HOPE

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Intro

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
How often have you heard this verse?
It’s a popular one, tying up the end of the “Love Chapter” in 1 Corinthians. It’s a powerful verse, driving home the importance of that underlying attribute that God displays toward us, and that we ought to demonstrate to one another.
But even though love is an overriding and overpowering element of our religion, it is compared with two other things; firstly “Faith”, and secondly “Hope”. Now we spend a lot of time talking about faith, because it is fundamental to our Christian life just like love, however we don’t seem to talk a lot about Hope. So I wanted to explore this marginalised characteristic of the Christian life.
Hope is taken for granted I find. It doesn’t seem to get mentioned much in bible studies, sermons, or blogs that I see. Perhaps I’m just not reading widely enough, perhaps we are just guilty of overlooking it.
In the past several weeks we have been studying the words of Isaiah. Through him God was declaring that the people were judged, and that they would suffer greatly. His covenant people would be thrown down. Now even though there would have been faithful Israelites in that day, they were going to suffer alongside the rebels. The whole nation was coming down, and many of them would go into exile, like Daniel and Ezekiel. Though righteous, they suffered greatly.
You may remember Job the righteous man who suffered greatly.
The idea that God can send hard times on his people leads us to dwell on the nature of suffering in our own lives, and the heart & mind of God as he brings these things to pass. We must take solace in God even when he is allowing pain to rend our souls and break our bodies.
God uses suffering. While God is the source of Love and all that is Good, he patiently uses suffering to further reveal that Love and goodness.
All that to say that our excursion through Hope this week is not a random rabbit trail, but a deliberate journey crafted to help us see the breadth and beauty of this landscape that surrounds the suffering and affliction that so often blinds us.
Our eyes grow dim if we excavate a cave of despair to wallow in, while with HOPE we could be experiencing joy on the narrow path to life.
In this passage that we will be hovering on today I have seen 4 areas that affect our Hope on the way:
Hope in Glory
Hope in Groaning
Hope in Adoption
Hope Unseen
Let us come to God’s word now and see what it says.

Hope in Glory

(v18-19)
The first thing we need to do as we make our way through this passage is understand the context. This book of the Bible is a “Theological Handbook” so-to-speak, that Paul the Apostle was writing to the Church in Rome. While it’s not exhaustive, it gives anyone who reads it a good understanding of the way “…God judges sin and yet at the same time manifests his saving mercy” (ESV Study Bible – Intro. to Romans)
In this particular chapter, Paul is speaking of our life in the Holy Spirit, our adoption as heirs, suffering, future glory and the immeasurable love of God. The verses 16 & 17 immediately before our passage for today summarises a lot of the chapter when it says:
Romans 8:16–17 ESV
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Christians are children of God, heirs.
We will experience suffering.
Here we see the elements that we are focusing in on today, Glory, Suffering, Adoption.
But now that we have set the scene, let’s turn to the passage at hand. Vs 18 & 19 Says:
Romans 8:18–19 ESV
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
First thing to ask is “What are the sufferings of this present time?”
These are the sufferings that Christ spoke about on the Mount of Olives when he taught his Disciples “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.”
These are the sufferings that Paul spoke of as he traveled around his Church plants “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Paul is speaking here in Romans about affliction that was promised and is coming to pass in his time. Suffering is part and parcel of the Christian life, granted it is simply a part of being a human in a broken world, but as Believers we are allotted a share in receiving the hatred that people have for God. The saying goes “Don’t shoot the messenger!”, but if we live this life in the way God asks of us as his messengers, we embody the one who sends us, and people take out their rebellion, hatred and anger on that which is most God like in this world. Just as Christ, the enshrinement of God in flesh, was hated by the world, we now attract the same affliction that he experienced. An affliction that God also uses to sanctify His church. Holiness shines a light on sin.
So we shouldn’t be surprised that Paul and the Church of his day were receiving that suffering. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, with Paul himself being beaten, whipped, jailed, stoned and so on, yet here in this passage with all that happen to him, and the Church around him, he looks up and says “This is nothing! These afflictions are not even worth mentioning when talking about God’s glory!”
These sufferings will pale into insignificance in the light of God’s revelation to the world!
Do you see Paul’s hope here?
He joyfully looks forward to something he has not yet seen, but it is sufficient to help him bear the sorrows of the day. In fact he says the real pain and experiences of this present Christian life, are not worth comparing with something that he has not yet experienced. We too look forward to this Revelation of Glory! But do you navel gaze so much that you cannot conceive of this magnificent thing? Are you always absorbed by the pains and sorrows of today with no concept of the great future God has in store?
Continuing the same line, Paul says that “creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” This speaks of the time when those who are truly God’s children will be displayed for the world to see, one day God will reveal those who by faith have received Christ and he will give them the marvelous inheritance he has prepared for them. The world awaits the grand reveal.
You could also think of it like this, we are spies behind enemy lines. It is 1944 during and you are living in France. Your army have been defeated and you are now living in one of the States occupied by Germany during the Second World War. But you are not one of those who willingly bows to your new overlords. You are working with Allied command to undermine the enemy. You are recruiting others to your side, and hoping for the freedom of your country men.
One day the Allied forces roll into town and rout the Germans. Finally, victory! The liberators give you freedom and you need no longer fear for your life from your captors! You hold your head high and receive a medal for your bravery and work in supporting the war effort. You are awarded for all to see that you belong to the winning side, and that even in the darkest hour you did not give up seeking the freedom of your country. All is revealed in the wake of the triumph!
So to it will be with the revelation of the Sons of God. The whole world will see those who belong to him, and they will receive a rich reward. Their efforts will be vindicated. Their endurance rewarded.
But that day is still coming. It’s still down the line. Right now we live in hope, expectation of triumph.
That triumph is part and parcel of the revelation of God’s glory on the Last Day. This hope is more than just a mere acknowledgement of God winding up this broken world, it is a certain thing that is promised time and time again in scripture.
Hope in that glorious revelation of God sustains our souls as we tread this weary narrow path. We suffer injury, we suffer rejection, we suffer under oppressive evil. We dodge the flaming arrows and turn aside from the treacherous deceivers on the road side. We press on toward the Prize!
Paul says this in his letter to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 4:17–18 ESV
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
This magnificent glory is beyond all comparison! There is nothing that we as humans can imagine that encapsulates this coming glory. This revelation will invoke terror and awe. It will provoke the bowing of knees, cries for mercy and sighs of relief. It will be more than we can ever imagine or Hope for.
The glory of God and the consummation of all things are the epitome of our Hope.

Hope in Groaning

(v20-22)
This Christian life includes Hope in Glory, but also hope in the midst of Groaning
Looking now at verses 20-22:
Romans 8:20–22 ESV
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Continuing on with what Paul had already started to speak of, he elaborates on the groaning of creation and it’s expectation of freedom. He says that it was subjected to futility. What does that mean?
This futility, this emptiness or vanity is something that was introduced to creation long ago. The First man, Adam, was put in charge of the world. But then he rebelled against God, effectively saying “I want it my way”. Adam was led astray and fell into sin, thus soiling God’s perfect Creation. While creation itself did not rebel against God, it followed its ruler into bondage & decay.
Remember God gave Adam dominion over the earth. He was its ruler or king, and just as nations rise or fall with the choices of their kings so to Creation fell with its own. God subjected the creation to the futility that its own leader chose. He cursed the ground because of Adam. He cursed our bodies, he cursed our relationships, he cursed our ability to provide for our families. That which was “Very Good” was corrupted and enslaved by sin.
But that’s not all. Even during creation’s macabre moment, and mankind’s plunge into darkness, there was HOPE!
Paul touches on it here: “subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage”. How can there be hope among this decay? How can there be future joy in this bondage?
This hope was first mentioned in the very curse that drowned us: the Proto Evangelium. That first Good News that we would triumph over Satan who deceived us. As scripture goes on, that idea is fleshed out more and more as we understand just what that means. Not merely will we triumph over the awful enemy, but we will be freed from the mess we created as well. We will be redeemed by a divine messiah who will rule over a renewed creation as both the God who created and sustains it and the man who is Adams perfect successor ad replacement.
Creation eagerly longs for that day, when it is freed from the shackles we endowed it with. Just as Creation shared in its own leaders fall, Creation will share in Mankind’s freedom too. See verse 21: “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”.
We share in the triumph of our people. When a team wins the grand final, the whole club wins, even though there was only a handful of guys who kicked the winning points.
While this freedom for creation is close, it’s not quite here yet. You will notice that Paul speaks of this bondage as a present thing, something that we are in the midst of. We live in a broken and dying world, suffering, afflicted. Some of our suffering has nothing to do with the wickedness of man, but rather the contorted nature of the world.
There seems to be death on every corner, pain in every eye, and sorrow in every plea. Creation crushes its inhabitants in natural disasters, wastes them with disease, and poisons them with its fruit. It groans for freedom from its curse. It longs to be “very good” once more and wear the crown of Mankind with joy and peace.
It seems as if there is a building tension of a hope that will soon be realised. This groaning is building toward something. Paul speaks of this in verse 21: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”
This groaning is equated to the pains of childbirth. A building and intensifying pain. Contractions! Pressure! Excruciating pain! Then the pain is gone, leaving only joy. This pain is temporary, this groaning is temporary but it’s end is Glorious joy.
Interestingly pain in childbirth is the very thing that God cursed us with in the Fall of Man. Yet it is an image for creation’s current state and coming freedom. It is a bright image of Hope, a hope that we must hold onto through the darkest hours on this planet. A bright oncoming light that is still out of sight, but just around the corner.
Creation’s groaning is temporary; freedom from corruption is our Hope.

Hope in Adoption

(v23)
We have seen that this Christian life includes Hope in Glory, hope in the midst of Groaning, and it also includes Hope in Adoption. Look now at verse 23:
Romans 8:23–24 (ESV)
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.
This verse reminds us that as part of this sinful fallen world we too groan for the release from death. But here our hope is realised in our adoption as Sons of God.
This is powerful imagery used by the New Testament on several occasions. God does not simply free us from sin & death to wander aimlessly through eternity, but rather draws us in and receives us as his own children.
I don’t know about you, but my heart is filled with joy when I hear of homeless and fatherless children being sought out and taken in by parents who want to love them unconditionally.
The idea that those in the depths of despair and destitution are taken in to be loved, cared for, nurtured and desired is beautiful. It is a most pure form of religion and one of the most vivid displays of love on this earth.
That is why our Adoption is so glorious. Even though we may have experienced Salvation from Jesus, we all know that as Christians we are not fully freed from this body of death, we know that we are not yet fully sanctified and that our redemption is ongoing in some sense. It is a similar sense here, that the adoption we have in Christ is not yet complete. The paper work is signed and the fees payed, but we’re still waiting for our new Father to come and collect us from the orphanage.
We eagerly await the Adoption. We hope beyond hope that we can be rescued from our depravity and loved by someone unconditionally. This is a gentle and comforting Hope, that brings peace to our souls and joy for the time to come. The Holy Spirit himself is a guarantor that the Father’s adoption is sealed.
Some of us have had bad fathers, or absent fathers, but know this: God the Father is everything your father was not. Your adoption is sought after by him. He bought you for his own, to be a treasured possession. He wants to show you his love, and kindness and mercy. Don’t shy away from him.
Don’t shy away from him.
Seek him while he may be found!
This Father sent his own Son to a cross to adopt you. He wanted to receive you, but he couldn’t because of your guilt and rebellion. Your sin is a barrier to being reconciled to your heavenly father.
So he payed for your life in blood. The precious blood of his Son. He subjected Him to suffering, pouring out his terrible wrath to crush Jesus, the Christ. Jesus took your punishment.
Christ willing received this on your behalf. Carrying the full measure of your guilt on his shoulders to the grave. Come to Christ and receive the Adoption he won for you. Receive it through the simple act of Faith. Humbly confess your sins, and turn from them in disgust to the guiltless freedom that we have as co-heirs with Christ.
If you don’t come to him in Repentance & Faith you will receive the only alternative: Vanity, Futility, Desolation and a debt to pay for your sin against God.
Why would you turn away from the loving father who seeks you?
Why would you reject he who offers such a beautiful inheritance?
If a billionaire offered to make you the sole recipient of their estate on their death if you would only live in their house and take their name, I’m sure you would acquiesce. But when the God of the universe comes knocking at your door, offering a share in “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” would you rather be like Adam and say: “No thanks, I’ll take it from here”?
Come to Christ! Seek him while he may be found! The revelation of the Sons of God is too late to work out if you want to be one of them. Share in this great hope of adoption, which comforts our souls. Come partake in the glorious inheritance He has prepared. Come and give him the glory that is due to him. Prepare yourself to dwell in the house of the Lord forever!
Adoption is a most comforting Hope, do not reject the Father.

Hope Unseen

(v24-25)
Thus far we have seen that this Christian life includes Hope in Glory, hope in the midst of Groaning, Hope in Adoption and lastly we will see: Hope is Unseen.
From the outset this may come across as a bit obvious. You don’t hope for something that is realised, because you have no need. It you desire a sandwich, and you have a sandwich, then you needn’t hope for anything. Unfortunately though we can tend to forget this basic logic when we think of God. We desire to see him and experience him on our own terms. We often wish to know when he will return, or what he is accomplishing in my specific circumstances. If we were to know these things our hope and trust could be diminished, or even use them to accommodate our inaction. The lack of knowledge on our part helps us to endure trustingly.
What does Paul have to say about this? Look with me at vs24-25:
Romans 8:24–25 (ESV)
Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
As I said; Hope is unseen. Hebrews 11:1 says something similar, and also shows how Hope & Faith go hand in hand: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Our faith is made up of our hope. Without knowledge of what we hope for, we can’t have genuine faith.
You may hear people claim to be Christians sometimes, simply because their parents belong to a certain denomination, or sometimes you may hear someone say “I think I’m Anglican...” “I’m not religious, I’m just spiritual”. In both this cases their beliefs mean nothing. They may have a belief in a god, or spiritual forces, but without an understanding of what they hope for, their faith is in vain.
Even though the realisation of our hope is unseen, God kindly demonstrates to us that he can be trusted. He reveals things to us that confirm his promises and shore up our faith, essentially like an engagement ring.
When a man asks a woman to marry him, he does not marry her on the spot. The traditional thing to do is to procure a diamond ring for the bride-to-be.
Now, Is the bride in any doubt about her suitors intention to marry? Of course not! He has spent a large sum of money to give her a sign and symbol of his love and future intentions.
Does that ring mean marriage? Does it look like marriage? Does it taste like marriage? No! But it is a basis of hope for that future day when he will take her into his household and make he his own. Until that day, the hope remains unseen, but it is a sure outcome of the sign.
God gives us “engagement rings” so to speak. He provides many things that are not the object of hope itself, but are a foundation for the unseen hope. They’re are all over scripture!
For example, we have Hope that Christ will return and rescue us from this broken and suffering world, and we can be confident in this because God rescued the Israelites, his chosen people, out of the bondage of Egypt.
We can be confident in God’s fulfilled promises because of all the fulfilled promises before.
We have hope in God’s washing away our sin through the sacrament of baptism. The water itself does not pardon our sin, but is a symbol of the washing we hope to receive from God.
Same goes for the Lord’s Supper, it characterises and exemplifies the sure hope that we have Christ’s body broken for us, and blood shed in the establishment of a new covenant.
We are yet to be resurrected, but we can have confident hope that we shall be raised form death because of the resurrection of Christ.
Our faith and Hope are not blind; they are based on the firm foundations delivered to us. This hope that is fundamental to the faith is grounded in a God who fulfills his promises, who is trustworthy, and who patiently leads us on through the suffering and groaning of this world. His promises never fail.
We wait patiently because we know neither the day nor the hour, nor do we know the substance of it. We are eagerly awaiting a feast. We’ve seen the table set and we smell the joyous scents wafting from the kitchen, but the meal is yet to be served!
Brothers and sisters, as we sit at the table, awaiting the great feast, do not turn aside! Endure! Your stomach may groan in hunger, and your lips crack with thirst but don’t depart from the table! Don’t turn your back on the feast. As sure as a set table is followed by a delightful meal, so too does God’s glory follow the groaning and suffering of this age.
As previously mentioned, sometimes as we walk the narrow path, we lose sight of our surroundings! We slump by the wayside, intent on dressing the sores on our feet while a beautiful landscape of adoption, glory and freedom is within our sights. As we push on, we receive the glorious ministry of the Holy Spirit who brings the comfort of the Father we are so keen to live with. While our groaning’s are real, and our pain genuine, our Hope shows us that this is not worth comparing for what God has in store for those who love him.
Hope is unseen, but because of God’s promises our Hope is not vain.

Conclusion

1.Hope in Glory
2.Hope in Groaning
3.Hope in Adoption
4.Hope Unseen
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