Go with me if you would again
to Romans chapter 8. Romans 8. This morning we saw from our
Bible study in Ephesians 1, that God chose a particular people. He predestinated, predestinated
for those people to be adopted to himself by the covenant and
the payment of the Lord Jesus Christ. God chose and He redeemed
His children. He chose children and He redeemed,
He paid for, bought back to Himself and adopted children. And then in the message this
morning, from right here in Romans 8, we saw that if we've been
made to be children, Then we've been made to be heirs. Joint
heirs with Christ. An heir is someone who will receive
an inheritance. A child of a parent. Someone
who is going to be passed down something rightfully. Passed
down. An heir. A joint heir with Christ.
All things have been given to Him. Who does everything go to? It all goes to Him. All things
have been given to Him. And all things have been given
to us in Him. And it's just glorious. The more
I think about it, and the more I dwell on this, the more glorious
it is. It's just, it's exciting. Now, tonight we're gonna take
this promise, this promise of being made to be a child of God, a joint heir of the inheritance
with Christ. We're going to take that promise
and we're going to hope in it. Hope means expected anticipation. You count on it. That's what
it means. Just count on it. Romans 8 verse 24 says, for we
are saved by hope. the promises that have been made
to us. And God's Spirit has caused us
to hope in those promises. We are saved from drowning in
despair. The blood of Christ saved us.
We already said that. He adopted us, chose us, paid
for us. But we're saved from drowning
in despair by the hope that the Spirit brings to us. We have
a hope. We're all here, if we're believers
and followers of Christ, if God's Spirit has come to us, we're
all sitting here with a hope. We all have a hope. Alright,
now let's read verses 18 to 25. Verse 18 says, for I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And I wish I could even begin
to describe something of that verse. All of these sufferings,
we know a little bit about sufferings. We all feel like we suffer. more than we really do, but we
all think we know something of suffering and pain. Well, he
said, compare that, do the opposite. And everything that we know about
suffering doesn't come close to the opposite. I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time, they're not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. We have a hope, and it's a hope
of glory. a glory that's going to be revealed
to us. The Lord is going to reveal all
these things to us, but more importantly, it's a glory that
will be revealed in us. And if we can just get a hold
of that, it's going to be revealed to us, yes. But it's a glory
that's going to be revealed in us. You know, all I see right
now when I look within, All is dark and vain and wild, filled
with unbelief and sin. That's what I see in me. Well,
he said there's a glory that's very soon going to be revealed
in us. Something new. Verse 18, I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creature, and that word means creation,
this whole creation that has been made. The earnest expectation
of creation waiteth For the manifestation of the sons of God. Everything.
All of creation. You know how in Isaiah 55 it
says when we all rise up with Him the trees are going to clap
their hands. All of creation is waiting for all of these promises to
God's children to be fulfilled and revealed. All of creation. Verse 19. The earnest expectation
of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God. For the creature or creation
was made subject to vanity, emptiness, sin, not willingly, but by reason
of him who hath subjected the same in hope. When sin infected
man, it infected everything. When sin infected Adam, the Lord
told Adam, those roses are now gonna produce thorns. And that
dirt that was so easy to till is now going to, you're going
to do it by the sweat of your brow. Everything became ruined. Everything became infected. Therefore,
all of creation is waiting for the manifestation, waiting for
the revealing of the promises that have been made to God's
adopted heirs, His adopted children. Verse 21. Because the creature
itself, creation itself, also shall be delivered from the bondage
of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The same liberty the children
get, creation gets. Lions are going to feed with
lambs with no no sin in their heart toward them and all of
creation is going to be relieved, released, liberty. Every sin
infected thing is going to be burned up and it's going to be
done away with and there's going to be a brand new heaven and
a brand new earth, a brand new everything. I love how our Lord
said in Revelation 21 verse 5, He said, Behold, and when the
Lord says, Behold, He said, Behold, I make all things new. That's glorious. That's just
glorious. All things are going to be brand
new. Verse 18, he said, I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the
sons of God. For the creature was made subject
to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected
the same in hope. because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only
they, but ourselves also. which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, the gift of God's Holy Spirit, God's children,
those of us who He has given His Spirit to, verse 23, not
only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption To know, that's what the word wit means, to know
and experience the redemption of our body. And we are, we are
groaning within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Now, again,
the adoption has already taken place. It's already taken place. The payment has already been
made and the papers of covenant have already been signed. with
the blood of Christ. We're just waiting on the redemption
of the purchased possession. That's what we're doing right
now. Waiting on the redemption. 1 John 3 verse 2 says, Beloved,
now are we the sons of God. It doesn't yet appear what we
shall be. We don't know yet. We have not
experienced yet. what this manifestation of sinlessness
is going to be like. We try as hard as we can to imagine
it. We see through a glass darkly,
that's being generous. We're trying to preach it, the
half was never told, that's being generous. But we try to imagine
this, we try to enter into this, but we don't yet know what we're
going to be. It does not yet appear what we
shall be and what this sinlessness is going to be like, but John
said, right now are we the sons of God. We're already the sons
of God. And if you'll look again with
me at Ephesians 1, he tells us what is soon coming to us, This is what we can expect. This
is our hope. This is what we're groaning for
and waiting for. He said in verse five, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved. We're accepted in Christ. In whom? We have redemption,
that means payment in full. It's yours, take it. We have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of His grace. Now he said in verse 8, wherein
He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having
made known unto us the mystery of His will. He told us what
He wants to do and what He's going to do. Having made known
unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure,
which He hath purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even
in Him. And that's what we all want.
We all want to be gathered together in one. God's people want to
be one. They want to be one with Him.
They want to be one with each other. And when that time comes,
He has purposed to gather everything that belongs to Him into Himself,
which is in heaven, which is on earth, even in Him. Verse
11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after
the counsel of His own will, that we should be to the praise
of His glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom you also trusted
after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, in whom also after that you believed you were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of
His glory. He sent us His Spirit until He
comes back to get what belongs to Him, the redemption of the
purchased possession. So back in Romans 8, He said
in the middle of verse 23, Romans 8 verse 23, we're just groaning within ourselves,
waiting to know the experience of the redemption of our body. Verse 24 says, for we are saved
by hope. This expectation, this belief,
this trust that the Spirit of God has convinced us of. It's
what keeps us going through this sin-infected world. And it really
is the only thing that keeps us going. It's the only thing
that keeps us going. This sin-infected body that we're
in, when the sufferings and the heartache and the depression
and the sin feels like it's about to take us down and it's about
to do us in, we are saved by this God-given hope. Verse 24,
for we are saved by hope But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for? We cannot see what we're hoping
for in the flesh yet. Do you see your sinlessness in
your flesh? You believe you're sinless in
Christ? You believe you're spotless and holy and pure in Christ?
Well, do you physically see your sinlessness in your flesh? Have you laid your hands on this
eternal inheritance? He's talking about this inheritance
that all of God's children are going to get. Have we laid our
hands on that inheritance yet? Have you physically seen that
inheritance yet? Have you physically seen Christ
yet? Have you physically seen this man yet? We have not physically
seen and experienced any of the things we're hoping for yet.
If we had seen it, it wouldn't be hope. He said, if you can
see it, what are you hoping for? We haven't seen one thing. But
Hebrews 11 says, all of God's people die in faith. We see it by faith. They die
in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen
them afar off. Can you see them with the eyes
of faith that Christ has given to us? Having seen them afar
off, and they are persuaded of them. And they embrace them. And they confess that they are
strangers and pilgrims on this earth and that better country
that has been promised to them, that's their home. This is not
my home, this is what all of God's children say, this is not
my home. I'm a stranger and a pilgrim and a sojourner, that's my home. That's where God has caused my
heart to say, home. He's my home. Home is where the
heart is. Well, there's my home. So verse
24, it says, we're saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not
hope. For what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patience wait for it. Now he said, in
the adoption of Christ, by way of this atoning payment of Christ,
through the covenant of the blood of Christ, we've been made to
be heirs of a glorious hope. It's a hope of glory. This glorious
hope is a hope of glory. What is this glory? It's a glory that verse 18 says,
shall be revealed in us. What is this glory? Well, don't turn to these, but
Psalm 19 verse 1 says, the heavens declare it. In Acts 7 verse 55, Stephen saw
it. He being full of the Holy Ghost
looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God. What did he see? Jesus Christ
standing. He looked up and there was Jesus
Christ standing at his throne. John said, The Word was made
flesh, and we beheld His glory. Paul said, We preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face
of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1.27 says, Christ
in you is the hope of glory. And Paul said right here, we
are saved by that hope. We are so saved by that hope. And every child of God will know
what that means. We're saved all over again. Saved before
the foundation of the world. Saved when Christ died on that
cross. Saved when He revealed Himself
to us through the Word. And every time, every single
time we see Him, we're saved all over again. Every time we
see that we are in Him and He is in us. we're saved all over
again. Glory all over again. Matthew
6 verse 13 says, thine is the glory. Psalm 115 verse 1 says,
not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. All the glory. Isaiah wrote about
the glory of his majesty. You know, Peter said we were
eyewitnesses of His majesty. Ephesians 1 tells us of the glory
of His grace. In Exodus 33, Moses said, Lord,
show me Thy glory. He said, I'll have mercy. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. Oh, the glory of His mercy. Romans 1 tells us
that all men and women by nature have tried to change the glory.
Romans 3 tells us that all have sinned and come short of the
glory. But our Lord said in John 17,
Father, the glory that you have given to me, I have given to
them. In Zechariah 2, he said, I will
be their glory. I'll be their glory. He is the
glory. He is the glory. The hope of
glory is the hope of Christ. In verse 18 right here, says,
for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed,
which is Christ in us. Right now all I see is sin in
us. But at the redemption, when He
redeems His purchased possession, we're going to see Christ in
us. Is that not glorious? We're going
to see Christ in us. All who have been made to be
joint heirs with Christ, we're going to see Christ in us. Now
for all who have been made to be heirs, all who have received
this glory of Christ himself, let's finish the message with
a little hope. All right? We cannot see any
of these things yet. But if we hope in Him, we'll
patiently wait for Him. If the Lord gives us this hope,
then we'll patiently wait for Him. And this hope is going to
save us. It'll strengthen us. It'll encourage
us every time we need it. Alright, here's where our hope
of things not seen yet begins. This is where it begins. Turn
with me over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. As joint heirs with Christ, here is the first thing we can
hope in. His return. Alright, this is
where it begins. This is where our hope begins. These things that we haven't
yet seen, they begin with His return. 1 Thessalonians 4 verse
13 says, But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." He said, you don't need to sorrow
about this, you have a hope. And here it is, verse 14. For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and everything
that that means, everything He accomplished, even so, them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. All of the heirs. Alright, this
is where our hope begins. all of the joint heirs will God
bring back with Him. Verse 15, For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout. with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise
first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. He's talking about the airs.
The joint heirs with Christ. Once we are physically with Him, that's the redemption of the
purchased possession. He's going to come back and He's
bringing all the heirs with Him. The voice of the archangel, the
trump of God. We're all going to rise up and
meet Him in the clouds. and will forever be with the
Lord. And once we are physically with
Him, these are the realities that we're going to know and
experience, all right? These are some of the things that we
will, as Romans 8 said, wit. We are groaning and waiting to
know some of these things. Look with me at Hebrews chapter
1. Hebrews chapter 1, speaking of the angels, He's
talking about the angels in verse 14. Hebrews 1 verse 14, He said,
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister
for them who shall be heirs of salvation? That's what the heirs
are going to know and experience. True salvation. It will be revealed. It will
be experienced. It will be enjoyed. We have it
now. We have salvation right now. But we cannot tangibly get a
hold of it. We have it. But we can't feel it and we can't enjoy it because of this bondage.
It still feels like we're under the bondage of sin. We're released
from the bondage of sin. We have it. But we can't experience
it yet. But once our feet leave this
sinful world, never to step foot on it ever again. We're going
to physically receive our inheritance of salvation. We're going to
know what liberty and justice for all is. We are the heirs of salvation,
true salvation, true freedom, true deliverance. Look at Hebrews
6. Verse 17, it says, wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel,
confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, which entereth into that within the veil, whether
the forerunner is for us entered Even Jesus made a high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. Every promise that God has ever
made to us is going to come to us. If the promise of his intercession
on our behalf has come to us, then every promise that he's
ever made to us is going to come to us. We are the heirs of salvation. We are the heirs of every promise
you can find in this word. We will know them. We'll have
them. We'll experience them. When he
said, I'll be your God, you'll be my people, I'm going to dwell
with you. I'm going to wipe every tear
from your eye. I'm going to feed you. I'm going
to lead you to green pastures. I'm going to give you rest. We'll
know every promise, every single promise. Look with me at Hebrews
11. Hebrews 11 verse 7. It says,
by faith, Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house
by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith. All of God's heirs are heirs
of righteousness. Some people down here on this
earth inherit a little of this, a little of that. Some people
inherit debt. Some people inherit all kinds
of things. You know what God's children will inherit? Righteousness. That's what we get. They're all
going to be given the righteousness of Christ Himself. They are all
going to know it. They're all going to feel it
in us. Because He was touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, we're gonna be touched with the feeling
of His righteousness. That's something we don't know
anything about right now. We just don't know anything about
it, but we will. That'll save us, that'll encourage us. Are
you tired of sin? Hang in there. You're an heir
of righteousness. Look at James chapter two. James 2 verse 5 says, hearken
my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he hath
promised to them that loved him? This is what we get as a joint
heir with Christ. We get the whole kingdom. That's our inheritance from the
Father, the whole kingdom. He doesn't just prepare a place
for us. He says, here's a key to the
city. You get the whole kingdom. And the reason is because he
has given the whole kingdom to Christ. And we're in Christ. Whatever the Father gives to
Christ, every soul in Christ is a joint heir beneficiary. We are heirs of salvation, heirs
of every promise in this book. We're heirs of the very righteousness
of Christ Himself. We are heirs of His Kingdom.
And look at 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3 verse 7 says, Likewise, ye husbands, dwell
with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as
unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace
of life, that your prayers be not hindered." The grace, the
gift of life. Titus 3 verse 7 says, we have
been made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Eternal life. That's what we're
going to get. Eternal life. I don't even know what to say
about that. Eternal life. You know, when our Lord comes
back, He's going to bring these heirs. Some of these heirs have
been with Him now for 6,000 years. And they're still alive. And
they're still young. They still have the dew of youth
on their brow. Eternal life. Eternal life. What a glorious
hope that is. With that, With all of that,
everything that's waiting for us as an heir of God, nothing
will save us. Nothing will strengthen us and
encourage us like this hope right here. This is the greatest hope
we could ever desire in glory. And we're going to close with
this. Go with me to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John 3 verse 1 says, Behold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God. And it doth not yet appear what
we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, See if this wells up a little
hope in you. We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this
hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. That'll save
you. That'll pick you up when you
need it. The moment he appears, we shall be like him. For we
shall see him as he is. We were chosen and predestinated
to the adoption of children. And if children than heirs, heirs
of this glorious, eternal, sinless hope, a good hope. We have a
good hope. All right, let's all stand together.