Cosmic Hope

Introduction:

Connection:

By way of introduction, this AM, I have some probing questions for us to ponder over: What is the scope of redemption? Is it just our souls or our bodies too? Is it just the church or it the cosmos as well? How big is your view of the Gospel & of Redemption? I ask these kinds of questions because the bigger your view of Glory—the more earnestly you will Hope for it!

Need:

We need to fan into flame our Gospel Hope—and to grow into a deeper yearning for the Coming Glory that shall dawn when Jesus returns!

Theme:

Cosmic & Christian Hope

Purpose:

To comfort the children of God in our cosmic hope of glory, and to encourage us to persevere through our suffering and pain! So if you’re feeling weighed down by your trials this morning, you’re right where you need to be this morning (in hindsight I wonder if the Lord had me write that down for myself…).

Turn to Text:

Romans 8:18-25 ESV

Recap:

Last time in Romans we focused on the two ways of life and death, either in the Spirit or in the flesh—but we also meditated on how the sons of God have the Spirit of adoption, and thus in Christ are co heirs of eternal life and the kingdom of glory! And the way to entering into this coming glory is through our present sufferings. And now Paul is going to explain what this glory consists of, so we can find the strength we need to endure in it.

Read the Text:

Romans 8:18-25 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) Present Sufferings and Future Glory - v. 18

18 For I consider [λογίζομαι] that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to [εἰς] us.

The word Paul uses here for consider is: λογίζομαι - PAI1S - One scholar write that in it’s context it means: “To hold a view about something, to think, believe, or be of the opinion” - BDAG. Thus it’s not that Paul is simply thinking about these things as a possibility, you know, hypothetically weighing the options—no!—he is firmly believing that what he says here is absolutely true and utterly real! He is grounded in the truth that the present sufferings of this life are incomparable with the future glory to come!

Paul is here contrasting this age with the age to come. The present time is one of suffering, and the future time is one of glory. As Paul wrote elsewhere:

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.

And these two ages also matches with Christ’s two states of humiliation and exaltation, of his sufferings and glory—which in union with him we participate in as well! Didn’t Paul just finish our text last week by saying that we are co-heirs with Christ in this glory? … provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him! As Jesus suffered and entered into his glory, so must we—because He is the Head and we are the Body. We follow in his train! As Peter writes elsewhere:

1 Peter 4:13 ESV

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

But, back to our text, there is something in the Greek that is super interesting! Paul doesn’t use the ordinary way of saying that this glory will be revealed to us (as translated in the ESV). Rather, he says that this glory will be revealed: εἰς ἡμας! Which most literally means: into us! It literally reads that the glory to come is going to be revealed into us, or in us (as the KJV puts it).

And so I ask: is Paul implying that the glory to be revealed is not simply something that is going to be external to us, but also that which is going to transform us from the inside out? Is it something internal as well? Is it going to be accomplished within us? It seems that this is exactly Paul’s point! That this reality of glory, and of final salvation, and ultimate renewal is going to be revealed within us, in our very beings, as we ourselves are changed from glory to glory, into the beautiful image of Jesus Christ our Lord! As Paul writes elsewhere of Christ’s 2nd coming:

2 Thessalonians 1:10 ESV

when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Redemption isn’t simply something that is going to happen to us—it’s going to be something that takes place within us. When we are freed to sin no more! What a glorious thought! It makes you want to cry out: Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!

(1) Present Sufferings and Future Glory - v. 18

And so with these two ages—of this present age of suffering, and the future age of glory—Paul is going to now spend the rest of these verses showing how both the cosmos and Christians participate in both through Jesus Christ!

(2) Cosmic Sufferings and Future Glory - vv. 19-22

19 For the creation waits with eager longing [ἀποκαραδοκία] for the revealing of the sons of God.

Notice, that it’s not only the sons of God who are yearning for this final day of glory, but so too is the creation itself! The creation, the heavens and the earth, and the fullness thereof—are here personified as eagerly waiting for that day! One author says that the word used for this longing “denotes stretching the head, e.g., to spy on, or to pay attention [to]. It is linked with hope in the NT (Phil. 1:20) and thus denotes “confident expectation.” [And it is used in] Rom. 8:19, where creation is straining forward, i.e., waiting with eager longing under the stress of conflict” - TDNTA.

The creation itself is bending over, in the stands of the concert of redemption, in order to get a better view at the coming glory that is going to be revealed! And what day is this going to be on? When the sons of God are revealed. When Jesus returns with his saints, and we shall be resurrected in order to reign with him forever and ever! Jesus said that these:

Luke 20:36 ESV

are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

We saw last time that we are already sons of God, if in fact the Spirit of Christ dwells within us, by whom we cry: Abba, Father. And those who are truly saved by grace and through faith in Jesus will be vindicated on the last day, and shown before all that they truly belong to the LORD! As Jesus declared in the great beatitude:

Matthew 5:9 ESV

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

On this great and final day of the LORD, the whole creation will rejoice together with the angels, and give the glory to God for the full salvation of the elect, from every nation, tribe and tongue—as all of God’s children have been gathered into one body, the church, under one head, Jesus Christ! Oh to see that day.

1 John 3:2 ESV

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

And not only is the creation yearning to see the sons of God, the creation is yearning to be set free with them! This is cosmic hope! Paul continues:

20 For the creation was subjected to futility [ματαιότης], not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

The word that Paul uses here for futility is: ματαιότης - One writes that in context it means: “the state of being without use or value, emptiness, futility, purposelessness, or [fleetingness]” - BDAG. “[And] Rom. 8:20 takes up the thought of Eccl. 1:2. Creation is subject to futility, but God lies before and after it, so that the subjection is in hope of final glory” - TDNTA.

You remember our study in Ecclesiastes, right? Where King Solomon declares of everything under the sun:

Ecclesiastes 1:2 ESV

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

We learned in that book that the vanity is not utter meaninglessness, but fleeting vapor. And the word Paul uses here for futility carries with it this same idea (and is the word used in place of vanity in the Greek translation of the OT)! God has subjected the whole creation to this fleeting vanity, this bubble-like-futility, this vapor, and this mist. Why? Because of Adam’s sin, which plunged the whole human race into guilt, shame, and misery—and which plunged the whole creation itself into decay! But note that Paul says that the cosmos was subjected to this futility, not in condemnation—but in hope of glory! God has not purposed to destroy and annihilate the heavens and the earth, but to redeem it! Paul says that it has been placed under hope…

21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption [φθορά] and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The cosmos is going to be redeemed, delivered, set free, and saved! From what? From slavery to decay, from bondage to corruption! The word Paul uses for corruption is: φθορά - GFS - One writes that in this context it means: “The breakdown of organic matter, dissolution, deterioration, corruption in the world of nature” - BDAG. And thus this futility is not meaninglessness, but fleetingness. The creation isn’t despairing, it’s decaying! Just as we learned in Ecclesiastes. And do you see the contrast in these verses? … Why is the temporal creation yearning for the revelation of the sons of God? Because the sons of God partake of eternal life in glory! And when that day dawns, the creation will be welcomed into that very same glory too! When the eternal sons of God appear—the mortal creation of God will likewise become immortal!

The creation itself is going to be liberated—the physical world, the heavens and the earth, and potentially even the animal kingdom (according to Calvin & Hendrickson)! The world as God made it is going to be saved (not every individual person, or angel—but the world as a an organism and a creation will be redeemed)! The creation will participate in the renewal of all things, when the sons of God are fully revealed in final glory, and they are fully glorified in Christ when they rise from their tombs and enter into the eternal kingdom of the Lamb, as it is written in Rev. 21-22. Earth is yearning for heaven … when heaven shall come to earth. And on that day the old Psalm will be fulfilled in it’s deepest and richest meaning:

Psalm 85:9 ESV

Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

And truly, the Lamb will be all the glory in Emmanuel’s land! This land is the abode of the glorious freedom of the sons of God! This is a glorious freedom which rightfully belongs to the children of God and which will be enjoyed in the NHNE, when the meek shall inherit the earth as Jesus said. God is preparing this glory for you, dear saint, and for the cosmos as a whole. Let your thoughts be taken up in this glorious meditation! Behold, he is making all things new! And in light of this cosmic hope, Paul adds:

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Every time creation groans, every time something dies, every time something gets sick, every time something experiences pain … the world is groaning for the day when it shall weep no more! These are groans of childbirth! They don’t last forever, but they are excruciating in the moment… as Jesus said:

John 16:21–22 ESV

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

The fact that Paul uses childbirth pain is such an interesting analogy here. Childbirth is always for the purpose of bringing life and joy and blessing—and so all the suffering and agony of the cosmos has a telos, has a purpose, and has an end which is worth the agonizing wait. The groaning won’t last forever (Jn. 16). A few more pushes and the revealing of the sons of God will be here. It’s almost as though creation is pregnant with the NHNE! God is in the process of bringing his children to life through sufferings, and will consummate their inheritance in future glory.

(2) Cosmic Sufferings and Future Glory - vv. 19-22

So we’ve seen here that the world itself, the creation and the cosmos of God’s fashioning shall one day enter into the glorious liberty to come. God is not only in the business of saving souls—He is in the business of resurrecting bodies—even more so—He is in the business of resurrecting his fallen world. The cosmos has not been abandoned by God, but will be renovated by him. Until that day, the creation groans in anticipation, and not only the creation, but the saints are yearning too! This is where Paul goes next:

(3) Christian Sufferings and Future Glory - vv. 23-25

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits [ἀπαρχή] of the Spirit,

Not only is the cosmos groaning for this final day, so too are the saints, those who have the Spirit of God dwelling within them, who have the firstfruits thereof! The word for firstfruits is: ἀπαρχή - AFS - And one writes that in this setting it means: “[The] first portion … [namely] as much of the Spirit as has been poured out so far and [which is] a foretaste of things to come” OR it can also mean “a birth-certificate” which [could also] suit the context” BDAG. Which is really interesting—the creation is groaning in childbirth for the revealing of the sons of God, but we, the sons of God, already have our birth certificate. In other words, there are no miscarriages for God’s children. As Paul writes elsewhere:

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

We who have been born again of the Spirit, are partakers of these firstfruits. The rest of the harvest, the fullness of the Spirit, and the completion of salvation awaits the day of glory. But already we are new creatures in Christ. And the Spirit of glory dwells within us. He seals our eternal inheritance! And therefore—we who have the Spirit are yearning for the full blessing that is yet to come! And that’s why Paul says we too:

groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption [ἀπολύτρωσις] of our bodies.

The creation groans, and so do we! We are already adopted sons in our souls, but we haven’t yet received our adoption bodies! We have been spiritual resurrected, but not physically resurrected! Creation is waiting for redemption—so are the sons of God; creation is waiting for it’s renewal—so are the sons of God! The new creation has already dawned for the saints—but we are still waiting the full inheritance in the kingdom of light.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52 ESV

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

And this change is the redemption of our bodies! The word Paul uses for redemption here is: ἀπολύτρωσις - AFS - and one writes that it means “to release from a captive condition … the state of being redeemed”. “It means “freeing for ransom,” but it may also have the more general sense of “release.” … In Rom. 8:23 it is specifically the redemption of (not from) the body, i.e., its transformation after the model of the risen Lord (Phil. 3:21; cf. 1 Cor. 15:42–43).” - TDNTA.

Brothers and sisters, Paul is teaching us here that you shouldn’t be yearning for God to free you from your body, you should be yearning for God to heal your body! To redeem your body! To renew your body! So that you shall never die or perish, but rise as a son of the resurrection! We are waiting for our resurrection and glorification when we see Jesus face to face! Only on the last day will our bodies be redeemed from bondage to corruption along with God’s cosmos. This is glorious hope indeed. And Paul continues! Just as the creation was subjected in hope, so were we:

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

The meaning of these words being plain and obvious. We’ve been forgiven in order to look forward! We look to that which is unseen, not to that which is seen!

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience [ὑπομονή] (ESV).

The word Paul uses for patience is: ὑπομονή - GFS - and one says that it means: “the capacity to bear up in the face of difficulty, patience, endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, [or] perseverance” - BDAG. “It does not derive from [fleshly] bravery … but from faith and hope (Rom. 8:25). It displays endurance in the present [age] of wickedness and injustice (Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 3:7). Actively it produces good works (Rom. 2:7), [and] passively it endures under suffering (2 Th. 1:4; cf. 1 Pet. 2:20)” - TDNTA. As the writer to the Hebrews declares:

Hebrews 10:35–36 ESV

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

We have been saved (past tense) unto hope (a future reality); we have been forgiven unto the hope of resurrection. Faith rests in the Christ who has come, and hope rests in the Christ who will come! Christianity is the religion of hope! Abraham hopes for the promised land, but didn’t see it in the days of his pilgrimage—and so too are we hoping for the new world, but can’t see it yet (Gen. 12; Rom. 4)! We persevere in Christ with patience, knowing that Christ is preparing a place for us and will ensure that we come into it’s full possession! And so we must wait! We must endure! We must persevere! And oh will it ever be worth it on that last day! When we hear those blessed words:

Matthew 25:34 ESV

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

(3) Christian Sufferings and Future Glory - vv. 23-25

And as we groan and weep and lament over the burdens of this present evil age that weigh us down so easily—let us never forget that we have been saved in this hope of glory, and this hope brothers and sisters, doesn’t put us to shame! And so before our conclusion, let’s think over how this passage applies to us more specifically:

(A) Uses & Applications from our Text:

(I) Instructs us in the nature of redemption for the cosmos and Christians.

This passage teaches us a BIG view of the Gospel and of the BREADTH of the Kingdom of God! How does this text line up with our theology of heaven?

So often, brothers and sisters, evangelicals have spoken of the Gospel as simply this: trust in Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die! And what is often meant by this is the spiritual plane of existence in the skies, where Christ is, and where departed spirits will go to dwell with him. But in the eternal and ultimate sense: that’s not heaven! That’s the interim waiting period! At the end of history, we’re not all going to be floating up in the sky as immortal spirits, no, we’re going to be resurrected in our bodies to dwell on earth! We are creatures of the dust. We belong to this earth. And our bodies which rot in the graves are going to be renewed, and redeemed, and restored into the likeness of Christ Jesus our Lord, who himself rose from the grave, never to die again! Jesus still has a body, and we will too when he returns!

But not only this, beloved, but when Jesus returns he is resurrecting the whole world (as we focused on earlier). Christ is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth. God is gathering in all things under Christ the Head. The Spirit is beautifying and sanctifying all things unto glory. Our God is going to be all in all—and God’s world is going to be set free from it’s bondage to corruption. That means that God is preparing a new world for us, that God is going to renovate the cosmos as the eternal playground of his children. The garden is coming back, and this time, paradise won’t be lost! This is amazing! Our Gospel is a material gospel. It has physical hope. It is concrete and earthy. On the last day, the lion will lie down with the lamb, the new Jerusalem will descend out of the skies, and heaven will at last come to earth—and brothers and sisters—we shall reign forevermore. Praise be to God for our cosmic and Christian hope!

2 Peter 3:13 ESV

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

(II) Comforts us in the Gospel-freedom of the glory of the children of God.

This passage delights us in the coming day of total deliverance and redemption and blessedness! How do we stand in relation to it’s promises?

This day is going to be incredible. True freedom. True glory. True liberty. True redemption. Every ounce of our sins, guilt and shame will be wiped away forever. Every pang of the body, of sickness, suffering, and cancer will be demolished. Every heartache and lonely spirit will be removed. All depression and disappointment will be resolved. All distance from the One whom our soul loves will be remedied! We shall see Jesus face to face, and sing the song saved by sovereign grace! We shall rise to meet the Lord, and sin and death will be destroyed, and and dear saints, we will feast in the house of Zion and we will weep no more! Weary Christian, this is your hope! Dear believer, who is repenting of sin—and who is following Jesus in his Church—this is your unshakeable confidence! Lift up your eyes, for your redemption draws nigh! It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. Drink deeply from the well of this stream. And take rest yourself in the arms of your blessed Jesus who died to set you free, and who lives to bring you home!

But if you are not possessed by this Gospel hope, then you need to run to Jesus today. Cast away all other hopes. Reject all other gods. Refuse all other saviours. And come to Jesus. He will receive you in all your brokenness, in all your wretchedness, in all your problems and in all your pain. Trust in His life, death, and resurrection—repent of your sins, transgression, and iniquities—and he will comfort you with an everlasting grace and mercy! He will bestow upon you this freedom of the glory of the children of God! He will adopt you into his eternal family, free you from the flames of hell, rescue you from the coming judgment, and guard you from your every enemy! He will vanquish the fear of death and he will lavish you with this eternal life in Christ, as you become a co-heir with the inheritance of the Son of God! What’s keeping you back? There is no other way. It is enough to know that Jesus died, and that he died for me. Oh come to this Fountain—and be washed with living water; come to this Food—and never hunger again. This is truly Christian hope and consolation, when as the prophet declares:

Isaiah 60:19–20 ESV

The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

(III) Exhorts us to have an eager longing for eternity in our sufferings.

This passage calls us to an ongoing and intentional setting of our hopes upon heaven! How are we doing regarding our expectations?

I wonder, brothers and sisters… (and I ask this about myself too). Why are we not more home sick? We aren’t home yet! We’re strangers and pilgrims, exiles and sojourners. We haven’t entered into the land of Canaan. We’re but in the wilderness generation. We are still marching unto Zion. And yet we get comfortable in the wilderness. We start to put our roots down. We start to pitch tents and forget that we aren’t staying here forever. We are passing through! We all fall into this temptation to get comfortable with the already—and to fail to yearn for the not yet. We start feeling satisfied with Christ risen—and stop yearning for our own resurrection! These things must not be so! We must set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to us when Jesus returns. We need to be homesick. We need to yearn for Immanuel’s land, for heaven on earth, for the kingdom of glory, and for the NH&NE. We need to look unto Jesus, and cry out: Maranatha!

In all of our sufferings, we need to remember that these aren’t lord and these aren’t final! In all of our hardships we need to remember—this too shall pass. In all of our afflictions we need to remember—they are but light and momentary when compared with the weight of glory! And so beloved of God, we must grow in our longing for Jerusalem the Golden. Meditate on the majesty of heaven. Meditate on the glories of Christ. Meditate on the vanity of this age. Mediate on the fleetingness of this life. Remember who we are in Christ, that we have heavenly blood, and a heavenly inheritance that is being kept for us. Remember where your true citizenship lies! And never let your earthly passports trump your heavenly one. Suffering, then glory! Suffering, then glory! Suffering, then glory! And if your suffering in Christ, then you will be glorified with Him! Hallelujah! As Christ has entered into his rest, so shall we—but we must not shrink back, we must not let the storm overwhelm us—for our Lord rules the waves, and one day will calm the frightening sea. So set your hope upon eternity!

Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

(A) Uses & Applications from our Text:

So brothers and sisters—through suffering unto glory—the cosmos awaits it’s renewal, and us Christians await our redemption—so let us hear this final conclusion for this morning:

(C) Our Cosmic & Christian Glory is Incomparable—So Let your Hope for it be Incorruptible!

The sands of time are sinking The dawn of heaven breaks The summer morn I've sighed for The fair, sweet morn awakes Dark, dark hath been the midnight But dayspring is at hand And glory, glory dwelleth In Immanuel's land

O Christ, He is the fountain The deep, deep well of love The streams on earth I've tasted More deep I'll drink above There to an ocean fullness His mercy doth expand And glory, glory dwelleth In Immanuel's land

The bride eyes not her garments But her dear Bridegroom's face I will not gaze at glory But on my King of grace Not at the crown He giveth But on His pierced hand The Lamb is all the glory In Immanuel's land

(C) Our Cosmic & Christian Glory is Incomparable—So Let your Hope for it be Incorruptible!

Amen, let’s pray!