
Sermon Text: Romans 8:18-25 [NLT]
Introduction: Show verses as I read…following me
18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. 19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. 20Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,[a] including the new bodies he has promised us. 24We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently).
Now to set the stage for those of you who may not have been here to hear all what we have learned so far in this letter to the Roman churches… Paul shares a lot about WHO WE ARE as humans!
How we ALL are sinners and we have NO excuse before God!
How we are hopeless against our sinful nature and sinful desires!
How there is NO amount of work we can do to gain forgiveness from God!
But Paul’s message focuses on what Christ did on the Cross!
Paul tells us that when we accept Christ- He forgives us...
Paul shares with us that when Christ forgives… He wipes our slate clean!
The Bible calls that… justification… ‘In Christ’ we are justified before God! We are blameless of the guilt and penalty of our sin!
3 weeks ago we learned that ‘in Christ’ meant that there is NO condemnation held by God against us! This is because Christ has done all that needs to be done and we stand NOT GUILTY before God!
Last week Paul continued in his teaching about what it meant for those who had rec’d Christ in their lives…
We looked at what it meant to be forgiven?
We looked at what it meant to be redeemed?
We looked at what it meant to be justified?
We looked at what it meant to be stand blameless before God?
Last week we looked at and began to grasp an understanding about what our freedom in Christ really MEANS for us…
But today we are going to look at another section of Paul teaching… Remember in v.12 Paul made a transition from sharing information to explaining what he was teaching about…and last week we dwelt on that first section of explanation… today we move on to the 2nd section…
This 2nd section found in Rom 8:18-25 speaks toward something that is NOT a strong suit for many people… this section deals with patience and WAITING! By show of hands how many of you hear this morning are good at waiting… OK…how many of you LIKE to wait on things?
I will admit I am TERRIBLE at waiting… let me give you an example! I would rather drive 25 miles out of the way and be MOVING than sit and wait in traffic to drive 10 miles… who’s with me on that one?
Waiting is something NONE of us do well… but Paul teaches us from another perspective when as it pertains to ‘waiting’, let’s look at these verses and take in what God has to say…[show verse now]
[show verse now]
18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.
Now in this verse Paul speaks about an issue we ALL must face as a believer and it’s the issue I asked you to chew on this past week… It stems from the end of v.17 when Paul says, if we share in the glory of Christ then we must also share in the sufferings of Christ!
For most people… no let me correct that… I am sure that there are ZERO people who actually WANT to suffer! Well let me take a survey… how many in here, by the show of hands, WANT to suffer? Anyone?
I know that if I have a choice between suffering and almost ANYTHING else, I will choose ANYTHING ELSE! Even when our lives are coming down to the end, and we know our time is short…
Most people have began to make the choice to allow death to take them rather than extend their life with suffering!
None of us want to suffer and none of us want to see our loved ones suffer! None of us want to suffer ourselves, but Paul says, as believers we have to take the suffering with the glory…
IF we want to bask in the glory and enjoy the glory of Jesus, we must be willing to endure the suffering that comes along with following Jesus!
Now what does this mean? Once again before I share what it MEANS let me FIRST tell you what it DOES NOT mean…
When we read in Scripture about suffering and that if we share in Christ’s glory that we must also share in His suffering… what that does NOT mean is that we seek out suffering!
Have you ever met someone who just could NOT be happy?
It doesn’t matter what happens in their life, they just cannot be joyful…
They always play the martyr card…
They always seem to portray the feeling that the world is about to drop on their shoulders!
Even when good things DO happen to them or for them… they seem to find a way to sabotage the blessing and find a way to ‘punish’ themselves for one thing or another… it is like they just don’t believe they SHOULD have any happiness or joy…
Well people that is NOT what Paul is speaking about when he speaks of suffering here… self flagellation is NOT the suffering God calls us to!
Yes we are called to deny ourselves, but self suffering… and beating ourselves down everyday is NOT what Paul is speaking about here…
Do you remember what Jesus said when He was here on earth… He said that He came to give us life and that life would be FAR MORE ABUNDANT than we could ever imagine!
The presence of God in our lives brings joy… and we can express joy even in difficult times! I can tell you for a fact that God does not want a bunch of hand wringing, mullygrubbing, sour pusses who do nothing but run themselves down and seek out one persecution after the other!
Jesus told us to not worry about the things we cannot control…and that worry, fret and beating ourselves up are not things we need to do… in fact, we have enough to be concerned over without HEAPING more issues on our own heads…
For one thing we live in a broken and sinful world where the innocent are hurt and taken advantage of all the time…
Another thing is that we have an enemy who’s desire is to steal, kill and destroy us… Satan wants to put you down, and wants nothing more than to make you feel like you are NOTHING… so why would we join in with the world and Satan and pile even more suffering on our own shoulders?
No this is NOT what Paul was speaking about… what Paul was speaking about was the suffering that comes with serving Christ. Jesus told us that the world would hate us because of our relationship with Him… and because of our allegiance to Him… suffering comes our way!
None of us like to suffer, but as much as we all detest suffering and pain… Paul does offer some great encouragement here in v.18 about suffering… he says, “…what we suffer now is NOTHING compared to the glory He will reveal…”
How bad is it for you? Some of us don’t have it bad, some of us seem to have more than we should… but Paul says here that REGARDLESS of what you are suffering, there is something MUCH greater waiting for you!
This ‘glory’ God is going to reveal to us is exactly what Jesus was speaking about in John 14:2-3 [show verse now] when He said,
“…in my Father’s house are many rooms [mansions] I go to prepare a place for YOU, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and get you…”
The glory Paul is speaking about is the glory Jesus promised in that verse… it is the glory of being in the presence of God… resting in HIS glory… experiencing true and lasting peace… and all without pain, suffering and sin… We will be FULLY delivered! What glory that is going to be! But let’s look at v.19…
[show verse now]
19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are.
WAIT! Oh no there is that word again… we have to wait! Did I tell you I HATED to wait?
Have you ever had to ‘wait’ on something you REALLY wanted? Can you remember wanting to turn 15 and get your license? Can you remember wanting to turn 18 or 21? Can you remember waiting to get your first car?
I can remember SO many times in my life when I was waiting on something I REALLY wanted… and it was HARD! I hated it!
But I know that most of us feel bad that we have to wait, but I want you to notice what Paul shares here in this verse…
What Paul is telling us is that it is not just US that is waiting, but it is ALL OF CREATION that is waiting for God to make this happen!
Have you ever stopped to think about creation BEYOND humanity? Yes, we were created in His image and we ARE the pinnacle of creation, but we are not ALL of creation! Paul recognizes this in these next few verses…
Paul uses a literary practice in this verse by giving creation a personality… he gives it a voice in what is happening in the world! Paul describes the ‘feelings’ and ‘yearnings’ of creation:
[show verse now]
20Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse.
This is the curse of Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden to toil the land… the curse was NOT just on them, but it is on ALL of creation!
WOW! There is an implication that should hit home with you today! Your sin is NEVER just about YOU! When you sin, you affect creation itself… your sin and its penalty/consequences affect those around you, and the world around you!
Look at another aspect of this verse as well… the creation suffers because of the sin of humanity. You are going to suffer because of the sin of others as well, but Paul says, TAKE HEART!
Because it is not going to be like that forever, as God has promised deliverance, and creation itself knows that God’s deliverance is coming…
Have you ever been made to WAIT ‘against your will’ or forced into some form of punishment based on what someone else did? I can remember at basic training in the Air Force, that we had to run or clean or do extra marching… it was usually because ONE person had messed up and ALL were paying the price for his mistake!
Against OUR will we were made to suffer until the drill instructor was satisfied. Well creation had nothing to do with Adam’s failure, but creation was held accountable as well… and is made to suffer until God decides to end things here and deliver creation from the curse!
Creation was subjected to the same curse of death and disease that we were when sin entered into the world… but Paul continues…
[show verse now]
...with eager hope, 21the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
So are you ‘eagerly waiting’ for the coming kingdom? Here Paul notes that creation looks forward EAGERLY!
This is because creation KNOWS what is in store… painfully awaiting things to return to what they were before the curse!
So when we see this verse it is sort of another viewpoint of someone ‘waiting’ on God. Here Paul tells us that creation eagerly looks forward to that day… when God’s glory can be experienced and a day when we will know WHO is part of God’s heaven!
Paul tells us here that creation itself is yearning for that moment!
[show verse now]
22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
Ladies… for those of you who have had children, you know exactly what Paul is saying here…
Labor for a pregnant woman is called ‘labor’ for a reason… it is hard, it is painful and it brings suffering to the mother.
The contractions are coming… the hormones are racing… the mother’s body is tired… her mind is exhausted… her heart is fearful and scared of what might happen… childbirth is a very eventful time for the mother!
Here Paul wants us to understand what creation is doing while it is ‘waiting’ on God to return things to the created order… when God sets things right again!
Pain, suffering, doubt, fear, work, suffering… these are all of what the creation is experiencing! But I want to share with you that it is not ALL bad when it comes to childbirth… you see the mother is able to look beyond the pain (although men you may not think that at the time they are in labor…)
The mother is able to see beyond the suffering, the fear, and thru the tiredness of her body! She can do this because she knows what is coming… she knows that at the end there is a beautiful baby boy or girl to hold, love and cherish!
So like the mom… creation awaits the coming of Christ! Eagerly awaiting His return… groaning and in pain because of the curse of sin! But groaning KNOWING what is coming!
So Paul is attempting to illustrate what creation is feeling… AND he goes onto say that is what WE as believers should be feeling… this is how we should see things!
[show verse now]
23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
We are like that mom who is suffering the pain and hardship of childbirth… but she sees beyond to a better time… a time when she will be holding her new baby… a time when she will experience this new life…
As a believer we do experience pain and there is suffering in this world, but as believers that pain and suffering should not define us NOR should we allow it to cloud our vision of WHO we are and WHERE we are headed.
Paul says that WE TOO wait eagerly WITH HOPE for the day when God will give us our FULL rights as His adopted children.
Do you remember last week what we learned? We are adopted INTO the family of God and because of that we are now the heirs of ALL the glories of Heaven… but we cannot fully experience that inheritance just yet… but there is coming a day when we CAN!
Paul says… as believers we EAGERLY await that day! And then he adds a phrase at the end that just makes the deal even sweeter!
You see… if heaven was all I got… it would be worth it all. I have a bum knee, my eyesight is getting worse and worse, I have high blood pressure, I deal with sugar and cholesterol issues… my weight is a little high… but even if I was bound to this body for all eternity… heaven would be worth it!
But Paul reassures us that when God reveals this… when God sets this into motion… things are going to change! He has made us a promise of not only eternal life, but eternal life with a new and eternal body… a glorified and perfect body!
WOW! What a glorious vision of who we are and what we have to look forward to… Creation knows that a better day is coming and this earth knows that it will have a ‘new earth’… We too can know that a better day is coming and that we are going to have a new BODY… a perfect and complete body just like Christ! Now, do you think that is something WORTH waiting for? I do!
[show verse now]
24We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently).
Paul then clarifies in v.24-25 for the readers… he clarifies any questions about this hope we have! He says in v. 24: [show highlighted verse now]
“…we were given this hope when we were saved…” Now we HAVE this hope, but it is not something we can grasp here in this life, but it is something we have to look forward to… and we must wait patiently on God’s timing for our hope and reward!
Today we live in an instant society… a microwave culture where everything is instant. Instant coffee, instant oatmeal, instant grits, instant movies online… we can have almost ANYTHING we desire almost instantly in this life…
But God calls on us to be patient and to trust in Him… and to wait ON Him! Paul encourages the church in Rome to patiently wait for God to deliver…
You see, God’s timing is always the perfect timing… and when He calls us home OR when He decides to set things straight… we will then be able to grasp what we can only hope for and wait on…
You have a tremendous promise from God… He will justify you if you surrender to Jesus. And even when you are persecuted, you have a source of joy within you because you have a hope for this eternal life with God in heaven, and NO ONE can take that from you!
Today… you have learned about the hope we have, but that our hope is only realized when God deems it to be realized! SO until then, we are called to be patient and wait on the Lord!
This morning you may be here and you may be wanting God to MOVE in your life!
This morning you may be here and you may want God to move in someone ELSE’s life!
This morning you may be here and you just want God to show you… to get the ball rolling… but God has you waiting on Him!
Paul calls on us to wait on God, but that even if our wait is filled with suffering… the glory of God that will be revealed to us in the next life will and should overshadow ALL suffering we deal with…
So where are you… are you waiting on God? Are you filled with a hope that NO ONE can take away from you? Today if you don’t know Jesus Christ, you do NOT have any hope past this life!
But if you will surrender to Jesus this morning… you can have hope that springs eternal… do you want that hope today? Come and allow God to give you that hope! Come as Bro Ken comes to lead us in our hymn of invitation… won’t you stand…
