#1635 Romans 8 Part 3 Longing For Glory

 

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing 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 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we eagerly wait for it.  Romans 8: 18-25 LSB

Romans 8: 18-25 Glory and Anxious Longing

Well, I look over at you as a crowd tonight, and I really, honestly, by looking at you, can't tell which of you are the sons of God. Some of you I know are because I know you, but just looking at you, I can't tell and neither can anybody else. In fact, it's so difficult to tell, that we can't sort the wheat from the tares can we, and Jesus said don't try to do that.

You see, the glorious manifestation of the sons of God has not yet occurred. And the reason we can't tell is because you haven't received your glorified what? Body. And you have a body that looks, basically, like everybody else's. There's no real way to tell at this point because the glorious manifestation of the children of God has not happened. We are still subject to futility. We are, in fact, suffering in this present time and have not yet entered, according to Verse 18, "into the glory that is to be revealed in us." So it...it is not yet manifest what we are. I think about that so often, you know. We just go bouncing through life like everybody else, going down the freeway, driving to work, going to the store and shopping and purchasing things. We wander around wherever we are, at school or work or in the neighborhood, and they have no clue who we are.

They don't know that, in the truest and spiritual sense, we are extraterrestrials. We are citizens of heaven, aren't we? We do not belong in this world, but it is not yet manifest what we shall be. That's what he's saying. It is not yet manifest what we shall be. But when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Right? 1 John 3. And the world doesn't know. The time comes in God’s redemptive plan when He reveals who we are, and we are transformed by the rapture and the resurrection, and then we come back to this world with Christ, according to Revelation, in full blazing glory, and we reign with Him on the earth for 1,000 years, right?

That's what Scripture promises: That we're taken to glory and we return with Christ, pictured in Revelation 19 so magnificently there. We come back. Colossians 3 says the same thing, "We're going to reign with Him in glory." We come back in full blazing glory, coming out of heaven in blazing, glorious white. We come back to earth, and here we are fully manifest. So it is our return with Christ in full glory that is the time in which He establishes His millennial kingdom, and so the connection is made here very clearly.

The whole creation is waiting eagerly for the unveiling of the sons of God because that's the time when the curse will be removed. Inanimate and animate creatures are seen as if they were standing on their tiptoes, straining to catch a glimpse of the unveiling of the sons of God in their full glory because they know what that means. That means that the curse is removed, and the earth is restored to Edenic wonder and that all that we have hoped for and longed for has come to pass.

“Those who are wise,” speaking of believers in Daniel 12:3, just to get a little idea of what you're going to be like. “Those who are wise,” wise in terms of salvation, “will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven.” Wow. So when we come back, it's not going to be us as usual. We're going to shine brightly like the expanse of heaven. We're going to radiate the glory of God, and it is at that time when the saints come back to radiate that glory that the whole creation is wonderfully transformed, and there will be a renovated earth during the millennial kingdom and then there will be, at the end of the millennial kingdom, that renovated earth, just so you know, will be uncreated, and God will create the final state, which is a new heaven and a new earth, in which there will be no sin.

In the millennial, restored earth, there still will be unbelievers, as we know during the millennial kingdom and even a time for Satan to lead them in a great rebellion, as the book of Revelation points out. But nonetheless, that millennial kingdom will feature a restored earth. And the prophets are very clear about many of the features: the lion will lie down with the lamb, the desert will blossom like a rose, a valley will be cut right in the center of Jerusalem, and out of it, a great gushing river will feed water into the desert to make it blossom, all kinds of things. Natural enemies will become friends. If a person dies at the age of 100, they would die like a child. Life will be prolonged. The glory of the Lord will fill the earth. Truth will fill the earth. Peace will fill the earth. Wisdom will fill the earth. Righteousness will prevail. Christ will reign and rule, we along with Him. All of those features are delineated in the Scripture as part of that glorious kingdom.

Now, as we think about this creation groaning, there are four factors that I want to point out to you in the text, just four features that help us understand it, starting in Verse 20. "For the creation..." And they explain the thesis of Verse 19: "For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it."

The first point I want you to understand is the creation was subjected to futility or vanity. In other words, the whole of creation, as we know it right now, is subjected to mataiotēs, aimlessness, unfulfillment, futility, frustration. What does that mean? Well, the whole creation has no ability to reach the goal of its intended design. It cannot achieve what it was intended for. It is not able to fulfill its purpose. It can't be what God intended it to be. You say, well what did God intend it to be? Very simple; all of creation was made by God in six days to demonstrate and fully reflect His what? His glory. And it was able to do that, initially, and God looked at everything that He had made and said it's what? Everything was what? Good, everything. It was a pure and complete and fulfilled vehicle to manifest God’s glory, but it was, according to Verse 20, "subjected to futility." - J Mac from Creation Longs For Glory sermon archives

V. 18 The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us - Not only the suffering, but also the delights. It is easy to get caught up in the struggle, so much so that even those who are not struggling will invent one. Jesus told us that there would be persecution, and so we should expect that. I think in the west, and places like Japan and Korea, where there has been much success, the freedom to improve one's situation, we see a self inflicted sort of persecution, where people have a home, car, cell phones, food, but someone else has more than them, so they see themselves as suffering. In my country you can be deemed a persecutor just by being hypomelanistic and telling people the truth. It's still a better situation here than it is for 80% of the world, but even if it does reach the point of prison and the cross, Paul finds it trivial in comparison to coming glory. What is the finite really when you have gained a glimpse of eternity? 

…11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. 13You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.… Matthew 5: 11-13

22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones. 23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict. 24By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.…

…25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26 He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.… Hebrews 11: 22-27

V. 19 Waits for the revealing of the sons of God - The fall of humanity brought down all of that which was placed under his feet as well. Those who promote an old earth in their "Christianity" struggle at this very point, for death and all else destructive entered the world through sin; before sin there were no natural catastrophes, so no millions and billions of years of death as they claim. We and creation were designed to reflect the glory of God, so much was man to do this, that he is said to be made in the image of God. The image is so marred now, not just in it's body, but also perverted at it's very core, our thoughts and ideas about God, about nature, and even about love. 

17For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.… Isaiah 65: 17-18

15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.… 1 Corinthians 3: 15-17

…17“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. 18So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Malachi 3: 17-18

1Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.… 1 John 3: 1-3

Vs. 20-21 In hope - God did not leave it as is, or you wouldn't be reading this right now. It is part of His divine decree, His sovereignty, that He made man in His image, made him a moral being, and gave man a choice. With that choice came the idea of a consequence, don't do this, or this will happen. So when man did what God said not to do, then it all should have ended there, but part of His glorious nature is that He is a redeemer, which Romans 8 will break down even more. Before time and space He predestined His redeemed. The Father called them, the Son paid for them, for the wages of sin was death and Christ became the substitute, the Just for the unjust, and the Holy Spirit gave regenerated them to repentance and salvation. The Spirit's work continues in our present sanctification as well. So God has never reacted to anything, and the creation waits in hope.

Isaiah also alludes to this futility recording that…

The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. (Isa 24:5, 6)

Note the verb is aorist tense (effectual action, past completed action, describes a definite historical event in the past) and passive voice (subjection of the subject, creation, from without, from an outside force, i.e., God). Thus we see that the creation did not subject itself. But you still might ask why punish the plants and animals, etc? After all they did not commit the sin. Irregardless, Sin is still the answer. Adam had no idea how devastating and far reaching would be the consequences of his sin (application - do we think about the effect of our sin on others before we commit it? Obviously it is not the same as Adam's sin, but sin nevertheless always effects others! Next time think before you jump!) When Adam disobeyed God Paul described what happened…

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- (Ro 5:12-note)

Sin entered the world and spread to all men and the effects of death spread to all creation because of Sin's entrance into the creation. In some way that I don't totally comprehend not only did the whole race fall into the bondage of sin and death, but the entire physical universe fell as well. Next time you see a beautiful rose, remember that it was Adam's sin that put the thorns on the rose. It was Adam's sin that made animals fear man and which brought predators and carnivores into being. - PA

Vs. 22-23 Even we ourselves groan - This grows as you grow and mature in the faith. You can see the circular reasoning of those around you, the incessant whining about things that are growing dim to you. You long for Christ's return, and those gone long for there new bodies. These are just full of infirmity, but it is a temple desecrated, unclean things have happened here. We want a world without sin, to enter into the fulness of our adoption.

…2For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4So while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life.… 2 Corinthians 5: 2-4

Vs. 24-25 But hope that is seen is not hope - The Bible tells us that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, also that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, and again that faith is a gift from God. I didn't know all that I know now when I first came to believe, but God showed me enough to cause me to hope, and He regenerated my Spirit so that I could believe. Over the years it has become only deeper, this conviction about God and the Bible being the Word of God. I can see that when He said things of old that they came to pass just like He said it would, and this also helps my anxiety with present situations, because I know that in order to declare things like the coming of His Son, He had to send Him and be in control of history. It would not happen upon chance, God would have to act. I can't now see my glorified form, but I look forward to it with longing.

…18Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged. 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.… Hebrews 6: 18-20