As you have seen my message this
morning, the title of it is Certain Hope of Future Glory. And the
main theme of the message is going to be talking about that
future glory that all believers will have when Christ returns
to this earth. We know that there is a glory
that's revealed to every believer in the face of Jesus Christ.
We know that every believer at the new birth, when God opens
our eyes and our minds to see who Christ is and what he did
in our place, is our substitute in surety. We know that that
is a glory. where Christ is revealed as our
righteousness before God. But we're going to be talking
about that future glory this morning more than anything else. Before I begin with verse 18,
which is going to be the main verse that we'll begin with this
morning in our study, I want to read a little bit and quote
John Gill, an old writer, and what he says concerning some
of these verses here that'll give us a good idea of what I'll
be talking about. John Gill says, the future happiness
of the saints is expressed by glory, of which the glory of
this world is but a faint resemblance, a glory which is already given
to Christ, and he has entered into the possession of it. But
as yet, in the believer, It is unseen, but will be revealed
hereafter when Christ himself shall appear in it. And it will
not only be revealed to the saints as the glory of Christ as mediator,
and it will not only be visible upon them, upon the believers,
but also upon their bodies, upon our bodies as they're made new,
which will be made like to the glorious body of Christ, This
glory will not only be revealed upon our bodies, but it will
be revealed also in them, in the believer, and greatly lie
in the perfection and the knowledge and holiness in their souls. Now, between the sufferings of
the saints in the present state of things and their future happiness,
there's no comparison, either with respect to the quality or
the quantity of it. The sufferings of the saints
but for our time on this earth, but their glory is eternal."
End of quote. I begin this message with a statement
that I just quoted in order to give everyone an idea of the
main theme of the message, which is no matter how much that believers
suffer in this life, no matter how much they suffer in this
life, nothing will compare to our found glory. in our eternal
life in Christ our Savior. Nothing will compare to what
we'll see when Christ returns. There are different interpretations
concerning exactly what the creature or the creation is in these verses
that I'm going to go over this morning. Some theologians say
it refers to the Gentiles. Others say it refers to God's
entire creation. This is everything that God created.
And others point out to this creation being the Church of
God. But all of them have one thing in common, and they point
to nothing, nothing that rivals our final glory and eternal life
in Christ. And that's what I'm going to
concentrate on this morning in our study. So as we begin with
verse 18 of Romans 8, it 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. Paul had endured much
suffering over the gospel of God's grace in Christ. He knew
that all God's children suffer for righteousness to one degree
or the other. He wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy
3 in verse 12, yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
will suffer persecution. Paul had been from the lowest
point of suffering great persecution to the highest point a man could
ever go in this life, in that he had a natural sight of the
glory of heaven in Christ. Let's look at what Paul says
concerning his revelation of this vision here. 2 Corinthians
12, beginning at verse 1. Paul says, it's not expedient
for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago, whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether
out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, such a one caught
up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, whether
in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, how
that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter." This was Paul's vision. that he had here. So, like I
said, he had his lowest point of persecution, but he also had
his highest point concerning his vision. He knew firsthand
that even though our sufferings here on earth are painful and
grievous, and we don't make light of them, they cannot compare
to our future glory, which will be revealed to us when Christ
comes again in the end. Our sufferings here on earth,
well, they're only temporary, according to 1 Peter 5 and verse
10, where Peter says, but the God of all grace, who had called
us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you
have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen,
settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion
forever and ever. Amen. Our glory in heaven is
eternal. In Romans 8, 19, it reads, for
the earnest expectation of the creature or the creation waited
for the manifestation of the sons of God. This earnest expectation
means an anxious longing. It is like a stretching forth
of the head as an indication of an expectation of seeing or
realizing something far off in distance. The phrase waiteth
for the manifestation or waiting for the revelation or uncovering
of the sons of God. We know that there is a manifestation
of the sons of God at the new birth. But this manifestation
here in verse 19 that we're talking about is the time of the Lord's
return to gather his church unto himself and destroy this present
creation as it is under the curse of sin. He will make all things
new, a new heaven and a new earth. The whole creation, not only
God's elect, but all the earth shall be delivered from the curse
and restored to the perfect state of perfection. All of God's elect
who have been chosen, justified, redeemed, adopted, and born again
children of God should certainly set our affections and desires
and goals on things above. Look at Colossians 3 and beginning
at verse 1. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affections on things
above, and not on things on this earth. For ye are dead, and your
life is hid with Christ in God. Now, next verse, in verse 20,
reads, For the creature of the creation was made subject to
vanity. not willingly, but by reason
of him who hath subjected the same in hope." The creature here
is the creation that Paul speaks of in the previous verse. The
creation was not brought under the curse of sin and futility
by any act of its own will and disobedience. It came under the
curse and futility of sin because of Adam, who sinned willfully
and willingly. In Genesis 3 and beginning at
verse 17, it says, and to Adam, he said, because thou hast hearkened
unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eating of the tree of which
I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is
the ground for thy sake, and sorrow shall thou eat of it all
the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall
it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. Sin entered the world and spread
to all men, and the effects of death spread to all creation
because of sin's entrance into creation. Not only did our whole
race fall into bondage of sin and death, but the entire physical
universe fell as well. Everything that God made. The
last part of Romans 8.20, says, subject it the same in hope.
This means that the whole creation was placed under the curse of
sin, but in hope of future deliverance. Here we see the purpose of God
in creation and the fall of man, which is God's glory and salvation
and the salvation of his people. and the whole creation as well.
All of this in and by the death, resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Paul explains this in the next
verse, here in verse 21, where Paul says, Because the creature
itself also shall be delivered from bondage of corruption unto
the glorious liberty of the children of God. Not only will God's children
be finally and fully delivered from the bondage of corruption
into the glorious liberty of the children of God by the second
coming of Christ, but the whole creation will also be delivered
from this bondage and made eternally and fully new, everything that
God created. The bondage of corruption refers
to the remaining presence and effects of sin. with which we
as believers are still plagued while on this earth. Our complete
justification and redemption from all sin is a completed act
and accomplished by the death of Christ on the cross. Look
at Romans 6, 3 through 7 that tells us this. says, know ye
not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with
him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, with Christ, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth, henceforth we should not serve sin. But
he that is dead is freed from sin. Our complete, full, and
final deliverance from the remaining effects of sin is sure and certain
because of the power of Christ and what he did in our room and
in our stead. But this deliverance is also
a future deliverance, and that it's sure to take place at Christ's
second coming. This is the future liberty from
sin, of which Paul speaks back in Romans 8, last part of verse
21, where it reads, the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Our next verse, verse 22, says, For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain until now. The whole creation
is like a woman groaning and travailing in childbirth, expectantly
awaiting the birth of a healthy child. This is the expectation
of every true believer in Christ as we await in expectation the
glory that is to come. The until now here simply means
that creation has grown and prevailed in the past. It continues to
do so even now and will continue to do so in the future until
we no more experience sin and corruption. This is the future
now of the glory that we will. We will see and experience in
Christ when he returns again. Our last verse that we're going
to look at this morning is verse 23. where Paul says, and not only
they, and we have different commentators
that talks about this, not only they, some of them say it's the
Gentiles that are out there that have been converted and that
their hope is that there'll be many more that will be converted
in the future. And some of them even say it's
God's entire creation, the earth, and everything in the earth.
But it says, not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the spirits, even we ourselves grown within ourselves,
even believers that have the firstfruits, awaiting for the
adoption to wit, the redemption of our body. If the whole creation
longs for its final deliverance from all the effects of sin,
How much more should we as joint heirs with Christ truly long
to be delivered from all that makes us groan and travail and
be delivered until all that brings all that brings perfect and continual
joy. We who have been born again know
that by the establishment of that everlasting righteousness
by Christ alone, Christ actually redeemed each and every one of
his sheep 2,000 years ago. Christ did this in his own person
as our representative and surety. We as believers have this blessed
knowledge. We have that right now. Look
at Hebrews 9 verse 12. says, neither by the blood of
goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Now
that sounds like a finished work to me. Having obtained eternal
redemption for us. We know that we have been fully
and finally redeemed from condemnation, but we have not experienced the
redemption of our bodies. until we are delivered from the
grave and reunited with our resurrected bodies. Look at 1 Corinthians
15, beginning at verse 50, that you hear read a lot at funerals. Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither does
corruption inherit corruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when
this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
a saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
but thanks be to God which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now the last part of Romans 8,
23 says waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our
body. The waiting for the adoption
here refers to the next phrase, to wit. are namely, or in other
words, the redemption of our bodies. In other words, waiting
for the adoption, or in other words, the redemption of our
bodies. That's what we're talking about.
We're not talking about that adoption that happened in eternity
when God adopted us in Christ Jesus. We're talking about waiting
for the redemption of our bodies when Christ returned. The adoption
here does not refer to our original adoption as sons in the everlasting
covenant of grace wherein we were given to Christ to surety
in our representative. The adoption here refers to the
manifestation of it on resurrection morning. God has given the believer
the earnest of that inheritance by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
which assures us that we have been adopted into Christ and
that we will receive all grace here and all glory hereafter,
all based on Christ's work on our behalf. His righteousness
alone, imputed, accounted to us. The waiting for the adoption
will be when all the election of grace, all God chose in eternity. will not only by faith understand
and believe that we have been adopted into Christ, but we will
actually experience the reality of our being adopted into Christ.
God will resurrect our bodies, and once again, 1 Corinthians
15, 54, so when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, this
moral shall put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, death is swallowed up into victory.
This full and final glorification of the body, both body and soul,
is what the apostle encourages us to long for and fully expect
in order to comfort us during all our trials and affliction
on this earth and this life. We can comfort ourselves and
each other during our walk of faith and in the midst of all
these afflictions, knowing that the victory is certain not based
on our works or anything that we might do or being able to
do, but based entirely on Christ's blood and his righteousness alone,
according to God's promise. We are assured of this within
ourselves, as we as believers, according to Romans 8, 23, have
the first fruits of the Spirit. And we obtain that, we get that
at the new birth. The new birth and the presence
of the Holy Spirit, which is, according to Ephesians 1.14,
the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, until the praise of His glory. This very truth,
established in our hearts, is the basis of all our hope in
this life. Amen.