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Living the Free Life
Living the Peace-Filled Life
Living the Spirit-Filled Life
Living the Family Life
Today we are talking about
Living the Future Life!
ENGAGE
“Back to the Future” predicted a lot of things.
Some of those predictions came true!
Many did not.
I’m very disappointed that we do not have hoverboards that actually hover off the ground.
And Where in the world are the flying cars and sky highways that the move predicted?
I’m super bummed out that theses things have yet to come to fruition.
I mean, to be fair to Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale are not prophets by any means.
They were giving their best guess of what life would be like 30 years into the future from 1985!
I mean they did get some things right, talking to each other on the TV screen.
They nailed that one!
ENCOUNTER
But, unless one is a prophet of God, getting the future right is next to impossible.
We might get bits and pieces right, but never 100%.
But what if we could get it right?
What if we could know the future?
What would our attitudes be if we could know, beyond a shadow of a doubt what the future will be like?
I think above all else, we would have an attitude of confidence.
I I know what is going to happen, I can be confident.
And if you are lacking confidence in in this life and you are a christian, I’m so glad you are hear!
Because I’m going to give you a secret found in Romans 8:18-25 that will revolutionize your life and attitude.
Are you ready?
Main Idea - Have A Confident Life Now by Focusing on the Future!
I have three areas for you to focus on regarding the future.
1. Are You Suffering Today?
Focus Tomorrow’s Glory! (vs.
18-21)
I don’t need to tell you this, but suffering is a part of life for everyone because of sin.
Because of the enemy / devil in the world and because of the insidious enemy within each of us.
The truth is suffering is our past experience and our current reality.
Suffering is Real but Just You Wait! (vs.
18)
I want you to sense the hope in this verse...
Paul knew about suffering.
One who suffers much hopes much.
Paul had great suffering and Paul had great hopes.
This is important - Paul’s “hope” was rooted in a God who can’t lie and who promised He would make all things new!
Can you imagine what it will be like?
From Paul’s perspective, there is simply no comparison.
Here, the present sufferings may refer to more than persecution and encompass the full range of human experience: sickness, injury, natural disaster, financial loss, poverty, hunger, and death.
Think of the worst day of suffering you have endure.
Or better yet, imaging how bad your suffering could get in this life and then realize your absolute most horrific day here CAN’T even compare to what God has planned for you.
Paul says specifically here “the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Folks, our suffering as believers is temporary and because we are believers, the glory we receive is forever.
Eternal - non-suffering - glory!!
God will reveal something amazing to all those who believe!
But notice this, we are not the only ones who suffer...
Even Creation Suffers (vs.
19-20)
Creation?
This includes everything in the physical universe except human beings, whom he contrasts with this term - John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed.
(Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1708.
Paul gives human characteristics to all of creation when he describes what it is like for creation to be under the curse of sin - “eager longing” “not willingly” = having a will...
Yes, the creation is cursed as well.
Remember the curse found in Genesis 3?
And so too the creation longs for the “revealing of the sons of God” What does this mean?
John A. Witmer - The verb for “eagerly waits” (apekdechomai) is used seven times in the New Testament, each time to refer to Christ’s return (Rom.
8:19, 23, 25; 1 Cor.
1:7; Gal.
5:5; Phil.
3:20; Heb.
9:28).
The revealing of the sons of God will occur when Christ returns for His own.
They will share His glory (Rom.
8:18; Col. 1:27; 3:4; Heb.
2:10), and will be transformed (Rom.
8:23).
All of nature (inanimate and animate) is personified as waiting eagerly for that time.
- John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed.
J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 472.
Because Adam sinned, God subjected His creation to the curse!
Paul says that creation was subjected to futility - The Greek word mataiotēti (“futility, frailty, purposelessness”; describes the change and “decay” that prevails in all created things.
- John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed.
J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 472.
And until Christ returns and makes all things right, recreated the heavens and the earth, this earth will be cursed.
However!
Freedom is Coming and it is Glorious!
(vs.
21)
Freedom!
Freedom from what? Freedom from slavery to decay!
Sorry to break it to you folks but because of Satan and sin, you and I are on an irrevocable path of corruption and decay - our bodies are dying.
But we shall be SET FREE from this in the
Illustrate - Pastor Tim suffered through not having all the food he wants to enjoy a 76 pound weight loss!
Apply - How can you apply this into your life?
Meditate on the new heavens and the new earth.
This practice will help you endure the inevitable suffering you will face.
To help you with this, read “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn
From his website, Eternal Perspective Ministries - Fold a paper in half.
Then write on the top half the worst things that have happened to you and on the bottom half the best.
Invariably, if you’ve lived long enough, if enough time has passed since some of those “worst things” happened to you, then you’ll almost certainly find an overlap.
Experiences labeled as the worst things that ever happened, over time become some of the best.
That’s because God uses the painful, difficult experiences of life for our ultimate good.
How is this possible?
Because God is both loving and sovereign.
Our lists provide persuasive proof that while evil and suffering are not good, God can use them to accomplish immeasurable good.
This knowledge should give us great confidence that even when we don’t see any redemptive meaning in our suffering, God can see it—and one day we will too.
Therefore, we need not run from suffering or lose hope if God doesn’t remove it.
We can trust that God has a purpose for whatever He permits.
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