OUR GLORIOUS FUTURE
Romans 8: 18-25 (p800) February 10, 2013
INTRODUCTION:
An heir means that you are to be the recipient of an inheritance …Most of us normal folks doesn’t use words like “heir” or “inheritance”.
Our Dad might leave us a watch…or after Mom and Dad are gone we might have to “settle the estate”, there might be a house, a car, some life insurance…but usually it’s not a vast inheritance…
Heirs and Heiresses are people like the Royals in England…like Prince Charles and William and Holly….can you imagine bring the “Heir” Hurry?
In America we think of people like Paris Hilton…She’s famous primarily because of her last name “Hilton”…She’s heir to the “Hilton” Hotel fortune…Her father will pass down to her and her sister an inheritance worth almost a Billion dollars.
We ended last week’s message talking about being adopted into God’s family through His Holy Spirit…A spirit which testifies to our new relationship with God by crying “Abba” Father…He testifies…He bears witness with our internal soul (the real us or the inside) “We are God’s children.” And if God is now truly our new father we are Heirs…Co-heirs with His only son…
But our test today is introduced with more sobering words…”If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. (Romans 8: 17)
When you share something with someone you take a part of whatever it is…You share the last bowl of cereal…the last soda….you share the 20 dollar meal at Red Lobster.
How do we share in Jesus suffering…se we can also share in His glory? What part do we share?
Paul begins our study today in verse 18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Born Again, Spirit-filled followers of Christ are Heirs and Heiresses along with Jesus, of a future glory.
I WHY DOES SUFFERING HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR INHERITANCE?
Well, let me answer that in two parts…first of all we suffer because we live in a temporary body..One that’s “dead because of sin”.
[This body ages…as it ages parts wear out…pain increase…wrinkles take hold…I use to visit a lady in the nursing home named Pauline Divine…and I’d ask Pauline…”How you doing?” And she’d respond….”Everything I have hurts…and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t’ work anymore!” That’s a great description of the aging, process.]
[Katherine Hepburn, the great actress said, “I’ve discovered that my body is like a car…something goes wrong, wears out and I take it to the mechanic and he replaces the part…until one day I take it in and he says, “We don’t make parts for that model anymore!”]
When Jesus, “the word of God becomes flesh and made His dwelling among us.: (John 1: 14) The creator of the universe entered a body, through the miraculous Virgin birth and subjected himself to a body that ages…grows older…wears out…dies. Paul describes that amazing choice in his letter to the Philippians….
Philippians 2: 6-8 (p831)
Isaiah the prophet wrote these words 800 years before Jesus came to fulfill it.
“He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root of a dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire him… He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” (Is 53: 2, 3)
Most pictures of Jesus make Him look like a beautiful, attractive beard wearing Mediterranean masculine man….Scripture says he choose an ugly exterior so that wouldn’t be what drew you to Him…”Nothing in his appearance caused us to desire Him” Even before the scars and the swelling caused by the beating and crucifixion…He choose a body that demanded inner beauty would be the magnet…not outward handsomeness.
Every person shares in the suffering that Jesus chooses…living in a body that’s dying…scars easily, needs fixing, and eventually…dies.
Some find hope in delaying that process…putting off the inevitable…But for the born again Spirit filled follower of Jesus…inside something beautiful testifies…No, this isn’t all there is…there is a forever body…there is an inheritance for you……”IN YOU”
But there is another suffering that takes place for the born again, Spirit filled follower of Christ…
Suffering for Christ…Paul says to the Corinthians we have a treasured promise housed in an easily broken JAR…listen.
2 Corinthians 4: 7-12 (p818)
His hard pressed (pressured from every angle)…His confused, perplexed at times, His persecuted He’s beaten down…His body constantly grounds him…its temporary…but he doesn’t despair…He will not quit, because it’s all for an opportunity to make others become followers of the Savior He follows. He says in 2 Cor 6 We showed you we are servants of God in every way..in great endurance, in troubles, hardships, and distresses, in beatings, imprisonments and riots, in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger, in purity, understanding, patience and kindness in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in trustful speech and IN THE POWER OF GOD” (v 3-7)
Paul and his companions suffered because of Christ...they went through all the above…because they were born-again, spirit filled followers of Jesus.
This is very different that suffering because we live in the same body Jesus occupied...its suffering because we’ve put this body in harm’s way for the gospel. You don’t have a choice with the first….you have a choice in the attitude you reveal through it, but you will face trouble in this world because you sinful body wears out.
But putting yourself in harm’s way for the gospel is different, stepping into the ring is different…you know you’re gonna get hit….it’s no if. It’s when.
[Please let me share with you in a very transparent way right now…Most of the warfare, the struggle and even persecution, if you will, for me…comes from within the “ring” we call “Christianity and the church….Sometime I face cold shoulders and absolute misunderstanding from “Natural” people…those outside of Christ…but I face the greatest struggle with “Carnal Christian…with the Kingdom. The Spiritual battles with these individuals has me fighting for essential “Spiritual” principles of leadership and witness against an attitudes of worldliness within the church…it might be the largest area of pressure, anxiety burden and abuse for spiritually led pastors and leaders, preachers in America today.]
I might face some judgment and hatred from the outside world because I view homosexuality as a sexual sin…like adultery…and I believe life starts a conception and abortion murders that life…but the greatest struggle and suffering I face is similar to Jesus…from those who are religious, but not spiritual.
God has not called his people to comfort…He’s called us to love men and women who are lead by the Spirit…However, our nature desire comfort more than sacrifice…so many times, churches will be lead by individuals who will “break the rules for certain people, conform activities more to complaints than purpose…and instead of grooming for our spiritual home, we seek a lazy-boy instead of a cross.
You will suffer…Christian and non Christians alike…because we share temporary, mortal, perishable …bodies that are dead because of Sin! …
Spirit filled followers of Christ choose an attitude that reflects the same as Christ’s even when the jar is breaking…
But suffering for Jesus? ...Missionaries on foreign soil will face persecution and death because of their beliefs…we here in American face something more insiders….Satan’s influence that comfort, and people’s happiness are more important than reaching lost souls and growing up in Christ…the church does not need more men and women who are religious…it needs leaders who are spiritually lead by the father, suffering because of their inheritance.
II OUR HOPE IS IN A FUTURE GLORY
Let me ask a simple question…why did Jesus leave His church here on earth? 1) To make disciples, to teach those disciples that it means to be like Jesus…That’s the essence of the great commission in Matt. 28: 18, 19…”I have all authority on Heaven and Earth, therefore followers….to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…then teach them what to observe…How to live…the things you learned from me.”
That’s the calling of every born-again spirit filled follower of Christ…Where ever you are…where ever you go…intentionally make other disciples, and help them know what and how I want them to live.”
That hasn’t changed…It’s still should e the mission of every “Church”
Why isn’t it?...because we started to forget OUR hope is in a future glory, not a present comfort.
Because churches have said, “Come in our building and have your needs met…instead of Go out into the world and make disciples…when were together, we’ll praise our Father and get better prepared…but both of those are catalysts for “going”. All because our glory is in the future…A future event will take place that “reveals in us” what it means to be God’s son…what our adoption as sons does…how these dying bodies are redeemed (purchased back) from sin, so they become “forever” bodies.
We groan for that…All creation…everything created by Jesus….Aches for that future day….It’s why we were saved…born once again…and see if things make a little more spiritual sense.
Romans 8: 18-25 (p 800)
Folks when Adam and Eve sinned death wasn’t just their punishment…it wasn’t just their bodies that would be temporally because of sin….All creation started to run down…all creation, every part of this earth begin to decay…it had no choice in the matter like Adam and Eve, but it started dying nonetheless…
What started out as perfection…became flawed…it’s like someone who had perfect vision going blind…I’m sure that person would long to see again…even groan for their eyesight to return.
A woman who goes through the pains of childbirth...intense labor...endures it because of the hope of a child…
One day Jesus will return as He’s promised! The Savior, who died in our place on a cross to pay the penalty of our sin…the Victor who rose from the dead conquering its power will return as the almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Do you remember we read Phil 2:6-8 which describes Jesus attitude of humility even to the point of death on the cross…well listen to what follows…. Philippians 2: 9-11 (p831)
[Worship will not be a choice on this day…worship means to “Ascribe Worth” And whether you kneel and confess out of fear or out of reverence …on the day of his return you will kneel and confess His worth…”Jesus….is Lord”
Peter says, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief… The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” (2 Pet 3:10) On the heels of that Peter says, “But in keeping with His (Jesus) promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Pet 3:13) (p861)
John the Revelator says “Then I saw a New heaven and New earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away “I saw the Holy city, the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne (Jesus voice) saying now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them… They will be His people and God, Himself will be with them and be their God” He will wipe every tear from their eye. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new.” (Rev. 21: 1—5 (p878)
God’s children are made new…the first fruit of the resurrection now reveals His harvest…Our adoption is complete because our bodies are redeemed…Creation is redeemed…This is our hope…We don’t have it yet…We wait for it…even in the midst of suffering…This day has no comparison!
