Romans 8:18-30 "Hope of Glory"

Mothers, what age was, is, or will be your favorite to parent? Since none of us are certain of our future, I’ll remove the yet to happen stage of my next question. What age has been or is the most difficult? I would guess that for some of you there was some stage that was BOTH rewarding and difficult.

While my mother’s life was nothing but a delight in raising me, I did have 3 younger sisters and know that motherhood is a mixture or joys and sorrows. At first reading of today’s text, and knowing this would be Mothers’ Day I observed 3 key words in verses 22, 24 & 26. I almost titled the sermon “Hope and Help for Groaning Moms”.

While this message is hopefully encouraging to the moms present, I don’t want to limit this text to less than half of our audience. Each of us groans for something better and I believe God’s Word offers hope and help for each of us, regardless of gender or parental status. The Hope and help I see in these verses is that: while the sufferings of the present period are real and difficult, God works all things together to accomplish His good will.

Ro 8.28 gives a hopeful promise that is frequently misunderstood. By saying “for good” it does not mean “the way I want it to.” The Holy Spirit gave the Apostle a definition of what is good—"that which accomplishes God’s purpose”

TRANSITION: Before we can bask in the final outcome, we must first honestly admit our current sufferings.

Groaning for Something Better (Rom 8:18-23)

This present time vs to be revealed(Ro 8.18)

As time marches forward, events become even more immediate.

I was speaking earlier this week with another pastor about baptistries, and he said that they have an on-demand water heater so he can fill a baptistry on Sunday morning.

This made me think of how the process of heating water has changed. Buckets used to be carried from a stream, then wells were dug close to the home, then plumbing was brought into the home, then the process of heating water moved from the fireplace to the stove, to a heating tank (on a sidenote, one of my pet peeves is referring to this tank as a “hot water heater”. If the water is already hot, it doesn’t need to be heated. 😊) Now a device is sold that provides hot water on demand.

Lamps that used to be individually lit have been replaced by instant switches. Water that used to take hours to haul and heat is available at the turn of a knob or lift of a lever. Even a warm can of soda now has a device that will chill it in 60 seconds. A snack of popcorn or a frozen burrito can now be prepared in 90 seconds in a microwave.

But some processes still require lengthy stretches of time. Mothers this month are watching children finish school and it seems like it was only yesterday when they started. But in the midst of toilet training it may seem to take eons. Even if they seem to have grown overnight, the process of them taking responsibility for chores, cleaning their own room, or doing their own laundry can seem to take an eternity.

Undoing the curse of the fall in Genesis 3 with its effects upon humanity and creation is a process still not complete. Paul reminds that the way things were is not how they are now, and how they are now is not how they always will be.

Creation groans (Ro 8.18-22)

Tuesday morning of this past week I walked between the parsonage and our worship building and noticed the cracks in the dry earth. The dirt itself demonstrated a need for something better.

Tuesday afternoon I weeded our Iris beds behind the garage, and I groaned. If it is so dry that the earth itself cracks, how is it possible for all these weeds to be so green and tall?

I was fully experiencing the curse that fell on creation as a direct result of mankind’s rebellion to God in Gen. 3

Weather is perhaps the easiest way to see creation groan.

Whenever you hear people propose an effort to “save the earth”, we must remember the evaluation of the one who made the earth—It is now under a curse, and nothing we ever do can remove that curse until He destroys and recreates it according to Rev. 21. This is not an excuse to abuse it, we are to be good stewards until the current earth accomplishes God’s purpose and He remakes it for the eternal state. We must admit that creation aches for a future remake and not overplay the threats of warming, fracking, ocean levels or pollution as if God is unaware. Nature is only one dimension of creation’s groaning.

2. The problem of evil people (greed & injustice)

3. The problem of birth defects and wounded bodies

4. The problem of spiritual darkness of the unevangelized

Us Also (Ro 8.23)

Those of us who are in Christ and indwelt by God’s Spirit also groan.

We wait eagerly for our full redemption.

We don’t only groan about our earthly bodies that don’t do what they used to do. We eagerly anticipate the time when temptation loses its effect, when old habits are completely broken, when deep emotional hurts are made complete.

Hoping for something unseen (Ro 8:24-25)

We wait in optimism

What is not yet seen gives hope.

I have a friend who pastors in Lyons, KS. He told me about an illustration he used about a month ago to help people realize the importance of v.24.

How would you feel and what might you do if I told you that in one of the pew Bibles in the page that contains today’s text I have placed a $20 bill?

Romans 8:24 ESV:2016

...Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

4. I planned and placed this gift days before any of you walked through the doors today. Likewise, the reward that we anticipate sometime in the future, has already been accomplished by the God who exists outside of time so that in the present we can hope toward the future.

Help in our ignorance and incompleteness (Rom 8:26-30)

Spiritual perspective (Ro 8.26-27)

We have limited perspectives and do not even know what to expect.

The God who has a preferred end in place, has granted to us His guidance to accomplish what we don’t even realize is happening.

As a family of 6 we did not go out to eat often. Any trip to McDonald’s was a treat! Sometimes, as the firstborn, I would ask my father for the full-size value meal instead of the kid-sized happy meal, not knowing that He was prepared to get me the Super-size meal with both a drink AND a shake, AND a hot pie to finish it all off.

Overarching promise (Ro 8.28)

V. 28 offers a correction to the illustration I just shared.

This verse has often been quoted to insinuate that we always get what we want in the end. But the text does not promise what we want. It promises what is good. And it goes on to define goodso that there is no misunderstanding. What is good is what God has purposed.

Sovereign process (Ro 8.29-30)

V.29 describes what has happened to bring us to the point where we are right now in the process. God has already known and destined us to be in this process of coming into conformity to Jesus.

Right now some of us are making the best we can out of the options that are available to us based upon previous decisions. Career, relationships & physical choices today are largely based upon decisions made years ago. But one option that is always available to all of us is to become more like Jesus. Your situation this morning is not a surprise to God. He has already been working in your circumstances to bring you right where you are.

Just as the past has brought you to the present, v.30 guarantees that the same God who has brought you this far is still working. He is not done yet!

If you are currently a follower of Jesus, it is not a coincidence. You never woke up some morning and out of the blue determined to give your life to God. Before you ever trusted in Christ, He determined to adopt you and started sending people and circumstances into your life to bring you to a point where accepting Christ seemed like the best option.

The very ability to choose Christ is a gracious gift that we do not deserve. If He had not sent Scripture, people, and His Spirit you would never have had to option to believe.

Those He has called, He declares righteous, and those He has already justified he has already committed (even though it hasn’t happened in our experience, to the God who exists outside of sequence of moments) it is as good as done.

Conclusion:

I gave you reason to hope earlier in this sermon. But I am a limited human. If a flawed human like me can bring hope, even for a moment, into your life, the Good and perfect God can guarantee that your present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed.

Light & Lamp Application:

Light for my Path

Current pain does not define ultimate paradise

Lamps for my Steps

When all I see are problems, remember His promise.

When all I feel is hurt, trust His plan

When I hear complaints of injustice, speakof God’s coming glory.

Response Song #539................................................. “O That Will Be Glory”