Eschatological Hope Breaks through Today (Romans 8:18-39)

what are you hopeful for? (that really doesn’t change your life)

1. Tiger Woods to win another major golf tournament

2. Michael Jordan to get back onto the basketball court

3. Cowboys to win Super Bowl

really, what are you hopeful for…that really would change your life…?

1. losing 20 pounds

2. job promotion

3. kids to move closer

what are you hopeful for that will matter in 100 or even 1,000 years? (change eternity)

I don’t want us hoping in terms of months and years

I want us hoping in terms of centuries and millennia

wishful hope vs. Biblical hope

wishful hope

you want something to be true

but not certain if it will come true

Biblical hope

you know something to be true

just waiting for it to happen

you live different when you have Biblical hope

“Grace Got You” by Mercy Me

Eschatological Hope Breaks through Today

we live in a world that could use a healthy dose of hope

1. not hope that you win the pickleball match on Saturday

2. not hope that child gets into best college

3. not even hope for cure from cancer

BUT A GREATER HOPE

where curse of Genesis 3 is eradicated

sin, suffering, brokenness, separation from God is erased

becomes distant memory that is our current reality

grateful for Greg Patterson

faithful to gospel

faithful to text

Sanctifying Spirit (8:1-17)

considering rest of Romans 8

EXPLAIN TITLE

eschaton = end times

end times hope

Satan is judged

God is victorious

believers not condemned for our sin

but finally saved from God’s wrath to experience eternal communion with God

eschatological hope is not only good for the end times

it changes your today

you have more to look forward to than this life only

because you know how everything ends

BUT not everyone has this kind of hope

not even everyone in this room (but could)

hope arises from the implanted Spirit

implanting computer chips in brain

telepathy (move lost arms or legs, type with thoughts)

what believers have is better?

God the Holy Spirit

GOSPEL —> indwelling Spirit

the presence of the Holy Spirit assures believers what God has done and will do

hope for salvation

Biblical hope defined

confident expectation of something good in the future

based on God’s promises and power

hope is a verb… not a noun

to look forward with confidence

8:18-25 pew Bible # 1122

something glorious is coming (8:18)

your future glory is conditioned upon suffering with Christ in the present age

you have only partially experienced your salvation

future hope

College Tuition

Eugene Land (self-made millionaire)

was asked to speak to 6th graders (59) in East Harlem — tough part of town

what could he say to inspire these students?

statistics show most would drop out of school

only 1 would likely go to college

he scrapped his notes

“Stay in school and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you.”

students lives changed

for the first time they had hope

one student

“I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling.”

nearly 90 percent of that class (1981) went on to graduate from high school

Christians have a greater hope than college tuition

suffering for Christ now

does not compare to future glory with Christ

emphasize gloriousness of eschaton

God’s presence

Garden of Eden

Jesus face-to-face

no sin; other believers

creation groans for freedom from corruption (8:19-22)

creation = nonhuman creation personified

creation was subjected (8:20)

to futility “state of being without use or value, emptiness, futility, purposelessness” BDAG

Genesis 3:17-19

former slide

longing for freedom (groan)

the whole creation has been groaning together

in the pains of childbirth until now (8:22)

anticipation of a baby…new life

creation waits with eager longing… (8:19)

to be freed??? no!

for the revealing of the sons of God (8:19b)

so focus is not on transformation of world

but future redemption of children of God

because when children of God are finally saved

creation itself will be set free (8:21)

AND believers groan for freedom too (8:23)

the Spirit’s work in us has only begun

because we have the Spirit in us, we too groan

why do we groan?

we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (8:23)

we have not fully experienced our salvation

salvation is 3-fold

1. believers have been saved from penalty of sin

justified

2. believers are being saved from power of sin

sanctified

3. believers will be saved from the presence of sin

glorified

we have genuine hope (8:24-25)

yet Paul locates our salvation in the past

For in this hope we were saved (8:24)

sure (already) — we were saved

anticipation (not yet) — hope

our future glory is so stunning that any suffering now is inconsequential

we get short sighted when we only dwell on our present suffering

look to your future

all of this suffering will be worth it when you see Jesus face-to-face

hope through prayer

hope is a verb… not a noun

to look forward with confidence

8:26-27

Likewise

the Spirit sustains our hope while believers await redemption

we need the Spirit

because we do not know what to pray

what is our deficiency?

we do not know God’s will

we pray and the Spirit prays the will of God on our behalf

you want the Spirit to pray

His prayers are always answered

because He prays according to God’s will

have you ever had a time in life where struggles keep mounting up? NOW???

find it hard to have hope???

our hope is renewed through prayer

because the Spirit sustains our hope while believers await redemption

hope for glorification

hope is a verb… not a noun

to look forward with confidence

8:28-30

how can we be certain of our future destiny with so much suffering and tribulation?

God works all things according to good for His children (8:28)

not…everything is good

yet…promise not to all

for those who love God

for those who are called according to his purpose

is God calling you into a relationship through His Son, today?

even suffering and tribulation turn out for good for the believer

Paul and Silas (Acts 16:22-25)

former slide

God has glorious plans for His children (8:29)

foreknew (chose beforehand—BDAG)

predestined (predetermined)

to be conformed to the image of his Son

God uses every detail of life to make you more like Jesus

golden chain (8:30)

predestined

called

justified

glorified

does not fit…why?

past tense

even though in future, good as done

God will finish what He has completed

Philippians 1:6

if you are a believer

you are assured that EVERYTHING works together for your good…to make you more like Jesus

all the suffering…all the afflictions

are not obstacles to your salvation

but the means by which your salvation will be accomplished

you hope differently knowing your glorification is sure based on God’s faithful promise

hope with certainty

hope is a verb… not a noun

to look forward with confidence

confidence comes from Biblical hope (certainty)

give an earthly illustration

The Dying Boy

one school system sent teachers to children in the hospitals

to help them keep up with their school

one hospital teacher was assigned to a child

given child’s name and room number at the hospital

talked with regular class teacher

studying nouns and adverbs in class

so she headed to the hospital to teach nouns and adverbs

no one mentioned that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain

she stuttered at his sight, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.”

she tried but didn’t feel like they accomplished much

next day

nurse, “What did you do to that boy?”

thought she did something wrong

nurse, “No, no. We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed.

He’s fighting back, responding to treatment.

It’s as though he’s decided to live.”

2 weeks later

boy explained he had given up hope until the hospital teacher arrived

he realized, “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

our hope as believers is greater than recovering from burns

how can we be confident in our hope?

how can we be assured that all enemies, even Satan, will not succeed?

didn’t Satan succeed by killing 2 missionaries in Haiti this week?

Paul instructs us contrary to our understanding

8:31-39

how do we know that God is for us?

how do we know that nothing will defeat us?

how is this true of the 2 missionaries just killed in Haiti this week?

God did not spare His Son, Jesus Christ

but sent Him to die for our sin

since God was willing to sacrifice Jesus for our sake

then surely God will give everything He promised in Christ

NOTHING can separate us from the love of God

even in death, those 2 missionaries went into the presence of the Lord

NO—THING can separate us from the love of God

Eschatological Hope Breaks through Today

do you have hope?

not really talking for hope in this life only

I’m talking about eschatological hope

have you trusted Jesus?

do you have the indwelling Spirit?

do you realize that everything that happens to you is to conform you into the image of Jesus?

do you have hope that cannot be defeated?

baptize Anayah