Grosey's Messages

Romans 5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (ESV)

But if everything is so good, why does life hurt so much?

⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope²¹ 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.²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.²³ 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.²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (ESV)

1. Suffering Is Inevitable

Suffering Is Inevitable in Creation.

Suffering Is Inevitable in Christians.

Suffering with Christ is to be Expected.

Philippians 1:29 says, ""To you it has been granted  (echaaristhe = graciously given) for Christ's sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."

2. Suffering Is Insignificant

COMPARED TO GOD'S GLORIOUS HOPE

1. Hope comes from Intimacy with the Father

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (NKJ)

2. Hope comes from Companionship with Christ

3. HOPE Comes From A Biblical Worldview and Understanding of History.

4. HOPE Comes from Our Confidence In The Future.

ALL OF CREATION ANXIOUSLY ANTICIPATES THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST. Rom 8:19-23

THE TRUE SONS OF GOD WILL BE REVEALED.  Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.(NKJ)

ALL OF CREATION WILL BE RESTORED.    Rom 8:19-22

THE PHYSICAL BODIES OF CHRISTIANS WILL BE REDEEMED. Rom 8:23

Questions For Family and Group Bible Study

1. Why do Christians suffer?

2. Which of these passages is most helpful to you at the moment? 2 Corinthians 4:16-18,  1 Thess 3:1-3.

3. How can we develop and strengthen our hope?

4. Which of these passages do you find most encouraging to your hope and why? Revelation 21:1-4,  1Corinthians 15:50-57,   John 14:1-3,  

18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that^h the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

26In 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. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whoⁱ have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

2 Corinthians 4 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Chuck Swindoll writes:

Going from bad to worse. 
Jumping from the frying pan into the fire. 
Between a rock and a hard place. 
He said, "Cheer up, things could get worse." So I cheered up—and sure enough, things got worse!
My mother told me there would be days like these, but she never said they would run in packs. 

Tough days. We all have them. Some are worse than others. Like the one the hard-hat employee reported when he tried to be helpful. Maybe you heard about it too; the account actually appeared on a company accident form. Bruised and bandaged, the workman related this experience: 

When I got to the building I found that the hurricane had knocked off some bricks around the top. So I rigged up a beam with a pulley at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple barrels full of bricks. When I had fixed the damaged area, there were a lot of bricks left over. Then I went to the bottom and began releasing the line. Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was much heavier than I was—and before I knew what was happening the barrel started coming down, jerking me up. 

I decided to hang on since I was too far off the ground by then to jump, and halfway up I met the barrel of bricks coming down fast. I received a hard blow on my shoulder. I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers pinched and jammed in the pulley. When the barrel hit the ground hard, it burst its bottom, allowing the bricks to spill out. 

I was now heavier than the barrel. So I started down again at high speed. Halfway down I met the barrel coming up fast and received severe injuries to my shins. When I hit the ground, I landed on the pile of spilled bricks, getting several painful cuts and deep bruises. At this point I must have lost my presence of mind, because I let go of my grip on the line. The barrel came down fast—giving me another blow on my head and putting me in the hospital. 

I respectfully request sick leave. 

Our grandkids pointed something out to Lorelle last Sunday. Our grand daughter was most concerned!  "Why does Pop like to watch the news so much?" "He likes to know what is happening in the world."

"But its only sad stuff! He really shouldn't watch it so much!"

Romans 5 tells us that we as believers are taken out of the realm of sin and death to be in Christ.

We are no longer in Adam as far as salvation is concerned.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Chapter 6-8 deals with our sanctification. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

So if we are in Christ Jesus, how come we still suffer?

When we read this passage in Romans 8, we realize it just came off the back of one of the most glorious passages in Holy Scripture: You are a child of God! You have an eternal inheritance!  You are led by the Spirit of God.  You can overcome sins and addictions by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you.  You have changed realms, you were once in Adam with death and condemnation, you are now in Christ Jesus with life and peace!

But if everything is so good, why does life hurt so much?

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, once confronted a pastor during a Sunday school class with a photo of starving kids in a July 1968 issue of Life magazine. He said he couldn't believe in a God who knew all about this.

CHS   "Creation glows with a thousand beauties even in its present fallen condition! Yet clearly enough it is not as when it came from the Maker's hand–the slime of the serpent is on it all–this is not the world which God pronounced to be "very good." We hear of tornadoes, of earthquakes, of tempests, of volcanoes, of avalanches and of the sea which devours its thousands. There is sorrow on the sea, and there is misery on the land. And into the highest palaces as well as the poorest cottages, Death, the insatiable, is shooting his arrows, while his quiver is still full to bursting with future woes. It is a sad, sad world. The curse has fallen on it since the Fall and it brings forth thorns and thistles, not from its soil alone, but from all that comes of it. At this present time the groaning and travailing which are general throughout creation are deeply felt among the sons of men. The dreariest thing you can read is the newspaper. There is a groan from creation, and this is shared in by God's people.

No one is a stranger to suffering. Whether it's the death of a loved one, a painful diagnosis, a conflict at work, a broken relationship, or anything similar, trials are not exclusive to any one person. Throughout Scripture, we see numerous accounts of suffering. As we live life and as we read our Bibles, it becomes unarguably apparent that suffering is a part of human existence.

Tom and Jeannie Eliff (Pastor of 1st Southern Bapt. Ch. Del City, Oklahoma)  had their home burn to the ground in February while they were out of the country.  It was a total, 100% loss.  They had just moved into a rental house, while trying to rebuild their home.  Then came the bombing of the preschool and office building on Oklahmoma city. I rang my friend as he had arrived at the scene a few minutes after it happened, helping folks sort through the debris looking for survivors. 40 people died that day including members of his church and their little preschool kids. They were in the process of purchasing everything they had lost in the fire.  The tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma City destroyed their rental house, less than three months after they had lost everything in a fire.

Once we accept this reality, one of the most critical questions we find ourselves asking is "Why?" Why do people suffer? All worldviews and religions offer their attempts at answers: "Pain is just an illusion." "There is no God; pain is meaningless." "Pain is out of God's control." "Pain is payback for past deeds in your present or previous life." All those answers have something in common: they offer no hope. But God Himself offers us a better answer.

This passage tells us some things about suffering. It doesn't tell us everything. But it does give us more perspective, as we will see in the next few sermons.

It tells us how to Find Hope In Every Hurt.

Suffering Is Inevitable

Suffering Is Inevitable in Creation.  Hoekema writes "The suffering of this present time is the suffering that characterizes the entire dispensation of this world. This present time is necessarily characterized by suffering. The reason is that this present time is the time of death. We live in death, paradoxical as this may sound. We are in the death-house. That we are in the death-house is due to God's curse, and the curse is due to sin. Sin, God's curse, death, and therefore suffering characterize this present time. This is why, in a general sense, all men suffer. This is why we have sighs, groans, and tears. Suffering is essentially connected with this present time.

Suffering Is Inevitable in Christians.

Our suffering, then, is a suffering with Christ because Christ is in us and becomes manifest in us. Christ is in us, and they hate Christ. As soon as the world sees that Christ appears in someone, they hate that someone, just as they hated Christ. They have hated Me, Christ said, and they will hate you also [John 15:18]. The manifestation of Christ that they see in us is in the form of confession. The confession is that we always speak as Christ. That manifestation of Christ in our walk is that we always walk as Christ.

We saw it this week with the condemnations given to the Manly 7. (Yes I watched the News).

Every person in this room… In this world is going to have to deal with suffering in their life.

The question is not… "Will I ever have to suffer?"  (You will!)

The question is…  "Will I face suffering with Christ or without Christ?"

The question is…. "Will I face suffering with hope or without hope?"

… No person is going to get through this life without some substantial suffering.  I mean think about it… Even if you live every day of your life absolutely pain free… There is only one possible way to exit this life and that is DEATH.  (Unless of course, we are the generation Christ has chosen to rapture out of this world. You just are not going to get through this life without some suffering. J. I. Packer says, "Suffering is getting what you do not want, and not getting what you do want."

Listen to just a few verses that reveal the link between suffering with Christ and future glory with Christ….

Matt 5:11"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.12"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (NKJ)

2 Cor 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,(NKJ)

Phil 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,(NKJ)

1 Pet 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;13but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.(NKJ)

1 Pet 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (NKJ)

Suffering with Christ is to be Expected.

SUFFERING IS THE NORMAL, NATURAL, EXPECTED EXPERIENCE OF THE BELIEVER.

Psalm 34:19 says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous;  but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

In Acts 14:22 Paul tells all his young churches, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

Jesus said to His disciples, "If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you." (Jn.15:20

Peter said, "Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you." (1Pet.4:12)

2 Timothy 3:12  "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."

John Piper says in his tremendous book Future Grace…

It is a biblical truth that the more earnest we become about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and the more devoted we become to reaching the unreached peoples of the world, and exposing the works of darkness, and loosing the bonds of sin and Satan, the more we will suffer.   (p.342)

Did you know in fact, suffering for and with Christ is called a gracious gift  in the Bible?…

Philippians 1:29 says, ""To you it has been granted  (echaaristhe = graciously given) for Christ's sake not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."(Piper, p.341)

Every person who suffers with Christ, is a trophy of divine grace.

I heard David Jeremiah tell the story of Richard Wumbrandt,  a pastor who spent 14 years in prison in communist Romania.  When he was preparing young teens for confirmation in the church… He would take them to the zoo.  He would take them to the lions cage, and he told them, "Your forefathers in the faith were thrown to the lions for being Christians.  You too will have to suffer if you choose to be identified with Christ.  Think about this decision.  Before you choose Christ, count the cost, and be willing to die if necessary for Him."

1Thes 3:1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone,2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith,3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

Luke 9:23Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

For almost three hundred years Christianity grew in the soil that was wet with the blood of the martyrs.  Until the Emperor Trajan (about A.D. 98)  persecution was permitted but not legal.  From Trajan to Decius (about A.D. 250) persecution was legal, but mainly local.  From Decius, who hated the Christians andfeard their impact on his reforms, until the first edict of toleration in 311, the persecution was not only legal but widespread and general.  One writer described the situation in this third period…

Horror spread everywhere through the congregations, and the number of lapsi (the ones who renounced their faith when threatened)… was enormous.  There was no lack, however, of such as remained firm, and suffered martyrdom rather than yielding, and, as the persecution grew wider and more intense, the enthusiasm of the Christians and their power of resistance grew stronger and stronger.

(Piper, p.343)

John Piper says… Martyrdom is not something accidental.  It is not taking God off guard.  IT is not unexpected.  And it is emphatically not a strategic defeat for the cause of Christ.  It may look like defeat.  But it is part of a plan in heaven that no human strategist would ever conceive or could ever design. And it will triumph for all those who endure to the end by faith in future grace.  ( Future Grace, p.343)

Suffering Is Insignificant

Hoekema "If we suffer with him and are glorified with him, then, says the apostle, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." There is a comparison. On the one hand is all the suffering of this present time with Christ in the center. On the other hand is the glory that shall be revealed in us. The glory is ours. We possess it, but it must be revealed. We cannot now see the glory. It is hid behind our sin and suffering by this present life. But it shall be revealed. It shall be revealed in us. The glory of the children of God is not merely that they will go to a glorious heaven with glorious streets and gates. This, too. To a glorious people belongs a glorious heaven. But this glory shall be revealed in us. God reveals his glory in his people. They shall be glorious. And this glory is about to be revealed. This is really the expression in the original. The apostle places that suffering and glory over against each other.

SUFFERING IS INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO GOD'S GLORIOUS HOPE NOW

"If we suffer with him and are glorified with him, then, says the apostle, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.

HOPE COMES FROM OUR SECURITY AND INTIMACY WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (NKJ)

One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit in the lives of genuine believers is to continually convince them of their "sonship" or "daughtership"… Of their secure relationship with the Heavenly Father.  AND… Then He also compels the spiritual sons and daughters of God into close, intimate relationship with the Father.

It makes all the difference in the world when you go through suffering, to know that you have an intimate and secure relationship with God the Father. Your Heavenly Father loves you and He has compassion and sympathy for you when you are really hurting….  He feels your pain.

KNOWING THE FATHER ALLIVIATES FEAR.  Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." (NKJ)

When you are walking in intimacy with God, and you are secure in your relationship with Him… That takes the edge of fear off of every crisis you face. When you are with the Father, you don't have to be afraid.

He who disrupted the million man army of the Ethiopians in the days of King Jehoshaphat, and the three armies of three kings in Jehoshaphat.

2 Chronicles 20 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle.2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar" (that is, Engedi).3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. 15 Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

They fought against each other and not one soldier left!

HOPE COMES FROM OUR COMPANIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.

Rom 8:16-17children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Just maybe the most important word in that whole verse is the little preposition "WITH."   What a difference it makes when you are suffering "WITH" Christ.

CHRIST GIVES MEANING AND PURPOSE TO OUR SUFFERING.

When you suffer "with Christ" you know that your suffering has meaning and purpose, and that it is not just happening out of fate, bad-luck, or coincidence. When you suffer with Christ, you know that He is in total control of everything that comes into your life, and nothing happens to you that He does not intend to use for His own glory and your good.

Rom 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJ)

CHRIST GIVES US STRENGTH AND COMFORT IN SUFFERING.

When you are a true believer, you are never alone in your suffering.  Christ is always present with us and His constant companionship gives us strength and comfort.  Isa 43:2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

HOPE COMES FROM OUR BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW AND COMPREHENSION OF HISTORY.

One of the reasons Christians never find themselves in total despair and without hope, is because…

We know that God is in control of history…We know where suffering and pain originated

We know how evil was introduced into the universe. We know what God is doing to eradicate all evil, pain and injustice. We understand that a day is coming when all suffering, pain and death will be eliminated from the universe. God has intervened in history to redeem both man and all of His creation from the horrid curse and consequences of sin. God is moving history toward a climatic conclusion, in which He will restore all of creation to its original created order (free of pain, suffering, violence and death.)

The entire creation is "GROANING" in anticipation of the day when God will redeem it from the curse of man's sin. Rom 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

ALL SUFFERING IS TEMPORARY AND THEREFORE IT CAN NOT BEGIN BE COMPARED TO THE ETERNAL GLORY CHRISTIANS WILL SOON EXPERIENCE.SUFFERING IS INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO GOD'S GLORIOUS HOPE HEREAFTER

But when Believers suffer… They always do so with the blessed hope that there is a better day coming.

We understand that the painful circumstances we may be facing now are only temporary…  And some day we will go to heaven to be with the Lord where we will live forever and ever in a state of glory that is free from all suffering, pain and death.

Rev 21:3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

2 Cor 4:16Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,18while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (NKJ)

2 Tim 4:6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (NKJ)

HOPE COMES FROM OUR CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE.

ALL OF CREATION ANXIOUSLY ANTICIPATES THE RETURN  OF JESUS CHRIST. Rom 8:19-23

THE TRUE SONS OF GOD WILL BE REVEALED.  Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.(NKJ)

You at this point and time in history, we really do not know who the true Sons of God are…  The sons of God and the children of the devil often look very much alike.

The truth is, there are some people who look and act very much like we would expect a Christian to look and act, but they have never truly been born again.  And we will not know who these people are until Christ comes back to earth for his own.

Matt 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

ALL OF CREATION WILL BE RESTORED.    Rom 8:19-22

Rev 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."  (NKJ)

This is such a fantastic future… Paul says in Romans that all of creation "groans and labors with birth pangs together…"  in anticipation of this glorious day.Paul uses the "pain of birth pangs" to describe this groaning of creation.   This is beautiful word imagery.  There are lots of different kinds of pain and suffering in the world.  Most of the suffering and pain in the world leads ultimately to death.  But the pain and suffering of "labor pains" leads to life.   Everything in heaven and earth is "groaning" in anticipation of this redemptive liberation…

Creation groans for its full redemption….Rom 8:23

The Comforter (the Holy Spirit) groans for creation's full redemption…Rom 8:26

THE PHYSICAL BODIES OF CHRISTIANS WILL BE REDEEMED.  Rom 8:23

When we return to earth with Christ, we will be given our glorified, resurrected bodies.

Our soul and spirit' have already been redeemed from sin, but our bodies are still under the consequential curse of sin.  We are not yet enjoying our glorified bodies.

That is why our bodies are still subject to disease, pain, deterioration and death.

But God's redemptive plan redeems the entire man (soul, spirit and body).  And when Christ returns to earth, He will resurrect our bodies from the grave, and we will spend eternity with Him in glorified bodies…

1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.53   For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." (NKJ)

Listen to how the Lord Jesus described heaven, and our wonderful future with Him…

John 14:1-3  1"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.2"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

HEY….  Funerals are not final.  The grave does not have the final word

When we shed these mortal bodies… WE do so with great anticipation of the day we will be given a glorified, immortal body.

When we talk about our "HOPE" of heaven, we are not talking about a hope that is like "the roll of a dice."  We are talking about an anticipation and hope that is based on bedrock confidence in the absolute and sure promises of the Word of God.

The question is….Do you have this confident, joy-sustaining, life-giving HOPE in your life?

Do you know for sure you have been born again, and is there evidence of that in your life through observable, measurable spiritual fruit?

Would you like to embrace a life that gives you hope in every possible crisis or episode of suffering you will every face?

Then you need today embrace the Living, Resurrected, Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior today.

You see, the bottom line is this… Jesus Himself (the Living Jesus Christ) is our hope.

1 Timothy 1:1 Paul refers to Jesus as "Our God, our Saviour… our Hope."

HE is your only source for real hope today.

"The Way of The Cross Leads To God" 

He carried the cross to Calvary,  Carried its burden for you and me,

There on the cross He was crucified  And, because He suffered and bled and died.

We know that whatever "Our Cross" may be, It leads to God and Eternity…

For who can hope for a "crown of stars" Unless it is earned with suffering and scars,

For how could we face the living Lord And rightfully claim His promised reward

If we have not carried our cross of care And tasted the cup of bitter despair…

Let those who yearn for the pleasures of life,  And long to escape all suffering and strife,

Rush recklessly on to an "empty goal"  With never a thought of the spirit and soul…

But if you are searching to find the way     To life everlasting and eternal day-

With Faith in your heart take the path He trod,  For the Way of The Cross is the Way To God.

Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Maturity 

"In our day, the greatest lack in the life of the individual Christian and of the church is the fire of God, the manifested presence and mighty working of the Holy Spirit. There is little about us that cannot be explained on the level of the natural. Our lives are not fire-touched. There is no holy conflagration in our churches to which people are irresistibly drawn as a moth to a flame. It is the absence of the fire of God which accounts for the insignificant impact the church is making on a lost world. It never had better organization, a more scholarly ministry, greater resources of men and means, more skillful techniques. And yet never did it make a smaller contribution to solving the problems of a distraught world. Our prayer should be, 'Lord, send the fire.'"

Greg Norman, a famous Australian golfer, was designing a golf course over near Oakhurst, when he was asked, "What is in your mind when you look at this rough terrain and begin planning to create a golf course of it?" Norman said, "I look at the rough terrain and think, I'll remove everything that isn't golf course." That is what the Holy Spirit does in us; He comes to remove everything that isn't Jesus from our lives. He comes to help us put to death the deeds of the body. Mortification of sin is the spiritual equivalent of uprooting and killing all of the weeds that threaten to overwhelm us and kill the flowers in our gardens. Without mortification, sin would overrun our lives and choke us to death.

Owen, the great Puritan writer, said: "Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in his way takes no steps towards his journey's end…. Be killing sin or it will be killing you." Owen was stating in his own way what the apostle Paul tells us here: "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

Paul makes at least three points in this statement. First, in saying, "ye shall live," he is telling us that the fullness of spiritual life, an ever-deepening fellowship with God, and the glorious liberty of the children of God are all impossible apart from mortification or putting sin to death in our bodies. As Owen wrote, "The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depend on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh."

Second, Paul is telling us that our usefulness to God and His church depends on our putting sin to death in our lives. He says, "But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." In 2 Timothy 2:21, Paul says, "If a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." If we purge ourselves from all that is dishonorable, sinful, and base, we shall be useful to the Master.

Robert Murray M'Cheyne wrote: "Do not forget the culture of the inner man, I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp. Every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember, you are God's sword, His instrument. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument will be the success. It is not great talent God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus." The Holy Spirit comes to us to help us remove everything that isn't Jesus. Fullness of spiritual life and ever-deepening fellowship with God are impossible apart from mortification.

Third, Paul is reminding us that if we fail to mortify sin, we will cast a dark shadow over our profession to be children of God. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. If we are not led by the Spirit of God to put sin to death in our bodies, then our bodies will become the very instruments that sin uses to disseminate its heinousness, egregiousness, and wickedness.

ROMANS 8  ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD?

J I Packer wrote a book about Holiness. "One of the titles I proposed for this book was With Christ in the School of Holiness. That was a deliberate echo, almost a steal, of With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray, a much appreciated South African devotional author of two generations ago. I adapted Murray's title in this manner in order to highlight three truths that to me seem basic to all I propose to say.  Holiness, like prayer (which is indeed part of it), is something that, though Christians have an instinct for it through their new birth, as we shall see, they have to learn in and through experience. As Jesus "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Heb. 5:8)—learned what obedience requires, costs and involves through the experience of actually doing His Father's will up to and in His passion—so Christians must, and do, learn prayer from their struggles to pray and holiness from their battles for purity of heart and righteousness of life. The process of learning to be holy, like the process of learning to pray, may properly be thought of as a school—God's own school, in which the curriculum, the teaching staff, the rules, the discipline, the occasional prizes and the fellow pupils with whom one studies, plays, debates and fraternizes, are all there under God's sovereign providence.]

Charles Wesley wrote: O for a heart to praise my God, A heart from sin set free;

A heart that always feels thy blood So freely shed for me;

A heart resigned, submissive, meek, My great redeemer's throne,

Where only Christ is heard to speak, Where Jesus reigns alone;

A heart in every thought renewed And full of love divine,

Perfect and right and pure and good: A copy, Lord, of thine.

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,¹⁷ 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.

Robert Haldane puts it like this:     Here and in the following verses the apostle exhibits four proofs of our being the sons of God. The first is our being led by the Spirit of God; the second is the Spirit of adoption which we receive, crying, "Abba, Father," verse 15; the third is the witness of the Spirit with our spirits, verse 16; the fourth is our sufferings in the communion of Jesus Christ; to which is joined the fruit of our sonship, the Apostle saying that if children, we are heirs of God, and then joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

4 PROOFS OF YOUR SPIRITUAL BIRTH

1.Are You on An Upward Path ?

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

What does the Holy Spirit do internally in Christians to lead them?

He renews our minds. The first area in which the Holy Spirit works is the intellect, and he does this by what Paul will later call "the renewing of your mind." This comes out very clearly in Romans 12. There, having laid down the great doctrines of the epistle, the apostle begins to apply them to the believer's conduct, saying, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Rom. 12:1-2).

The person who discovers, tests, and approves what God's pleasing and perfect will is obviously is being led by God. But the key to this, according to Romans, is the mind's renewal.

How, then, are our minds to be renewed? There is only one way. It is by our reading and being taught by the Spirit from the Bible. That is what God has given the Bible to us for—to inform us, enlighten our minds, and redirect our thinking. I hold the Bible and the Holy Spirit together in this, however, as the Reformers were particularly astute in doing. For alone, either is inadequate. A person who considers himself to be led by the Spirit apart from the Bible will soon fall into error and excess. He will begin to promote nonbiblical and therefore false teachings. But a person who reads the Bible apart from the illumination provided by the Holy Spirit, which is true in the case of all unbelievers, will find it to be a closed and meaningless book. The Christian is led by the operation of the Holy Spirit and the Bible together.

Here is a test for you. Has the Holy Spirit been leading you by enlightening your mind through Bible study? Have you discovered things about God, yourself, the gospel, and the ways of God that you did not know before? Do you realize that they are true? Are you beginning to live differently? Unless you are crazy, you will begin to live differently. Because a person who realizes that one way is true and another is false and yet takes the false path must be out of his or her mind, irrational. If your mind has been renewed, you will show it.

2. Are You Experiencing An Assured Relationship With God?

¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

The Greek word for adoption is derived from the word huios, meaning "son," and the word thesis, meaning "placement." It is a legal term that in this context indicates that believers have been given the full privileges of sonship in God's family. Concurrent with this placement into sonship, God places the Spirit of His Son into our hearts so that we become, in effect, His natural-born children. As such, we are not just "adopted" (in the sense the word now conveys) but genuinely "begotten" by God. God makes children of men into children of God, just the reverse of what happened to Christ when the Son of God became the Son of Man.

8:15 Believers are sons of God because they received the Spirit of adoption. In ancient Rome, an adopted son would possess all the rights of a son born into the family. Christians have been adopted into God's family, receiving an eternal inheritance. Abba: Jesus Himself prayed to God using this Aramaic word for Father (Mark 14:36). Adoption is the procedure by which a person is taken from one family (or no family) and placed in another. In this context, it refers to removing a person from the family of Adam (or Satan) and placing him or her in the family of God.

"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out 'Abba, Father'" (Gal. 4:6).

Paul has been talking about the Christian's former state—in which, being in Adam, we were enslaved to sin—and he has argued that we have been delivered from that former bondage by the Holy Spirit. Now he adds that this new state, which conveys freedom from bondage, also contains the privileges of sonship.

The word adoption is not common in the New Testament, being used only by Paul and that only five times (three times in Romans), and it does not occur in the Old Testament at all, since the Jews did not practice adoption. They had other procedures, polygamy and Levirate marriage, for dealing with the problems of widows and orphans and inheritance.

It is important to recognize that our authority to call God "Father" goes back to Jesus Christ. It goes back to no less important a statement than the opening phrases of the Lord's Prayer, which begins, "Our Father in heaven..." (Matt. 6:9). Today we take the right to call God "our Father" for granted, but we need to understand how new and startlingly original this must have been for Christ's contemporaries. No Old Testament Jew ever addressed God directly as "my Father."  (1) the title was new with Jesus; (2) Jesus always used this form of address in praying; and (3) Jesus authorized his disciples to use the same word after him. The early church fathers, Chrysostom, Theodor of Mopsuestia, and Theodore of Cyrrhus, who came from Antioch, where Aramaic was spoken, and who probably had Aramaic-speaking nurses, unanimously testified that abba was the address of small children to their fathers. The Talmud confirms this when it says that when a child is weaned "it learns to say abba and imma" (that is, "daddy" and "mommy").  Packer wrote "What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father.

He stirs the heart. Figuratively, the heart is the seat of the emotions, and the Holy Spirit works upon it by stirring or quickening the heart to love God. In the verse that follows our text Paul speaks of an inner response to God by which we affectionately cry out, "Abba, Father." This verse does not actually mention the heart, but in a parallel text in Galatians Paul does, showing that he is thinking of the operation of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts explicitly. He writes, "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father'" (Gal. 4:6). In other words, the Spirit of God leads us by making us affectionate toward God and his ways. It is the Spirit who causes us, as Jesus said, to "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6).

"Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater." -Dr J I Packer. "Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be adoption through propitiation, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that." - Dr J I Packer. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! . . . When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3:1-2). Packer continues "If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. "Father" is the Christian name for God. (Evangelical Magazine 7, pp. 19-20)

"Behold! what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. And such we are!" (1 John 3:1) (pp. 276-77)

1John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2 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.3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

   CH Spurgeon:  Am I a child of God? Then listen: I have a love to my Father. If you are truly born from above, your heart goes out in longings after him to whom you owe your heavenly birth. If you are no child of God, you can live without him; indeed, you will try to do so. To the most of men God is virtually non-existent. They look up to the skies, and view the wondrous lights of heaven, but they never think of him who shines through them. They do not believe that there is such a Being; or else they own that there must be a design and a designer, and there is an end of the matter with them. Whether there is a God or not is no matter of importance to them. How different is it with the regenerate! To us God is all in all. To love God is the great fact of my life. The tears run down my cheeks when I think of him. He is everything to me.     It cannot long be a question with the child of God whether he loves his Father or not. It may occasionally happen that he has to make the enquiry, for times and circumstances will test him; but before long he comes to the solemn conclusion, "Thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee."     More than that — if I am a child of God, I learn to trust my Father. I do not know a more delightful act of childhood than trustfulness in a parent. And how often if we trust God we shall be rewarded!

3. Are You Experiencing  An Inner  Peace  Witness?

¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

We come finally to the third verse in this four-verse section, a verse that gives another reason for knowing we are in God's family.

There is such a thing as a direct witness of the Holy Spirit to believers that they are sons or daughters of God, even apart from the other "proofs" I have mentioned. In other words, it is possible to have a genuine experience of the Holy Spirit in one's heart.

Experience of the Spirit? I know the objections. I know that no spiritual experience is ever necessarily valid in itself. Any such experience can be counterfeited, and the devil's counterfeits can be very good indeed. But the fact that a spiritual experience can be counterfeited does not invalidate all of them.

I also know that those who seek experiences of the Holy Spirit frequently run to excess and fall into unbiblical ideas and practices. Every such experience must be tested by Scripture. But in spite of these objections, which are important, I still say that there can be a direct experience of the Spirit that is valid testimony to the fact that one is truly God's child.

Haven't you ever had such an experience? An overwhelming sense of God's presence? Or haven't you at some point, perhaps at many points in your life, been aware that God has come upon you in a special way and that there is no doubt whatever that what you are experiencing is from God? You may have been moved to tears. You may have deeply felt some other sign of God's presence, by which you were certainly moved to a greater and more wonderful love for him.

When Charles Wesley found Christ on Whitsunday 1738, his experience overflowed into some marvelous verses ("The Wesleys' Conversion Hymn," Methodist Hymn Book, #361) in which the transition from slavery to sonship is the main theme.

Where shall my wondering soul begin?   How shall I all to heaven aspire?

A slave redeemed from death and sin,    A brand plucked from eternal fire,

How shall I equal triumphs raise,     Or sing my great Deliverer's praise?

O how shall I the goodness tell,     Father, which thou to me hast showed?

That I, a child of wrath and hell,    I should be called a child of God,

Should know, should feel my sins forgiven,    Blest with this antepast of heaven!

Three days later, Charles tells us in his diary, brother John burst in with "a troop of our friends" to announce that he too was now a believer, and "we sang the hymn with great joy." Had you been there, could you sincerely have joined in? Can you make Wesley's words your own? If you are truly a child of God and "the Spirit of his Son" is in you, Wesley's words have already drawn an echo from your heart; and if they have left you cold, I do not know how you can imagine that you are a Christian at all.

Blessed assurance Jesus is mine oh what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation purchase of God born of His Spirit washed in His blood.

This is my story this is my song Praising  my Savour all the day long!

1 John 4:13, 'Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us his Spirit.' That holy and charitable spirit; the gracious operations of his presence, are the argument whence we conclude.

He helps us to discern this work in our souls more clearly.

Rom. 15:13, 'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing;' it is an impression of the comforting Spirit.  Acts 9:31, 'They walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.'

4. Are You Experiencing A Sense Of An Eternal Inheritance

¹⁷ 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.

our adoption shows us the greatness of God's love.

The New Testament gives us two yardsticks for measuring God's love. The first is the cross (see Rom 5:8; 1 Jn 4:8-10); the second is the gift of sonship. "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!" (1 Jn 3:1 RV). Of all the gifts of grace, adoption is the highest. The gift of pardon for the past is great: to know that

Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned he stood, Sealed my pardon with his blood

is a never-ending source of wonder and joy.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,  Who like me his praise should sing?

Wesley wrote: No condemnation now I dread,Jesus, and all in him, is mine; Alive in him, my living head,

And clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach the eternal throne And claim the crown, through Christ my own—

When you realize that God has taken you from the gutter, so to speak, and made you a son in his own house—you, a miraculously pardoned offender, guilty, ungrateful, defiant, perverse as you were—then your sense of God's "love beyond degree" is more than words can express. You will echo Charles Wesley's question:

Second, our adoption shows us the glory of the Christian hope.

New Testament Christianity is a religion of hope, a faith that looks forward. For the Christian, the best is always yet to be. But how can we form any notion of that which awaits us at the end of the road? Here too the doctrine of adoption comes to our help. To start with, it teaches us to think of our hope not as a possibility nor yet as a likelihood, but as a guaranteed certainty, because it is a promised inheritance. The reason for adopting, in the first-century world, was specifically to have an heir to whom one could bequeath one's goods. So, too, God's adoption of us makes us his heirs, and so guarantees to us, as our right (we might say), the inheritance that he has in store for us. "We are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ" (Rom 8:16-17). "So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir" (Gal 4:7). Our Father's wealth is immeasurable, and we are to inherit the entire estate.

Next, the doctrine of adoption tells us that the sum and substance of our promised inheritance is a share in the glory of Christ. We shall be made like our elder brother at every point, and sin and mortality, the double corruption of God's good work in the moral and spiritual spheres respectively, will be things of the past. "Co-heirs with Christ . . . that we may also share in his glory" (Rom 8:17). "Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him" (1 Jn 3:2).

Finally, the doctrine of adoption tells us that the experience of heaven will be of a family gathering, as the great host of the redeemed meet together in face-to-face fellowship with their Father-God and Jesus their brother. This is the deepest and clearest idea of heaven that the Bible gives us. Many Scriptures point to it. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory" (Jn 17:24). "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Mt 5:8). "We shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3:2). "They will see his face" (Rev 22:4). "Then we shall see face to face" (1 Cor 13:12). "And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thess 4:17).

My knowledge of that life is small;  The eye of faith is dim:

But it's enough that Christ knows all; And I shall be with him.

If you are a believer, and so an adopted child, this prospect satisfies you completely; if it does not strike you as satisfying, it would seem that as yet you are neither.

So the conclusion?

Are you truly a child of God?

Are you on the upward path , putting to death the deeds of the body.

Are you calling upon God as Father? Do you know that there is now a special relationship of love between you and the Father? Do you know that you love Him because He first loved you?

Do you experience joy wrought by the Spirit of God in you?

Do you look forward to one day being with the Lord?

I remember on beach mission once I asked a group of boys "Do you want to go to heaven?" three of the five said yes. The other two said no. So I asked. Why don't you want to go to heaven? "Oh we do, but just not right now!"

Are you a child of God? Are you looking forward to heaven?