The Road to Glory

Holiday Planning

Last year in the Spring holidays my family took a holiday which I think got the unanimous vote of our favourite family holiday we’ve ever taken.

It was three weeks in a tent. Five nights at South West Rocks. Followed by another five nights in Brisbane. We then spent a further five nights on the beach at Maroochydore, then up the mountains at Lamington National Park, followed by two nights at Lennox Head.

The holiday was filled with lots of new experiences for the kids - and they thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

Now to have a holiday like that takes a lot of planning.

I started with a big map. Actually, I wanted to get one of those big ones that the NRMA used to produce, but they seem to be really difficult to come by. So, instead, possibly because I’m a little crazy, I decided to print out lots of smaller maps from Google Maps, and then physically stick the piece of paper together until I got a big map of the East Coast from here up to about the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

We then used a combination of google searches, tips from friends and memory of fun places, and started circling the places we would like to go.

We then had to formulate that into a plan. Starting with accommodation, and then onto the big attractions. It was quite a task and took lots of iterations before we finally had a plan we liked.

Planning in life

Now here’s the thing. When we put our minds to it, we’re actually pretty good at planning things. Most of us have learnt how to research options, compare then finally make a decision and act on it.

And I’m not just talking holiday planning. We plan all aspects of our lives. Careers. Personal budgets. Family planning.

Partly you could say that this is why the current pandemic is so difficult - because it’s throwing all our planning out of whack.

But being so good at planning everything in our physical world, it follows that we should also be planning in our spiritual direction to.

And that’s what I want to think about this morning.

Our glorious future

You see, here’s the thing.

As Christians, we have this glorious future to look forward to.

This is central to what we believe as Christians. You see, as Christians, we believe that humanity is lost in it’s own sin. But God established a plan. A plan that centered on his own Son coming to earth, and claiming a victory by dying and rising again.

And that this plan will culminate in the return of Jesus at some point in the future when he will establish a new heaven and a new earth. And all the saints (that is - those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ), will rise and live for eternity in glory with our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we get there?

That is the destiny. That is where we are going.

And so the question I want to answer today: if we know that this glorious future awaits, how do we get there?

How do we plan for it? What’s the process?

Romans 8

Well, to answer the question, I’m going to explore Romans 8.

Now Romans 8 is one of those chapters which are just really powerful.

It’s really the climax to Paul’s message to the Romans.

Now if you want a good book of the Bible to help you understand the way of faith, then Romans is it.

The first two chapters of this book (or perhaps I should call it a letter), leaves no doubt about our sinfulness. Whether you’re the type of person who says stuff it, and live however you want, or whether you’re the type of person who think they’ve got it all together. Paul demonstrates how which ever way, you are lost in your sin.

In the third chapter he then says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, which is verse 23 a verse that many people have memorised - but it should be memorised with the next verse where Paul goes on to say: “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”.

You see, this is what is important. We were stuck in our sin, but Jesus frees us.

And so as the letter to the Romans continues, Paul outlines how through faith we obtain this justification. And then goes on to describe the theological process that is happening when that faith is present - something which we could spend a long time exploring, but I’ll leave that one for today.

But ultimately it brings him to chapter 8. He has described in quite some detail the process from going from stuck in sin to being free in Christ, but in this eighth chapter, he starts looking even further forward at the glory that is to come.

And that’s why I want to look at it today. Because I think it fits so perfectly where we are at.

You see, just two weeks ago we celebrated Easter. We reflected on this great and awesome event, when Jesus broke through the bonds of death, setting up the ultimate victory.

And we’ve spent some time reflecting on that, including last week with Steve.

But like Paul as he comes to the eighth chapter of Romans, we too start thinking about the final glory that will come.

The chapter itself is full of lots of rich ideas, and we could spend a long time dwelling on each. Today however, I will move relatively fast to get the bigger picture of what’s happening.

So let dive in.

No condemnation

Well, Paul starts the chapter with words which are truly liberating.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

Did you hear that.

Right now… that’s right, not at some point in the future when you somehow figure out how to get everything together, but right now, there is absolutely no condemnation… again, he hasn’t said, well, you’ll be good enough, but no condemnation.

I just want to dwell on this jut a moment before I consider it in relation to my question about our way forward.

You see, I want to explain why it’s so liberating.

One of the big tricks that the Devil plays is working on your guilt. You see, we all stumble. We all have those moments where we get angry, or have moments of lust, or think enviously of others or whatever it might be in your situation.

The Devil then takes your wrong doing and shoves it back in face. In doing so he tells you that you aren’t worthy. That you don’t deserve God’s love. That you’re just a failure.

But when you meditate on this first verse you can tell the Devil where to shove his lies. You can tell him that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It doesn’t mean that your wrong doing isn’t important. The way you live is important. But it means that none of your wrong doing is going to count against you. When God looks at you, he doesn’t see the sinner, he sees the person forgiven.

Well… isn’t that just the greatest start to a chapter.

Mind on the Spirit

And the beautiful life-giving words continue.

But as I started, this is actually leading somewhere. In fact, it’s leading us to glory.

And so I come back to my question of what we need to do.

Well, there is a word that keeps popping up in this chapter.

That word is ‘Spirit’. Interestingly, the word spirit has only been used by Paul 3 times in this particular letter prior to the start of this chapter. But in this chapter alone, it is used a total of 19 times.

And it is the Spirit which is key to this whole thing.

In verse 2 - it is the Spirit who sets us free.

In verse 4, the ability to live righteously is for those who live according to the Spirit.

In verse 5, it says, “those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”.

So here’s the thing, the transformation that happens in our lives, which will ultimately lead to glory, is something that happens, through the Spirit.

And to allow the Spirit to move in us, we keep our minds on the Spirit.

You know, there is a choice that we have. We can dwell on worldly things or we can dwell on Spiritual things. Where your mind dwells, that’s where your actions will follow.

You need the Spirit of Christ living in you.

If you look at verses 9 through to 11, you’ll see an extended reflection on what it means to have this Spirit in you. Paul talks about the life you have. That even though our bodies are subject to death, the Spirit makes us truly alive.

Now, if you do have a chance to look at it, don’t get too concerned wondering if you do or don’t have the Spirit in you. If you’ve asked him into your life… if you’ve accepted the Spirit… then he is in you. Exactly how that will manifest in your own life may vary from one person to the next. But there will be change. That doesn’t mean you won’t slip up. We are still subject to our earthly body, but the Spirit is there giving life when our bodies are pulling us towards death.

And so, as we move towards righteousness, which is a requirement before we enter glory, we need to recognise that it is not something that is even possible in our own strength, but something only possible with the work of the Holy Spirit in our life.

Children of God

In verse 14, Paul introduces a new analogy.

If you are being led by the Spirit of God, then you are a child of God.

And he goes on - that Spirit that you have received, well, this Spirit brings to you adoption.

And as adopted children, we can cry Abba, Father.

Abba

Now the thing you need to understand about the term Abba, it wa the Hebrew word used of a child to their father. It is a word that carries that idea of intimacy. That very close bond you have between a father and child.

It’s often suggested that it is similar to our word daddy. That’s true in the sense that when we say daddy, it also conveys that very close father child relationship.

And this would have been a huge change for the Jewish way of thinking. They certainly have precedence of calling God - Father. But usually it was accompanied with Father in Heaven. They understood God as the Father of all things, but to think of Him in close personal terms was not part of their way of thinking.

Co-heirs

But Paul then relates this concept of adoption to inheritance.

You see, if we are children of God, then we share in the inheritance, and it is by this means that we receive our share in glory.

If you want to know the path to glory, then it is found in being a child of God.

Changing perspective

But if this is the case, then this kinds of changes the perspective of the question I asked earlier.

You see, I asked about how we receive glory.

I started with an illustration of planning a holiday that I took with the kids and thinking about all of the research that I did in coming up with that plan.

But let’s change the perspective. Instead of thinking about this from Fiona and my perspective who spent a long time doing the research, let’s think about it from the perspective of my three children.

From their perspective, Mum and Dad said we’re going to take a holiday - and they said wow!

They didn’t jump on google. They didn’t pore over maps. They just got excited.

In the lead-up, we would tell them a little of what we would do. We didn’t give them an exact itinerary - it wouldn’t have meant much if I did.

Occasionally we asked them a preference or two, but basically they just enjoyed the ride.

So the question of what they need to do to get to their holiday was not really a question they asked. For them, it was just about being part of our family.

Now I think there is something interesting in this observation.

You see, we often see our Christian journey towards glory more like the holiday planning we do as parents. But instead, we should think of our Christian journey towards glory like a child whose parents are going to take them somewhere exciting.

Now if I carry that metaphor a little further, it doesn’t mean that the kids don’t have to do anything.

They have a responsibility to be members of our family. And there are expectations with that. As they get older, those expectations increase as well.

But ultimately, they went on our holiday because they were members of our family.

In the same way, you will get to glory by being a member of the family of God.

There are expectations of being a member of this family, but ultimately you will get to glory by just being a member of this family.

The path to glory

From verse 18, Paul’s contemplation of this glory that we are to receive is set against what we experience right now - the suffering. And while this suffering has been true since creation was subjected to frustration (to use Paul’s words), there’s a sense in which the world has keenly been aware of the suffering in recent times.

But what Paul wants you to realise is that this suffering is not because somehow we’ve got things wrong and the glory is not there - but rather this suffering is something we should expect as we are released from the bondage.

But this is where it is so important to adjust our understanding of our road to glory.

You see, Jesus has won the victory - we’ve talked about that at Easter. And that victory will be fully consummated at some point in the future when Christ returns. And so we live in an in-between time.

A time when earth is still subject to frustration. But a time when the Spirit is alive and active and has been given to every believer to transform them - making them truly a part of the family of God.

Now, Paul knows that this in-between time is not easy. We don’t always know what to do, or even what to ask for.

But I just love the words Paul gives us in verse 26. Words that I have fallen back on, on many an occasion.

He says: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

You see, even though we at times can feel lost on this journey. We have no idea what we should do or where we should be.

This is where we fall back on the Spirit.

It’s the same as being a child. As a child, you can easily get lost. You can easily be at a loose end. But you always fall back to your parents. Your parents are the guide.

In the same way, we just need to let the Spirit be our guide.

And in this way, we can know that no matter what happen, God is going to work for the good of those who love him.

God knows us. He is our father - not just in some distant overarching sense, but in an intimate sense. And just like a good biological father is not going to let their child just flounder, God will work all things for your good.

Conclusion

All of this is leading to a glorious eternity.

It the end point to God’s plan. It is a return to God’s perfect creation.

And nothing is going to stop us getting there.

In fact this is how this amazingly powerful chapter ends.

Words that tell us that no matter what happens, the love of Christ will always be there.

Whether trouble or hardship. Persecution or famine. Nakedness, danger or even the sword. Nothing will separate us.

If ever you’re feeling attacked or slandered, meditate on these words. Because it is here that we know that nothing is going to stop us from reaching glory with God.

Now this morning I have really flown through this chapter really quickly which in some ways is a shame because there is so many rich ideas in it.

But even still, it can be good going through it quickly because we can see the amazing thought that Paul is developing.

You see, the chapter begins with no condemnation. And it ends with no separation.

The chapter is telling us that when your with God, you really don’t need to worry about anything.

So to answer the question I posed at the start: what do we need to do to prepare for glory? The answer really is quite simple. With our minds set firmly on the Spirit, take your place in the family of God and enjoy being part of this most extraordinary family - because the destination truly is the most amazing thing we will ever experience.

Let me pray...