Romans 8:24,25 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? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Wait for it. I find it ironic that you see these words all over the internet, on Facebook, Instagram, wherever. Apparently, people want to watch several minutes of a video before you see the good part or the funny part. Well, when I see the Wait For It warnings I just scroll by. I’m not going to wait for it. Sometimes, you can see the time on the video. If it’s over a minute and it says Wait For It, forget it. I don’t have time to waste waiting around watching some dumb video. Now I tell you this to demonstrate to you that waiting is an investment of our time and our interest. And the object to which we wait will determine if that investment will have a return, or will simply be a waste of our time. Waiting is something you can quantify. Waiting is not just lounging around doing nothing. Waiting is doing something, investing something, and expecting something. When we are told to Wait For It, there is something expected of us. If waiting was doing nothing, then where’s the expectation.

You know in your bible, the word wait is used dozen and dozens of times before the book of Job; the first five books of the Bible, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, The Kings, The Chronicles… and almost every time it is used, it used in conjunction with the concept of lying in wait. So it’s a term of war, a term of battle; to lie in wait. Someone who was lying in wait had set themselves in array against an enemy unbeknownst to the enemy. They were hidden, and what was planned was a surprise attack, an ambush, an overwhelming force against an unprepared enemy. So the word wait carries with it the sense of being prepared for action, the sense of preying and stalking. Someone who lied in wait planted themselves along the path that who they were lying in wait for was coming down. They knew the path of who they were waiting for. And there they hid themselves and waited for them to come upon them. There was no randomness to this. I’m no fisherman, but correct me if I’m wrong. A real fisherman is going to try to go where the fish are. Amen? How much time and money are you going to invest just haphazardly randomly throwing your line out there? You’ll go to place where you know the fish are gonna go. And there, you will lie in wait for the fish. There you will invest your time, your effort, your money, and you’ll Wait For It! And there you will prepare yourself, prepare your tools, and Wait For It.

So waiting, even though it sounds mundane and boring, waiting is by instinct very taxing. That’s why we don’t want to do it. Time is precious. And if something is not worth investing time, we’re not going to wait for it. So I don’t think waiting is something to just gloss over. In the context, waiting is the life of the Christian. Waiting is what we do between getting saved and eternity. Waiting on the Lord Jesus Christ and the day of redemption is walking after the Spirit. Waiting is minding the things of the Spirit. Waiting is having the Spirit of Christ. (Galatians 5:5) “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” Waiting is being filled with the Holy Ghost. Waiting is through the Spirit, mortifying the deeds of the flesh. Waiting is what saved folk do. But who wants to wait, amen? Nobody is going to wait unless it’s worth waiting for.

I want to say today that God is worth waiting for. After all, he waited for us didn’t he? The song says, “He stood at my heart’s door ’mid sunshine and rain, And patiently waited an entrance to gain.” I want to say God is worth waiting for. Paul said, “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” And that’s a period at the end of that verse. And I want to change it to a question mark today, and ask you, “Do we with patience wait for it?” Are you waiting on God? Are you actively waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body?

Are you we doing what Titus 2:13 says, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Now how do you know if you’re really waiting? Well you should be doing what Titus 2:11 and 12 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” Is that what we’re doing? If you’re not doing these first things: denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world… If you’re not doing these first things, I doubt seriously that you’re doing the latter thing: looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait for it. Are we waiting on God? After all, he’s waited for you; Just like Isaac lifted up his eyes across those fields and waited for Rebekah; just like Jacob waited fourteen years for Rachel; just like the Father, while the prodigal son was out in sin and was afar off, the Father waited. God is worth waiting for. How long did he wait for you, Sister ______? How long did he wait for you, Brother ______? He didn’t have to wait, but he did. He waited for you and me because he’s good. Romans 2:4 “(Or) despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” He waited on us. We ought to wait on him.

(Isaiah 30:18) And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Are you waiting for him? Paul said, “Do we with patience wait for it.” I’m asking you today, are you waiting on God?

Why?

Now why should we wait on God?

#1 Because He waited for us.

We ought to wait on God because he waited on us. The bible says, in Matthew 7:12 “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” God was patient with us, we ought to be patient with him. On top of that, in the future, if we want God to be patient with us, in the future, we ought to be patient with him, now in this present time. God was patient with us before we were saved. God is patient with us now. We want God to be patient with us in the future. The least we could do is be patient with him, amen?

We ought to remember 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The Lord is not slack. So there ain’t no reason for us to be getting impatient. Instead, we should do like Paul said, “Do we with patience wait for it.”

#2 Because we need His strength

Why do we need to wait on God? Because we need His strength. (Psalms 27:14) Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. We need HIS strength. Not our own. The arm of flesh will fail you. What did King Hezekiah say when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against him?  Sennacherib? Seneh/Cherub? Now we know that Cherub is an angel. And Seneh? You all remember Jonathan when he and his armor bearer went up against the Philistines by themselves. They came up between to big rocks that had names, Bozez and Seneh. Well Seneh meant “crag, or sharp thorn” So Seneh/Cherub sounds like the angel with the thorns or the horns, amen? Sound like the devil to me, amen? What did King Hezekiah say when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against him? (2 Chronicles 32:8) With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles.

Brethren, we need HIS strength. When we go up to do battle against the devil, and the world, and the flesh, we better wait on him because our strength isn’t gonna cut it. We need His strength. (Psalms 59:9) Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.  I don’t know what you’re going through, but we need His strength. And if you don’t have it, you better wait for it. (2 Cor 12:9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. That what we need. We need the power of Christ. Oh, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I’d rather wait for the power. He told those disciples to wait, amen?

(Acts 1:4) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

(Luke 24:49) And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

What would have happened if they didn’t wait for the power? What would have happened if they didn’t wait for the power, and went into all world, and preached the gospel, and taught all nations, and baptized them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. What would have happened if they did all that without the power of God? What would have happened if they didn’t wait on God. Oh, We need to wait on God because we need His strength, his power.

What happened when Abraham and Sarah tried to do God’s will in their own strength? What happened when Abraham and Sarah didn’t wait on the God? Yeah, they messed it all up. Sarah knew she hadn’t the strength to have a child. Bible said they were old and well stricken in age. She knew her body couldn’t do handles it. So Sarah laughed at God. She shoulda waited instead. The bible says, (Isaiah 40:31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

#3 Because we don’t want to be ashamed

Okay, #3 has got three verses:

(Psalms 25:3) Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

(Psalms 69:6) Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

(Isaiah 49:23) And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

(Ecclesiastes 4;12) … A threefold cord is not quickly broken. They shall not be ashamed. They shall not be ashamed. They shall not be ashamed. If we wait on thee. If we wait on God.

This has two meanings, two applications. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed. That means that we won’t be disappointed. That means you won’t be disappointed with His outcome. And if you are disappointed, maybe the outcome hasn’t come out yet. Maybe you need to just wait a little longer, amen? I’m just saying the bible says, For they SHALL NOT be ashamed that wait for me. (Isaiah 49:23) I mean do we believe the bible? That means they won’t be disappointed. Remember Mary and Lazarus? Lazarus had died while they were waiting for Jesus. And Mary was disappointed. She said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” She was disappointed. But see, the outcome hadn’t come out yet. She wasn’t disappointed when it did though. When Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” No. Mary was not ashamed. Maybe, like Mary, you just need to wait a little longer, amen? Or maybe (and I’m not trying to be ugly) you were waiting for your outcome, and not the Lord’s outcome. I’m just saying For they SHALL NOT be ashamed that wait for me. (Psalms 52:9) I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. If we’re truly waiting on the Lord, and God does it, we won’t be ashamed. We won’t be disappointed. (Ecclesiastes 3:14) I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. You won’t be disappointed waiting on God.

Like I said, there’s two applications, though. That can mean WE won’t be disappointed. But, it can also mean that HE won’t be disappointed. (1 John 2:28) And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. We’re talking about not being ashamed at the judgment seat of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

(1 Corinthians 3:10-15) According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

We better wait on the Lord, or we will be ashamed before him at his coming. Let me say this: If you’re ashamed now, it’s gonna be worst at the judgement seat. Like I said, if we’re gonna be doing Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Then we better take heed to Titus 2:11 and 12 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” How are we gonna do that?

(Psalms 1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper…

I believe in the prosperity doctrine, amen? If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. You say, I don’t want a reward. I’ll just be happy to get there. Well if you do get there, you gonna want a reward when the time comes because you’re not gonna like what you get. The bible says, He shall suffer loss. He will be ashamed. Nope. I don’t want to be ashamed. That’s why I’m gonna wait on God.

Why are we gonna wait on God? Because He waited for us. Because we need His strength. Because we don’t want to be ashamed at his coming. That’s the why of waiting; reasons why we wait.  There’s other reasons, but that’s all I’m covering right now. I want preach a little also about the how of waiting.

Other Why?s

1. We will preserved (Psalms 25:21) Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
2. We will be heirs (Psalms 37:9) For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
3. We will be exalted (Psalms 37:34) Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
4. We will be saved (Proverbs 20:22) Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
5. Because he will hear me (Micah 7:7) Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

How?

How should we wait for God? In what manner do God’s people wait on the LORD. This is probably more where the rubber meets the road. But how do God’s people Wait For It?

#1 We wait all the day

First of all. Waiting for God is not a part-time job.  Waiting on God is more of a way of life. It’s not a full-time job either where we go home at five and pick things up again the next day. No, it’s all the day. (Psalms 25:5) Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. All the day. All day long, we wait on God. Now like I said, waiting all day is not doing nothing all day. That’s where the term waiter or waitress comes from. Waiting is serving. You know how a waitress comes with the tea every 5 minutes, and asks, “Do you want some more tea?” Maybe we ought to pray to God like that? Lord, what wilt thou have me to. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. David said, (Psalm 55:17) Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. That’s all the day.

And really, it’s not so much about quantity, but quality. But that doesn’t mean that “little is much when God is in it” What I’m saying is that quantity is quality, in this case. Listen, when you’ve been in the sun all day long, and sweat like a pig all day, and you’re tired, I guarantee you a sip of water isn’t gonna cut it. I don’t care how good that water is, it better if it’s a lot water; a great quantity, amen? It don’t have to be gourmet water, just bring it on. In fact, pour it all over me. I’ve always thought that a decent dad is better than no dad. Dueteronomy 6:5,6,7 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Whether you’re sitting down or walking around, it’s God, God, God. Whether you’re going to and getting out of bed, it’s God, God, God. It’s all thine hear; it’s all thy soul, it’s all thy might, and yes, it’s all your day. For thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. All the day. All the day. All the day. Salvation has an all day effect on saved folk.

(Hosea 12:6) Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually. Continually! That means all the day. Quantity is quality. What made the widow’s mite greater and better than the rich man’s abundance? Because it was all. It was everything she had. We oughta give God everything we got. From the second we wake up to the second we lay our heads down, everything one belongs to him.  (Luke 9:62) And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Amen. That’s right mom. Everything second you got. That’s right dad. Everything. That’s right children. Everything we got. All that’s within me, let’s give it to him. Amen?

#2 We wait for all things

(Jeremiah 14:22) Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things. In an agrarian society where everthing was based on the crops, rain was everything. If there was no rain, everybody starved. So this is about sustenance, and the things we need. Food, rainment, shelter? And not just physically, but emotionally the things we need; spiritually the things we need. We’re a needy people, but God has made all these things. Therefore, we’ll wait on him to get them.

We wait for all things. There should be a conscience dependence on God for all things. And I want to say, especially the little things. Waiting on God for all the little things and praising Him when they come is good practice for the big things that we need that come up in our life. I’m not saying we shouldn’t wait on God for the big things. I’m just saying, I want to get to praising God, so I’m gonna find some of these little things to praise God about. Like when you pull up to Butter Churn on a packed Sunday afternoon and find the best, closest parking space open and waiting for you. Bless the Lord. That’s a little thing to praise God about. I need God for everything.

Yesterday, we were working hard mowing, and I was messed up (explain). And on the way home, I asked God to give me some relief because I needed to be awake and sober so I can study for this morning. On the way home, I could feel that relief come down. I got home, took some Excedrin, a hot shower, and I was feeling better. I didn’t even have to take a nap. I got to studying. I just had to lift up my hands and praise God. He’s made everthing. Therefore, I’m gonna wait on him for everything. When Franky brings me a Blueberry Bai drink. I’m gonna thank Frank, but I’m also gonna praise God (Psalms 104:27) These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. (Psalms 145:15) The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. We wait for all things. You say I need a job. Well God’s got the job. I need shoes. God’s got the shoes. I need food. Got definitely has the food. There ain’t anybody in here today that’s showing evidence that God hasn’t provided the food, amen? (Proverbs 28:25) …He that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. God is going to bring the meat in due season, amen?

#3 We wait with all readiness

Like I was saying earlier:

…the word wait is used dozen and dozens of times before the book of Job; the first five books of the Bible, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, The Kings, The Chronicles… and almost every time it is used, it used in conjunction with the concept of lying in wait. So it’s a term of war, a term of battle; to lie in wait. Someone who was lying in wait had set themselves in array against an enemy unbeknownst to the enemy. They were hidden, and what was planned was a surprise attack, an ambush, an overwhelming force against an unprepared enemy. So the word wait carries with it the sense of being prepared for action, the sense of preying and stalking. Someone who lied in wait planted themselves along the path that who they were lying in wait for was coming down. They knew the path of who they were waiting for. And there they hid themselves and waited for them to come upon them.

Do we know the paths that God takes. Do we follow after God so hard that we just know where he goes. (Psalms 123:2) Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. As the eyes of a servant. As the eyes of a maiden. We wait with all readiness. Like a servant. Can I say this. Waiting on God is a life of obedience, willing obedience to the will of God. We should plant ourselves along the paths of God and be ready to pounce and move at the commands of God, the will of God. When God tells us to jump, it’s not just “Yes sir.” It’s “How high to I jump Lord?” With all readiness like a servant, a GOOD servant. Let me ask you this: Are you a good worker? If you get don’t get it in your work life, you’ll never get it in the Christian life. (Examples)

(Luke 12:36) And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. I like that word immediately. Not when we feel like it. We ought to obey God whether we feel like it or not. Not when we’re good and ready, but immediately. Obedience is immediate action. We should always be ready to the will of God, to do what he commands us to do. The only way you’re gonna do that is if you’re waiting on the LORD with all readiness; if you’re ready, prepared, and waiting.

#4 We wait with all intensity

We wait all the day. We wait for all things. We wait with all readiness.  And number four, we wait with all intensity. And I think this is really the heart of the message. Waiting on the Lord is a spiritual exercise. I’m still studying this all out, but I came across this verse, and I think it speaks volumes. (Psalms 130:5) I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. Listen, our waiting on the Lord, comes from the inside. The Pslamist said my soul doth wait! (Romans 8:23) And not also they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. There should be something on the inside groaning and travailing and waiting for God. (Psalm 42:1) As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul panteth. There’s an intense expectation for God and the things of God.

(Psalms 62:5) My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. Only upon God! I’m not going to hold my breath for anybody else. Only upon God; intensely focused upon one person and that’s God. My expectation is from Him, not anybody else. If you put your expectation on anybody else, you’re gonna be disappointed. He said my soul; my inmost being. I’m waiting solely on God all the way to bottom of my soul I wait.

(Lamentations 3:25) The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. That intensity signifies an active pursuit of God. To wait for God means to seek him, to look for him, to follow him; with everything inside of you. it’s the soul that seeketh him. (Deuteronomy 4:29) But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. There should be an active pursuit of God.

(Isaiah 8:17) And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Maybe it seems sometimes that God has hidden his face from us at time. Maybe sometimes it’s hard to wait on God. (Psalms 69:3) I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. Sometimes we wait in tears. Maybe he just want you to put your heart and soul into this thing. He just wants all of you. I told my wife the other day he doesn’t want to change our circumstances, he just want us. You might ask what is it that God wants of me. Maybe he wants you to just want him; want him with all your soul. Are we really waiting on God?

Romans 8:24-25 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? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Introduction

Before I get into the message, I want to share a few things. I saw a connection I thought was worth mentioning. I really believe that Paul is still handling the same subject. He hasn’t moved onto something new, but rather he is still writing about the same thing. Remember in Chapter 7, he spoke of this turmoil, this ongoing battle that was happening in his members. He said, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin!”  He said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” I have a will, but I can’t find a way! He said, “I find then a law that, when I would do good, evil is present with me!”

Paul has a problem. And it seems to drive him to despair because he finally says, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” I know a lot of people read the next verse, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord…” and they close the book and go home. They think that is the end of the answer. It’s just the beginning. A whole chapter later in verse 23 of Chapter 8, Paul declares, “Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” In verse 24 of Chapter 7 he asks, “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” The body of this death! And in verse 23 of Chapter 8 he’s still talking about that body, and the redemption or the deliverance of that body. This turmoil, this conflict, this war that is happening in his members, or his body, that he describes in chapter 7 is, in fact, the bondage of corruption in verse 21 of Chapter 8.

Paul asks, “Who shall deliver me?” in chapter 7. In chapter 8 he says, “The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption…” You know I have to admit, I’ve studied Romans Chapter 8 thinking that there is some quick fix that is going to make that turmoil go away, make the conflict of our flesh, and this battle go away. But as I get to these latter verses of the chapter, I’m seeing that it was never Paul’s intent to give me that impression. I think as we get to these latter verses Paul is making it clear that there will be no deliverance from the body of this death, until the resurrection. This body will be subject to corruption until the trump of God sounds. Your spirit and your soul may have a place to go, but your body is subject to vanity and corruption until it is delivered into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

So this groaning, this travailing, this waiting in the bondage of corruption, in this body of death, everybody is subject to it and everybody must participate. Verse 22 “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” And the Christian is not exempt from this. Paul goes on to say, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” He says we groan within ourselves! That’s what Paul is doing in Chapter 7. He’s groaning when he says, “O wretched man that I am!” That’s a groan from within himself.

So to understand the mind of Paul, and thus the mind of God, we must understand that the deliverance to which Paul cries for in Chapter 7 is the same deliverance that he speaks about waiting for in Chapter 8. In other words, it hasn’t happened yet. And this was a big revelation to me. For months, I’ve sought the scriptures for some path to that deliverance. And now that I get to these latter verses, I realize that this deliverance is not something that can be realized in this life. And this is not a downer by any means. This is truth. And Jesus said that the truth will make you free. Now if you don’t believe me; if this sounds strange to you, read the next verse where we are:

Romans 8:24-25 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? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

If this deliverance has come upon us, this deliverance from the bondage of corruption, the subjection to vanity, the body of this death… If this deliverance has come upon us, then we don’t have a hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? Why hope for the redemption of our bodies, if it is already apparent. No. We hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. I ask you, what need is there to patiently wait for something you already have? There is no need, and there is no hope, if you’ve already attained. Paul said for us to wait for it. Paul was waiting for it.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:11-13

Can I say this? Paul is still waiting for it. He may already be absent from the body and present with the Lord, but he is still waiting for the deliverance of that body. That body still lies in a grave somewhere decomposing for 2000 years and it has not yet been resurrected and changed and delivered into the glorious liberty of the the Sons of God. No he’s still waiting.

But that’s no reason to be pooch-mouthed though. Why? Because the soul and spirit have already made the crossing. Remember Paul said, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) Paul wrote tot he Galatians, “Ye have been called unto liberty…” (5:3) He said, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty whereith Christ hath made us free.” (5:1) So we’re free, but we’re not free.”

“Giving thanks unto the Father… Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Colossians 1:12,13) Paul said, “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6) But the he says, “…the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (8:21) And he says we also groan within ourselves for the redemption of our bodies. So we’re delivered, but not delivered. Free, but not free! Delivered but not delivered!

There’s an interesting verse that embodies this truth: “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (2 Corinthians 1:9,10) This kinda gives us a road map as to where we are. If you’re saved, you are between two deliverances. You are delivered from the sentence of death in yourself and waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, the redemption of your body. So how does that help us? Well in 2 Corinthians it puts us in those three words between those two deliverances and doth deliver. We are in the doth deliver stage of this Christian journey, amen? Or we can say that we are in the doth stage of our deliverance!

I really think that is what Paul is trying to help us with and teach us about to help realize along this way. He’s trying to help us realize that doth stage of our deliverance. So understand that when Paul says in our text, “For we are saved by hope…” he may not be talking about that 1st deliverance, the one where you came to Christ a lost sinner and he washed you and saved you from the death sentence within you. But he may be talking about that doth stage of our deliverance. In this doth stage of our deliverance, I still have to endure this flesh, and I’m still subject to the temptations that are common to man. I still have to deal with this world, the devil and his devils, and the old flesh. On this stage of the journey there are things that I need deliverance from. Therefore, I need a doth deliver God to help me along the way. That’s why we pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver from evil!”

So let’s look at the text from that perspective. And that brings me to the first point I want to make about this passage, and it’s that…

#1 Hope Saves

The bible says, “For we are saved by hope…” Like I said, I don’t think Paul is trying to teach someone how to be saved right now. He’s trying to encourage us to walk in the newness of spirit,  to walk after the Spirit, to mind the the things of the Spirit, and encourage us to, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body. I believe he’s trying to tell us that there’s one thing that can help us with that and get the job done, and that’s hope. Hope saves!

He’s talking about having victory over this flesh. Hope saves. This is current help. We’re talking about this present time: hope saves. Hope delivers. Jeremiah the prophet said, “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” (Jeremiah 17:7) If we want to realize the blessings of God, our hope must be in Him. Hope saves. Jeremiah also said (14:8) “O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble…” That time of trouble for me is not just when I found out I was lost. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation…” (John 16:33) There will be no deliverance from “the body of this death” in this world. But there is deliverance and help in our trials and our tribulations. We are going to have trouble and tribulation, struggles and sorrows, problems and trials. God never said that he’d take that all way. But he will bless you through them, if you trust and hope in Him.

So I want to spend a little time on the blessings and benefits of hope. We have a saving faith. We also have a saving hope. There is salvation in hope; the salvation of the Lord. Hope has benefits. Hope has rewards. You think about this: Looking forward to our future blessings will bless us presently. Hope will affect you and God. If hope saves then if must affect the savior and the saved.

Hope affects God’s eyes. (Psalm 33:18) “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;” Sometimes, the greatest blessing to me is just knowing that God cares for me, that God is still interested in me. Hagar in her affliction, in the wilderness, God visited her. There at that well, Hagar found peace and consolation. God blessed her there and promised he would multiply her seed exceedingly. The bible says “And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.” God didn’t take the child from her. God didn’t take her situation away. In fact, he sent her back into the frying pan with Sarai. But Hagar was blessed because she hoped in God. She said, “Thou God seest me… Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” She looked for him, and he looked for her. Hope affects God’s eyes. “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;”

I believe he will place his eyes upon us, if we would put our eyes upon him. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” We can’t see him with these eyes, but we can see him with the eyes of hope and faith. And the real blessing is when God sets his eyes upon us. Thou God seest me. I’ll always remember the way Peter quoted David in Acts 2: “Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” It’s a blessing Lord just to see your face. It’s a blessing Lord just when you look upon me. Hope affects His eyes.

His affects God’s ears. (Psalm 38:15) “For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” Sometimes, when my wife is telling me her struggles and things. I immediately go into solution mode. I start trying to think up a solution for her. That’s what I do at work. We sell solutions. (Work Testimony) So I start trying to figure out how to solve here problems, and I have to stop myself sometimes, and just ask, “You’re not looking for a solution, you just want me to listen?” And she says, “Yeah, that’s it!” Sometimes, we just need someone to listen to us. We don’t need a solution. We don’t need our situation changed. We just need someone to talk to about it.

The bible says to cast all your care upon him for he careth for you. God cares for us, but maybe it seems like God is not listening sometimes. (I know some people might disagree with this) Maybe it seems that he is not listening because he’s not listening. Maybe we need to get God’s attention? How did David get God’s attention? He said, “For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God!” Maybe in our prayers, we’ve put our hope in the change of our circumstances instead of the changer of those circumstances. I remember my teacher, Brother Henderson, said, it’s not so much that we ask for things in prayer, but that we have intimacy with the supplier.  Casting your cares upon God does not mean for you to demand that God change your circumstances, but rather to put your hope in Him, to trust in Him through your circumstances.

Hope saves, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to be delivered from the bondage of corruption or from the body of this death. But rather God will deliver you in the bondage of corruption. He’ll deliver you and save you in the body of this death! He may not remove the suffering, but he will suffer with you. And the bible says, if we’ll suffer with him, we will also reign with him. Look, better circumstances are not going to help you or benefit you. But a better relationship with God will. You think your circumstances are bad? There’s worst around the corner. We have to get where we want God and God’s ear and God’s attention more than anything this life affords. What good is better circumstances without the love and attention of the Lord. Wouldn’t you rather cry and weep in the ears of God than have all the ease and comforts of this world. “For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” Hope affects the ears of God.

Hope affects God’s heart. (Psalm 147:11) “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” The Lord taketh pleasure. What a concept? To think, that God would take pleasure in me. I fall short everyday. I’m in Romans 7 everyday. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! When I would do good, evil is present with me! I don’t see how God can take pleasure in someone as sorry as me. But if I’d put my hope in him… We’ve talked about taking our eyes off our circumstances. Well, if we’d take our eyes off our self also. Sometimes our circumstance really is just us, our sin and our weaknesses and infirmities. And we just can’t see how God would take pleasure in something like us. But the benefit and blessing of hoping in God, looking for the blessed hope, is the manifestation of the pleasure of the LORD.

There’s an old song called Jesus, I my cross have taken. There’s a small section of that song that says, “And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might…” Oh to know and to have made real that someone so great and wonderful as Jesus Christ takes pleasure in me is one of the sweetest experiences I’ve ever known. Hope saves. The salvation of God in this present time the smile of God. We don’t have to wait to get to heaven to experience the smiles of God. There’s another old song my wife likes to sing called The Unclouded Day. The lyrics say, “Oh, they tell me that He smiles on His children there, And His smile drives their sorrows all away.” You don’t have to wait til you get there for that to be real. All you have to do is hope for there and look for that blessed day that you will be there, and he’ll smile upon you. “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”

Hope affects God’s eyes, ears, and heart. If hope saves then it must affect the savior and the saved. Hope will affect you also. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. I want to remind us what this hope is. This hope is the waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies. This hope is the earnest expectation of the deliverance from the bondage of corruption, the body of this death. John said, “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, 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.” (1 John 3:2,3)

We shall be like him. That’s it. That’s the resurrection and the rapture of the church. The bible says, “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.” (1 Corinthians 15:52) Paul said to the Phillipians, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…” (Phillipians 3:20,21) That’s what John means when he says, “We shall be like him!” This hope is the earnest expectation that one day, we will be like him. If we can just get that expectation at the forefront of our hearts and minds, it will change us. It will bless us.

Hope strengthens your heart. Just like hope affects the heart of God, it will affect your heart also. (Psalm 31:24) “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. The Lord told Joshua something after Moses died. “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9) Joshua had come out of Egypt, he crossed the Red Sea, he endured 40 years in the wilderness, and had seen all the men his age other than Caleb die and their carcass fall in the wilderness. There was one more place to go, the blessed promised land. He got a glimpse of it 40 years prior but he wasn’t allowed to possess it. So for forty years he waited for that promised land, he looked forward to that promised land, he desired that promised land, and took hold of the promise of God. He hoped for it. He was going into a land of enemies. He was going to have to fight his way in. He’d go up against the walls of Jericho, and the giants of Anak. He did not hope in flesh, horses and chariots. He hoped in the LORD, and the promises of the LORD.  Hope strengthens your heart.

Sometime we’re afraid to go down the road that God would have us go. Sometimes we need a little encouragement. That means we need a little courage put in (the heart). Once again, in the case of Joshua, God did not take away his circumstances. “You know what Joshua, you don’t have to go through Jericho. You can go around it. You don’t have to do into Canaan, you can settle right there where you are.” No, but he did say, “the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” We have that same promise. The Holy Spirit of promise is with us. The bible calls it the earnest of the Spirit, the down payment. The promise and the surety that he will return to claim what he has duly bought and paid for. We just need a little courage to get us to that glorious day. To walk after the Spirit is to wait for the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the Spirit to bear witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God is to remind us and give us hope that we have a Father and an inheritance in heaven. That should give us courage and strengthen our hearts to hold on a little longer.

Joshua had already seen a lot of battle, and a lot of blood. Joshua had already suffered through the wilderness, through Egypt, seen all his comrades die. He was already past 60 years old. Maybe God told Joshua to be strong and of a good courage because he knew that Joshua’s heart was weak and his courage was failing. Hold on a little longer Joshua. Hold on to the promises of God. Hope strengthens your heart.

Hope will put praise on your lips. (Psalm 71:14) “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” Hope will put praise on your lips. Now remember I’m talking about how hope will save us, bless us. It is a blessing to bless God. It is a blessing to be able to lift up your hands to heaven and say, “Bless the Lord! Praise his holy name!” Hope saves. That tell me the salvation of God is praise. The devil’s children don’t get to praise God. We do. We are blessed to be able to praise him. The bible says let everything that has breathe, praise the Lord.

We talk about groaning and travailing while we’re waiting for the redemption of our bodies. How about we do a little praising instead of groaning? And like the Psalmist said, how about me praise him more and more. How about we praise more today than we did yesterday, because we’re one more day closer to being delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. How about we praise him more and more because it’s one less day we have to live in the body of this death, amen?

The Psalmist said, I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. If we want to get in the glory, get the can’t help its and praise him more and more, we need a steady drip of hope. Not just once on Sunday. Everyday, all the day, let’s look forward to the resurrection, the day these vile bodies will be changed. The day that graves will bust wide open. The day that we’ll be caught up in the air, to forever be with the LORD. Let’s look forward to that day. Hope is the salvation of God. Hope will put a song in your heart, and praise on your lips.

(2 Corinthians 5;4) “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” NOT for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon. He saying in this flesh, we don’t moan and groan about what we got on, about our circumstances, about our present condition. But we press on and yearn for and expect the promises of God. Our focus is on the future, on eternity. If we would spend just a fraction of the time we do complaining and criticizing on praising God instead it would revolutionize our life. We need a steady drip of hope. We need to stop and sing about 10 times a day:

On that bright and cloudless morning
When the dead in Christ shall rise
And the glory of his resurrection share
When His chosen ones shall gather
to their home beyond the skies
And the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there

It’s a blessing to praise the Lord. Psalm 72:15 says, “Daily shall he be praised!” Psalm 119:164, the Psalmist says “Seven times a day do I praise thee…” Hope will put praise on your lips.

Hope will put a smile on your face. Amen! (Psalm 146:5) “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:” (Proverbs 10:28) “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness:…” There’s no reason to walk around like you just ate sauerkraut if you got your hope in Christ. Some of us, ought to let our face know that we have eternal life in Christ Jesus. Some of us, our face hasn’t gotten the message that we’re not going to hell. It still stuck on “The wages of sin is death!” It hasn’t quite gotten the good news yet.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll get to work and the phone starts ringing, the problems start coming, the workers start goofing off, the demands start coming, and I’ll go half a day with the pooch mouth. I got permanent wrinkles up here on my forehead I’m still working on getting rid of. (Psalm 42:5) “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Amen. He is the health of your countenance. That means hope will put a smile on your face. Hope saves. Hope will save you from being cast down, from being disquieted. The bible says, I will keep thee in perfect peace, he whose mind is stayed on thee!

When Paul and Silas were in Phillipi, things didn’t go very well for them. The bible says, “And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.” (Acts 16:22-24) They had reason to have a pooch mouth. They had reason there to get discouraged and downcast. But what did they do? The bible says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God:” (Acts 16:25) Their hope was in God. Hope will put a smile on your face.

No matter what you’re going through, he can give you peace. He can give you songs in the night. Paul 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… Now he doesn’t say to not compare them. He doesn’t say to not compare the sufferings of this present time to the glory which shall be revealed in us. Go ahead and compare them, or try to. Compare the sufferings of this present time to the glory which shall be revealed; and see which one wins. The winner will show on your face, Amen?! Hope will put a smile on your face. (Romans 5:1-2) “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Hope gives us joy. Hope will put a smile on your face.

Hope will put fruit in your basket. (Proverb 13:12) “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Oh, the blessings of hope. Do you remember Psalm 1?

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Down here in South Texas we know what it’s like to not have water, especially here in Corpus Christi, where they ban water for days at a time. There’s been summers where we’ve mowed once at the beginning of the summer and then we don’t break out the mower until September or October. There’s no rain, so nothing grows. But not this summer. Summer rain here in South Texas can be a mowing nightmare. The trees grown, the grass grows, the bugs grow. Everything grows in the summer rain. Can I say this? Hope is like the summer rain.

(Isaiah 44:3,4) For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.

(Romans 7:4) Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

John the Baptist said, “Bring forth the fruits!” Hope will put fruit in your basket. Romans 5:5 says “And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us…” I’ve spoken about this before. Nothing will count for Christ less the Holy Ghost sanctions it. Everything done in the power of the flesh will burn at the judgment seat of Christ. But, if we are filled with the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, and mind the things of the Spirit, our fruit will endure. The Holy Ghost gives us a hope that we will not be ashamed at the judgment seat of Christ. Hope will put fruit in your basket.

Conclusion

Hope will put strength in your heart, put praise on your lips, put a smile on your face, and put fruit in your basket. This is the salvation of God. For we are saved by hope. The Salvation of God is strength in the heart, praise on the lips, joy unspeakable and full of glory, and fruit unto God. Do you have these things? Do you want these things. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is…”

My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.

Would you place your hope in him?

Romans 8:21-23 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, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Introduction

Last week we covered Revelation, Expectation, Subjection, and our Blessed Hope. I have to say I really enjoyed studying this concept of subjection: subjection to vanity vs. subjection in hope. I believe in the power of hope. Hope is not just wishing for something, but it’s waiting, expecting, and planning for; the eminence of our salvation, the surety of our place in heaven, the eternal security of our faith, our savior, and our future. I know there’s much much more in the to this concept of subjection in hope. But we must move on. I read these few verses and I always look at certain words. For example, the subjects is the creature or the whole creation and then we ourselves. And then the common actions like shall be delivered, groaneth, travaileth, and waiting. The objects like the bondage of corruption and the glorious liberty of the children of God and the adoption and the redemption of our body. And I ask myself what sticks out to me? How do all these words come together to speak to me?

How do we group these things together in our understanding?

Two States

So first of all, there are two states that this text is talking about.  And this is probably how we’ll divide the message today. There are two different periods of time to be in. There are two different places to be. One is the present. The here and now. Today. Our current state; current condition; the description of our times and surroundings. The first state is our present state. And the text refers to this as the bondage of corruption. The other is our future, and the text refers this as the glorious liberty of the children of God. And the transition from our present state to our future state, our deliverance from one to the other the bible refers to as the adoption or the redemption of our body. So we are to understand some things about our bodies. Our bodies, in this present state is in the bondage of corruption, right now. But there’s coming a day. Praise the Lord. These bodies will be delivered. These bodies will be redeemed.

I know a lot of times we think, “I can’t wait to get rid of this body! I can’t wait to shed this old flesh!” Well, I got news for you today. This body isn’t going anywhere. This body will not be forgotten. This body will not disappear into oblivion. No. Instead, they will be changed:

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Phillipians 3:20,21)

So did you get that? The Lord Jesus Christ shall change our vile bodies. They will be changed. These bodies will be delivered. They will be redeemed. You might think, “Well what about those bodies that have rotten away into the dust of the ground.” You can go dig up some old graves and you’ll find no body, no bones, no worms, just dirt. These bodies God must first resurrect.

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.  (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)

You don’t necessarily need a body to resurrect before hand. The purpose of a resurrection is not what was, but the end result; which is a living body. The resurrection is the quickening of a body, the life of the body. In other words, dust is not a problem for God. The bible says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)  Maybe this is a just a minor point to some people and they might think, “Who cares?”

Well, I care. I care to know the things that God wants me to know. The bible says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” (Psalm 139:14) You think about this? Do you think that God is going to throw away what he’s so fearfully and wonderfully made? The bible says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” (Jeremiah 1:5) Do you think that God is going to throw away what he has so intimately known and sanctified? The bible says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15) I don’t believe that God will so lightly cast away his creation. These little things, minor points, may give us great insight into the love and care of God.

This reminds me of the Good Samaritan.

“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead… …a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

The other night, I had a massive headache. I don’t know what’s really going on in my wife’s soul and spirit. I mean her Spirit does not bear witness with my spirit. But, she gets this oil, deep blue, or pan-away, these essential oils. She drips a few drops on my head and rubs it in. That makes all the difference in the world. She cares for my body. God cares also for our bodies. He cares for all of us, the soul, the spirit, and yes also the body.

Reading through the Old Testament, much importance and care was placed on the temple, the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. And now we, our bodies, our the temple of God. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) Our body is the temple. Not your spirit or your soul, but your body. That thing you kick out of bed every morning, you scrub down and dress up, you push throughout the day. That thing you keep shoving food down three times a day and the thing you rest it bed every night. The body. Your body. Your body is God’s temple; his tabernacle, his abode.

State #1: The Bondage of Corruption

Now I don’t want to get ahead of myself. The text speaks of two states; and the first state is our present state. And the text refers to this as the bondage of corruption. Right now, our bodies are in the bondage of corruption. The old temples did not last. The one Solomon Built was destroyed. The temple that Ezra rebuilt fell to decay. The temple that King Herod built has fallen. And now at the temple Mount where the temple of God once stood stands a Muslim mosque. Does everyone know the story of Ben-Hur? In the beginning of the story, Judah Ben-Hur, the Jew, is trying to explain to Messala, the Roman Captain, his hope in the future of his people. He says, “Besides, you must understand this, Messala. I believe in the past and future of my people.” But Messala answers, “Future? You are a conquered people! You live on dead dreams. You live on the myths of the past. Solomon’s glory is gone. You think it will return? Joshua will not rise again to save you… Nor David.”

When I think of the old temples of the Israelites and kings of old and how they didn’t stand forever. They were either destroyed or decayed or carried away. Then I think of our bodies how they don’t seem to last forever. We don’t stay young forever. What we’ve succumbed to is the bondage of corruption. And in this bondage of corruption, we must live. Let me read this text again:

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, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22,23)

In this present state, the present state of bondage, in this prison of corruption I see three things that we do in the text: Groan, Travail, and Wait. “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now… We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption…” Groaning, Travailing, and Waiting. You’re probably thinking, “That’s not very encouraging, brother Rick! Groaning, Travailing, and Waiting? I thought you were supposed to be encouraging us and helping us?” Well, like I said before, sometimes we have to hear the bad news first before we can appreciate the good news.

Even in the bad news, it’s comforting to know that God knows, that Paul knew. I never get any indication that Paul was always bubbling, joking, and laughing all the time. He was a pretty serious fellow. And when he gets into these things, it tell me and reminds me that God knows and God cares. When I read the Word of God on these matters it reminds who Jesus is:

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4;15,16)

Reality is that we need mercy and grace in time of need. We’re not always going to be on the mountain top. Most of this journey is in the valley. And if you do have any mountain top experiences, remember that most of that journey is up-hill. The easy down-hill portions will finish as quick as it starts. It’s just reality. Obfuscating this reality will not help you. But bread and living water along the way will help you. A lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path will help you. A friend that sticketh closer than a brother will help you. A shelter in the time of storm will help you. Amen. So we want to stay, even though its hard, in reality, not fantasy. And the reality of this present time in the bondage of corruption is groaning, travailing, and waiting.

1. Groaning

You know when you hear these three words groaning, travailing, and waiting, what is it that comes to mind? I mean what are these three words synonymous with? I think of no other things but child birth. Now I don’t have actual experience on this. But I do have 1st hand experience on this. Patty had two C-sections in the beginning, but five of the children were born the normal natural way, through groaning, travailing, and waiting. And I got to witness all that 1st hand. I got to be there and witness the whole ordeal. So when I hear groaning, travailing, and waiting, my mind always goes back to the those days. And the irony of this is that I always think of those days as wonderful days. But we’ll get to that later, I think.

I remember when it was time. Those contractions started with a low intensity. And there were false alarms; Braxton-Hitch contractions. The body was just warming up or something. It wasn’t the real thing. You know how I knew it was the real thing? Groaning. Patty would hold her stomach start saying “Oooooooooooo!” When she started doing that, that was it. It was the real thing.

Can I say this: If you ain’t groaning, then you ain’t living. In this life, in this bondage of corruption, in this body, there’s going to be groaning. “Ooooooooooo!”

• When you first get married, and you’re arguing everday, it’s “Oooooooooo!”
• When the grocery bills and the doctor bills start coming and don’t stop coming, it’s “Ooooooooo!”
• When the main water line busts, it’s “Ooooooooooo!”
• When the septic outside overflows, it’s “Oooooooooo!”
• When there’s barely enough time in the day to sleep, it’s “Ooooooooo!”
• When the kids start rebelling, it’s “Ooooooooo!”
• When your sons and daughter become teenagers, it’s “Ooooooooooo!”
• When the parents start getting old, it’s “Ooooooooooo!”
• When your loved ones hurt you, it’s “Oooooooooo!”
• When your body starts to fail you, it’s “Ooooooooooo!”

Now I want to say this: Groaning is not complaining though. If the “Ooooooooo!” was all that groaning was about then it would really just be complaining. Groaning doesn’t just bemoan your present condition, but hopes and waits for something better. Let me say that again. If the moaning is all there is to your groaning, then that’s just complaining and self-pity. You don’t want to go there.

There’s should be a silent “I can’t wait!” after the “Oooooooo.”  So it should sound more like “Oooooooo, I can’t wait….” It’s a longing and an aspiration for something better; a better state, a better condition, better times. If we lose sight of what things can be, or will be, then all we’re doing is complaining. Instead, our groans and moans should be the sounds of toil, the sounds of pressing, the sounds of effort, the sounds of energy spent, the sounds of work.

Groaning is Moaning + Growing.

Groaning is Moaning + Going.

Groaning is Moaning + a Goal.

So if there’s no goal, no going, no growing, then it’s just moaning. When a woman is in labor, there’s an end goal to all this groaning. Every “Ooooooooo” brings that child closer and closer to taking his first breath and beginning a new life.

Have you ever pushed yourself in exercise? You’re trying to reach 40 push ups. You get to 20 and it starts getting real hard. You get to 30 and the pain becomes almost unbearable, but you want to reach 40, so involuntarily as you press for the mark, as you bear down and force yourself to keep going you start groaning, groaning to reach the goal, groaning to not give up. That’s why I say if there’s no goal, no growing, no going, then it’s just moaning.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (2 Corinthian 5:1-4)

Did you see that? For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon. This mortality, these burdens, this tabernacle: We’re not just groaning against these things. No. We’re groaning for something better; to be clothed! We’re groaning for life! We are groaning for a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.

So in all the groans of life: the bills, the arguing, the water line, the septic tank, the kids, the parents, your parents, and your body, don’t lose sight of the goal. Or maybe I give ourselves a little too much credit. Maybe we need to get a goal. Maybe life seems like a drudgery to you. Maybe all the moaning in your life has no goal to hook up with. Maybe you feel like you’re going nowhere because you truly have no place to go. Maybe in all your trials and troubles you’ve been through, you’ve haven’t grown from them, and instead you keep having to take the same test over and over. I believe this is what Christ does for the mankind. He gives us a goal. He puts some grow in our groanings. He gives us a glimpse of what things can be or what things should be or what things will be for the children of God. In our groanings, are we just moaning, or are we earnestly desiring for something better, earnest contending for our faith.

2. Travailing

I want to bring your attention to two words in the text. It says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”  In pain. Now I want to go back to what these three words groaning, travailing, and waiting remind us of; child birth. As far the bible is concerned, travailing in birth and pain are synonymous. You will seldom find those two concepts separated in the bible.

Fear took hold upon them there, andpain, as of a woman in travail. (Psalm 48:6)

And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth… (Isaiah 13:8)

Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth… (Isaiah 21:3)

Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. (Isaiah 26:17)

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. (Isaiah 66:7)

We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. (Jeremiah 6:24)

O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail! (Jeremiah 22:23)

Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. (Micah 4:10)

And this last quote here in Micah really hits the nail in the head. You see in the bible, it’s not the baby that is delivered. It’s the mama. Isaiah 26:17 says “Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain…” In Micah it says, “Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. (Micah 4:10) You see it’s not the baby that is delivered from the mama’s womb, but the mama is delivered from her travail. What is gained is not really the baby, but the deliverance from the pain and anguish, deliverance from the 9-10 months of being under a load, deliverance from the burden of carrying that child. She is delivered from the child, not the child delivered from her.

Like I said of groaning, “If you ain’t groaning, then you ain’t living!” But of travailing I’ll say this, “No pain, no gain!” How’s that for encouragement? No pain. No gain. Sometimes I wonder about this. I question, “Is there another way?” Must we suffer in order to grow? Must we suffer in order to learn? Why can’t we just grow? Or why can’t we just learn? Why does it take trials and tribulations and troubles to change and mold us? Why is there so much pain in this life? Why do things have to hurt? And honestly, I have no answer. God’s ways are above my ways. I didn’t set this thing up like this. It’s just so.

But let me take you back to what I was saying earlier about the irony of those days when the children were born. The irony is that even though they were days of pain, travail, worry, sorrow, and such, they were also wonderful days. I can honestly say that two of the most amazing days that Patty and I have had were when those kids were born. I remember when Finny was born, I was in the living room with waiting like the old days. And Patty was in the bedroom with the midwives. I remember all the anticipation and the worry and anguish in that house, but it all was over the moment I heard “Waaaaaaaah!”

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. (John 16:21)

The bible says that “”’Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11) I know I always associate chastening with punishment. But that’s not so. Chastening is correction. And correction is instruction. Correction doesn’t mean that you’re getting punished. It means you’re being trained and instructed. The bible says, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” (Proverbs 3;11,12) We question why? Why do we have to go through these things? Why do we have to suffer these things? Why must we be denied things? Because he loves you, and he knows what you need and don’t need.

The bible says “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24) No pain. No gain. Nothing is worth having in this life comes forth without pain, without travail. I know we don’t want that. I don’t want that. I often pray that this wouldn’t be so, but I know in my heart that this is the way God made things. I always remember the words of that song, “Tears are a language God understands…” Even the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated this in the garden. The Bible says “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39) And God the Father said, not in words, “That is not possible.” But Praise the Lord, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:9,10) And if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.

Maybe the when Paul said that he wanted to know the fellowship of his sufferings, what he truly had in mind was the glory and the perfect salvation. In other words, the fellowship of his sufferings are more about the ends and not the means; not the fellowship of the suffering itself, but the fellowship of the ends of that suffering; the glory of God and the redemption of these bodies.

3. Waiting

I’ve been reading this book Talent is Overated. And I’ve come to the conclusion that this book is really just a motivational book, backed up with research. The author is trying to convince and proof to the reader that masters and the greats did not necessarily possess some sort of innate talent, but rather they were a product of a lot of real good practice. Most of the great composers, authors, athletes, and such were not particularly good at what they did when they first started. What they did have in common though was that they had extraordinary teachers, and spend extraordinary time in practice, and they endured extraordinary difficulty in their practice. And one of the things that the author brought up, and this was not his orginal thought, was the 10 year rule; that it takes at least 10 years of practice and study before someone becomes exceptionally good at something. If you study the great authors, composers, and athletes, you’ll see that most all of them waited until after 10 years of their profession before they had their great accomplishment. They had much study and much practice and much failure before they hit the big one, so to speak.

So it’s not just groaning and travailing. But it’s also waiting. No. The answer will not come overnight. You’re going to have to wait. I know this doesn’t set well with our modern day fast food approach to everything. We got it have it now now now! I was just talking to my brother the other day about the wonders of FedEx and UPS. Their superior logistics have, in these recent days of Amazon Prime, are just rock solid now. You can get stuff now, where as in the past, it was a little more difficult. Home Depot and Walmart have everything. Just go get it. You can’t afford it? No problem, just charge it. You don’t have credit? Bad credit? No problem. This is contrary to Christianity. Much like I’ve explained regarding this follow your dream mentality. It runs contrary to the teachings of Christ. Instead of gratify yourself, Christ has challenged us to deny ourselves. Instead of pursuing our dreams, we are challenged to bow to His will and not our own.

And we’re going to have to wait. And it’s not just waiting round doing nothing. It’s waiting in the groaning and the travailing. These great authors and composers and athletes, they just didn’t decide to be great one day and wait around for ten years and all of a sudden they were great. No they did 10 years of purposeful practice, diligent study, hard work, uncomfortable disciplines, and after 10 years of that, then came the fruit. I think that we ought to desire to be great Christians. I’m not talking about being great in the eyes of man; but being all that God wants us to be. This book Talent is Overated takes pages and pages and pages and research and study just to say one thing: Practice makes perfect. We ought to practice being great Christians. Do what it takes grow into all that God wants us to be.

Christians have goals. Christians do have gain. And we do grow. But we also wait for it. And it’s not in ease and comfort, but in groaning and travailing. And it’s not once, not twice, but however long it takes. You say, “Man, that’s tough!” It is. Paul told Timothy “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Timothy 2:3) I always think of that song Lester Roloff used to sing:

You took the hand of Jesus, stepped out upon his promise. Yet it seems you have trusted in vain.
The answer you have prayed for, it’s on it’s way and paid for. Hold on a little longer. Hold on.
Hold on a little longer. Hold on a little stronger. The testings of the Lord are pure gold.
He’ll take you through the fire. He’ll burn out the dross and mire. Hold on.

I don’t know more to say to you than. Wait on the Lord. Do what you know to do and wait on the Lord. He will bring it to pass.

Back to the Bondage of Corruption

Now in this present state, this bondage of corruption, is described as a state of groaning, travailing, and waiting. But these three words do not fully describe or explain our state. There’s more to it, for the child of God at least. Let’s read the text again:

Romans 8:22,23 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, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Paul is explaining that the whole world groans and travails for something better, for a better day. And then he says that it’s not just the whole world, it’s the children of God too that groan and travail. But there’s something different about the world and ourselves and it’s those seven words which have the firstfruits of the Spirit. We have the Spirit of God. And I think the emphasis is that even though we have the Holy Spirit, we must endure suffering, and groaning, and travailing. That having the Holy Spirit doesn’t exempt us from these things. But it does make all the difference in the world. We read 2 Corinthians earlier:

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (Here it is) Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (2 Corninthians 5:1-4)

It’s God that has put us in this state. This is a similar thought as being made subject unto vanity. God has subjected us to this condition. This condition of groaning and travailing and waiting. He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God! But it doesn’t stop there. It says “who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit!” Remember I’ve said that hope is the holy matrimony between desire and expectation. We may have a desire to go to heaven, but unless we have a reason to expect to go, then we don’t have a hope. We see that same principle here. God has given us the earnest of the Spirit; and the Spirit is that reason to have an expectation. Without it, we’d be only like the rest of the world, groaning, travailing, and waiting for something better, but having no hope. But we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. We have the sampling of the field, the evidence and expectation of the bountiful harvest. We have the proof that there is something better coming. We have the earnest of the Spirit.  The world has not that. 2 Corinthians goes on to say:

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)

The Holy Spirit gives us confidence in our future; confidence that our current state will someday change; confident that there is coming a day; “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Phillipian 3:16) Confidence that the adoption will take place, that God will redeem of our bodies. It’s the Holy Spirit that gives us this confidence. Without the Holy Ghost, there’d be no go, there’d be no grow, and there’d be no goal. That’s why Paul said, “Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” That’s why he said, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) God has put in us a desire for something better, but he has also put in a reason to expect that something better will come, his Holy Spirit.

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:35-39)

Cast not away therefore your confidence. Can I say this: Even though our bodies may be in a state of corruption, they’re also in a state of confidence. Confident God is not going to forsake what he’s so fearfully and wonderfully made. Confident that God will not forget that which he has so intimately known and sanctified. Confidence to say as Paul has “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

State #2: The Glorious Liberty of the Children of God

There’s two states in the text. The first state is the bondage of corruption. But for the saint of God, in that state there’s hope and confidence and an earnest expectation for the other state, the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God, the adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Ben-Hur said to Messala, “I believe in the past and future of my people.” But Messala answers, “Future? You are a conquered people! You live on dead dreams. You live on the myths of the past. Solomon’s glory is gone. You think it will return? Joshua will not rise again to save you… Nor David.” Do you know what Ben-Hur said? He said,

“You may conquer the land. You may slaughter the people. But that is not the end. We will rise again.”

These old bodies will soon be conquered. They will fail. These frames will fade away. But they will rise again. God asked of Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” God commanded, “Prophecy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.” (Ezekiel 37:3-5) We will rise again. “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.” ((1 Thessalonians 4:16) Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” (John 11:25)

We will rise again. These bodies will be resurrected in immortality. These bodies, whether they’ve been dust for a thousand years, or they’re in the middle of corruption with the worms running through them, or whether they still be kicking, we shall all be changed, and in the twinkling of an eye. By the word of God, upon his breath, we will live again. I’m looking forward to the resurrection. I can’t wait to see the stones rolled back. I can’t wait to see the graves bust wide open. I can’t wait to see the immortal glorious body that God will make for me. I can’t wait to be in it. I can’t wait to realize and experience what this glorious liberty of the children of God will be like. Liberty and freedom from corruption. All our long days we have been subject unto vanity, unto corruption, subject unto death and decay and the curse. Bless the Lord, when Jesus comes to redeem these bodies, we will no longer be subject to that. We’ll be free of that. Free of these corruptible bodies and the fate thereof. We will be delivered from the groaning and travailing and waiting of the bodies that were bound to corruption.

Conclusion

Which brings us to the end of this message. Listen, what happens if you are not delivered from that. What happens if you are not in that adoption. What happens if your body is not redeemed? You will forever groan and travail in pain and wait forever for something that will never come. You will be eternally bound to corruption. In Mark, hell is described three times as “The fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9) You all the passage in the bible about Lazarus and the rich man:

“…the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. (Luke 16:22-26)

There is no deliverance from the pain, from the groanings and travail. And the waiting will never end. There will be no Holy Spirit and no hope for a better day. After a million years of groaning and travailing and torments, you will lift up your eyes and cry “My agony has just begun.”

Do you have the Holy Spirit? Are you saved? That’s the question that the preacher asked the night before I got saved. Preacher Allen asked during the preaching, “Do you have the Holy Ghost living inside of you?” My wife, who had been in church all her life, walked down the aisle that night and got saved. I fell asleep pondering and mulling over that question and the events that had come to pass. I woke up the next morning on the brink of hell. I came to Jesus, a lost sinful wretch, found love and mercy, and got gloriously saved.

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. 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,  (Romans 8:18-20)

As usual, when I first look at the text, I’m really not sure what I’m gonna preach. I don’t see a whole lot. But as I focus in and concentrated and let God speak, there ends up being much more than I can cover or handle or contemplate. I feel wholly inadequate to cover some of the topics here. I look at this text and I see a few words in here that stand out to me. Verse 18. The glory which shall be revealed in us. I see Revelation. Verse 19. I see expectation and manifestation which is revelation so I’ll group those two together. Verse 20. The creature was made subject. Him who hath subjected. I see subjection. Revelation, expectation, and subjection. There’s our three point outline.

Revelation

I know traditionally when we think of the The Revelation, we’re usually talking about the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is for the most part, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Revelation is when Jesus comes riding in.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (Revelation 19:11-13)

But I want to bring you attention to the next verse concerning the Revelation. It says in verse 14, “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”  The bible says in Jude 1:14, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.”

If you are saved… I want you to know that things are gonna change. When the saints go marching in, if you are in that number, you will not go marching in in the same state that you are now. I want you to know that “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump,” We ought to be looking for the Three Shalls: “for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52) And it’s gonna be glorioius! “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.”

Look, I may not know what you’re going through. I may not have been through what you’re going through. I still consider myself pretty young and pretty sheltered. I haven’t lived like some of you have lived. There’s things you’ve suffered and may still be suffering that I’ve never had experience. But there is one thing I know about it. There’s one thing I reckon. And that whatever it is we have to suffer on this earth… whatever it is we have to endure… whatever trials and troubles we face today, tomorrow, on that great getting up morning, it will all be past. It will all be done. It will all be gone. And it will all be nothing compared to the glorious revelation of our eternal state. The glory of God will be as the blinding Sun. Many a cloudy days we have seen, but on that glorious moment that Sun is revealed, and the clouds are driven away, and the muddy grounds and standing water is licked up. Everything is brighter. Everything is fresh and clean.

You say, Preacher are you trying to belittle my sufferings. No, I’m just saying that they are little compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us. I’m just saying we ought to look forward to this Revelation. I mean don’t get too excited now. You only have eternal life. You only got God living in you. You’re only sitting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You’ve only been forgiven of all your sin. You’re only joint-heirs with Christ of his heavenly mansions. I’m saying we got a reason to belittle our own sufferings for a little while.

I know we’re gonna suffer on this earth and in this life. But that’s not all that on our account. Paul said if we suffer with him, we will reign with him. Paul said I reckon. That’s an accounting term. That’s where the word reconcile come from, like when you reconcile your check book? Paul is adding it up. Paul is taking stock. And if you think you’ve suffered, Paul suffered.

…In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (1 Corinithians 11:23-27)

Paul suffered, but he took stock. He added it up. He RECONciled his accounts. He said, “You know I’ve paid a lot of bills on the suffering side of things.. I’ve lost a lot. But Lord, I got a lot coming to me when this is said and done. I’ve got a great inheritance waiting for me. I got a lot stashed away in glory, and it just keeps growing and growing.” Jesus said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven!” Paul looked at his suffering and his loss and said, “It is nothing!”

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yeah doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Look I know we’re going to suffered hardships and trials and temptations. Sometimes we get down in the dumps. I have my episodes. I might not be going through what you’re going through, but I got my moments. I get discouraged. I get down. Just ask Patty. Or come visit me on a Saturday morning when it’s raining. You talk about depression. You talk about the whole house suffering. But when our suffering turns into self-pity, and we become consumed with our sufferings, maybe it’s time to check the heavenly records, amen? Maybe it’s time to do some reconciling. Maybe we need to look at our heavenly bank accounts and remind ourselves what we got coming, what we got stored up.

I got a lot more than I’ve given. I’ve am blessed so much more than I’ve had to lose. We might have to lose some things for Christ in this life. Oh but what we’ve gained in Christ Jesus. I’m telling you the day I met the Lord Jesus Christ, it was the greatest day in my life. Getting saved is the greatest thing to happen to this old sinner. I didn’t deserve his attention. I didn’t do anything to gain his favor. I didn’t do anything that I might endear myself to him. No. God just loves sinners. God just wants to save old sinners. Oh what I’ve gained on account of Christ.

I’ve gained everything! What I lose is nothing compared to what I’ve gained. What I suffer is nothing compared to what I’ve gained. Paul said that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy. Not worthy. That means worthless. They’re worthless compared to what we’ve gained in glory.  Which brings me perfectly to my first and only point about the Revelation.

What is soon to be revealed is now hidden.

Let me say that again: What is soon to be revealed is now hidden. Paul says it’s the glory which shall be revealed “in us.” I’m saying that whatever it is that God is going to reveal when the time right, is already there. The glory that God will reveal in us is already in us. It just can’t be seen. It’s yet to be revealed. It’s hidden.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Now I know the world don’t understand this. And I’m not sure I even do. But my faith is the evidence of that glory that God has given us. Do you remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane? He prayed a prayer. He said, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was…” And Jesus goes on to say, “The glory which thou has gavest me I have given them; that they may be one even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me…”

He said I have given them, not I will give them. I have given them. The glory which shall be revealed in us is already in us. It’s already in us because Jesus put it in there. Can I say this is? The glory is present and accounted for, or should be accounted for. And that corresponds with the first part of the text we’re in right now. Paul says, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. The sufferings of this present time. Not the sufferings of yesterday. Not the sufferings of tomorrow. Paul is not worried about yesterday’s sufferings. He said, “But this one things I do, forgetting those things which are behind… I press toward the mark.” Paul is not worried about tomorrow. He said, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengtheneth me.” So we’re not talking about what happened last year, or what might happen a year from now. We’re talking about right now. Today. This present time. Paul is reckoning his present condition.

He saying that there’s something inside of me this present time. And the hope and expectation of the revelation or the manifestation of this is better and greater more worthy and valuable than any suffering I am presently enduring. When you think of that word revelation, what do you think of? I always think of a magician. He’s got something behind that napkin that he’s gonna let the audience see. I think of the presentation of a portrait. That white sheet hangs over the painting. Whatever is going to be revealed is already there. It’s just covered up right now. It’s behind the veil. When a bride is presented to her husband, she comes veiled. Sometime before the minister pronounces them man and wife, sometime before the husband kisses the bride, that veil is removed. One day this veil of flesh will be removed and what God has prepared for his Son will be revealed to him and all the universe.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53)

We’re going to disrobe from the corruptible. We’re going to throw off the veil of mortality. And what will be revealed is what we believed all along. The bible says that Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. The bible says, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)

O if we can ever get a grasp on that. That God has already sanctified and separated and chosen for his Son the bride. Like the Old Testament story of how Eleazar, Abraham’s servant, had gone and found a wife for his son Isaac. You know the story of how he told God, “Let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for they servant Isaac…” (Genesis 24:14) And how Rebekah came out and met Eleazar and it all came to pass as he had asked God. And she agreed to go with Abraham’s servant. And along the way back home, the Bible says:

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. (Genesis 24:63-65)

Listen, that veil did not change what it concealed. And it did not change the events that would shortly come to pass. The bible says, “Isaac brought her into his mother’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.” And somewhere in that verse that veil was removed. Don’t forget what is behind this veil of flesh; the beautiful, glorious bride of Christ. I know this flesh is an utter failure. And it fails us all the time. We mess up. We let the flesh prevail. Sometimes we wonder if we’ll ever get it right. We get discouraged in the Lord. We give up. We get in sin. But I want to say this: That veil doesn’t change what it conceals. And it doesn’t change the events that will shortly come to pass. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) Right now, the Lord Jesus Christ awaits and lifts his eyes across the fields, and behold, the camels are coming. As sure as I’m breathing those camels are on the move and there’s nothing in heaven or earth that is going to stop them. Not the devil, the world, this flesh, or anything under the sun or above the sun that is going to stop that caravan.

Expectation

Therefore, this brings us to expectation. And I’m already kinda in there. It’s hard to separate these things.

What is soon to be revealed is at this present time hidden. Being hidden doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Being hidden does it mean it isn’t so. Being hidden is still being. It’s still existing. I want to encourage you to believe what I’m telling you. Trust in what the Bible is telling us. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.” Let me get back to what I was saying earlier. Faith is the evidence. This is backwards from what the world believes. The bible is not always logical. The world says that 1 + 1 = 2. But the bible says that 1 + 1 = 1. The Bible says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) One man plus one woman = one flesh. The world says that seeing is believing. If you show me, I’ll believe it. But the bible says, if you believe it, then you’ll see it. At Lazarus grave, Jesus said to roll the stone away, and Martha said, “He stinketh!” But the bible says, “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)

And this is similar. The world says just because you believe something doesn’t prove that it’s so. Believe something to be true is not evidence that it is true. But somehow, in the wisdom of God, faith in God does. Faith is the evidence of thing not seen. Saved folk living by faith proves to the world the things of God. If you want more of the glory of God and the presence of God manifested in your life. If you want more proof of God, then put your trust in him. Believe that what shall be revealed in due time is there already inside of you. Believe that greater is he that is in thee than he that is in the world. I know I’ve talked about this before. Sometimes we wait for that big things to happen to change our life. We go day and day, discontent with our circumstances. We’re waiting for the big day! Oh but if you’ve been saved, the big day has already come and gone. That big change has already taken place inside. And one day God is going to make it all clear. He’s going to take the veil away. He’s going to reveal what’s in us. He’s going to manifest to us and all the sons of God.

So the big change I’m looking for is Philippians 3:20 “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…”  You think about the Lord Jesus Christ, the firstfruits. 1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” 1 Corinthians 15:23 “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Christ is the ensample, the firstfruits. The firstfruits tell us what the main harvest is going to be like. Jesus was glory robed in flesh. Jesus was the King of Kings hidden from man. Paul said, “None of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:8-9) The Lord of glory robed in flesh. And the servant is not above his master. Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. I am “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13) I’m looking for the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only will the Lord Jesus Christ be revealed, but the glory in us shall also be revealed. Or shall I say, unleashed, no longer to be hidden and subdued by the flesh. Amen.

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” Can I just say this: Faith allows me to expect the revelation or the manifestation. I always joke with my wife that there’s some people out there that don’t give out invitations, they give out expectations. Some of you will get that. Expectation is a faith that something will happen in the future. Expectation is to count on it. Expectation is to prepare for it. Expectation is to wait for it. We’re not invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. We’re expected. Invitations are for sinners. Saints are expected. In a lot of bibles, there’s a little definition reference on that word creature. And you look it up and it says creation. Paul is meaning that the entire creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Jesus is the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the earth. It’s as if God did not provide a lamb for a sinful man, but instead provided man for the Lamb. Creation was created for the Lord Jesus Christ. The bible says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principlalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” (Colossians 1:16) The bible says “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:3,4) All of creation, all of mankind, is on a crash course for the Revelation. All of creation has pressed toward this day. I’ve heard it and read it. That the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most prophesied event in the Bible. From Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses to David to Paul, creation has been waiting for this day. It is the earnest expectation of the creation. I was looking for definitions of earnest. It means committed. It means staid. You ever heard that expression. Stay the course!

Like I said before, right now, the Lord Jesus Christ awaits and lifts his eyes across the fields, and behold, the camels are coming. As sure as I’m breathing those camels are on the move and there’s nothing in heaven or earth that is going to stop them. Not the devil, the world, this flesh, or anything under the sun or above the sun that is going to stop that caravan. No. the course is staid. The commitment has been made since the foundation of the world. How do we wait for the blessed coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? And this is where I’m headed. How do we wait? To expect the manifestation of the sons of God is to believe in the sons of God. Does waiting on the Lord Jesus mean to just sit around and do nothing. Sit on the couch and read a magazine like you do in a waiting room. Or does waiting on the Lord Jesus mean to serve and work and live for the Lord Jesus Christ? But see, you’re only going do what you believe and trust to be so.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered the house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:12,13)

You’re only going to do what you believe and trust to be so. To expect the manifestation, the revelation, of the sons of God, is to know and believe and trust that you are son of God. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) We ARE the children of God. “But as many as received him, to them gave he POWER to become the sons of God…” (John 1:12) “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that worketh in us..” (Ephesians 3:20) Does that power dwell inside of you. Or let me ask you this: Do you believe that it does?

Subjection

I have to leave that there and move on to the last topic: Subjection. Verse 20 says, “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.” Made subject and hath subjected brings us to this topic of subjection. Subjection has through the years has been used as a war term or a political term. The Israelites were put under subjection of the Egyptians. You have a king and his subjects. The subjects are under subjection of the king. To subject means to bring under control or jurisdiction. So with that understanding we look at this verse.

The creature or the creation was made subject to vanity. Now vanity comes from the word vain. And vain means useless and futile. So mankind was made subject or brought under control of uselessness and futility. The bible says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were no redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.” (1 Peter 1:18) We need to understand that vanity and corruption is wholly the same thing. Mankind is brought under the control, subjected to, the uselessness and futility of corruptible things. Corruption and death is the king. Corruption and death is in control of man. Vanity denotes mortality and corruption. I know a lot of times we hear the word vanity, and we think about that little girl in the Charlie Brown cartoons looking at the mirror at her perfect curls. It’s funny. But there’s nothing funny about corruption and death. When Solomon says, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” He’s saying that all is corrupted. All is useless and worthless and futile and will end in death!

Vanity is the disregard for what is worthwhile, what is truly valuable. There is an eternal purpose for our souls. There is an immortal plan and purpose for each and everyone of us. Vanity is to turn from that. Vanity is to ignore it, to disregard it, to spurn the plans of God and spite them. If all our life is focused around the temporal, the flesh, the material things of man, and the few years that we live on this earth, then truly we are subject to vanity, under dominion of corruption and mortality.

But I want you to see this: “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly…” Not willingly. Not willingly. This means that it was not our choice. It was not our idea. It was not in our power to grant this or deny this. I know we have to explain and teach about the fall of man. And we sometimes blame the devil. We blame Adam and Eve. I know they all had their part in the fall of man, but know this: That’s it is God Almighty that sits on the throne. It was God Almighty that decreed, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of they life!” It was God Almighty that drove out the man; and placed cherubims and a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life. For the create was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of HIM who hath subjected the same in hope. Him is God. It was God that put the creation under subjection. Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy the both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Only God has the power to either grant or deny this. It’s his will, not mine.

Not willingly. The creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly. Now I understand the free will of man. Man has a will. But is wasn’t my choice to eat the fruit of tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It wasn’t my choice to be cursed. It wasn’t my choice to work and sweat and toil all the days of my life in sorrow. It was Adam and Eve, not me. The bible says that “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similtude of Adam’s transgression.” (Romans 5:14) I didn’t sin after the similitude of Adam’s transgression. I didn’t do what Adam did. It wasn’t my will to be plagued into corruption and sin. It wasn’t my will to be made subject to vanity. That wasn’t my choice. And you might have a gripe with God if that was the end of the matter, but it’s not. It might not have been your choice to be made subject to vanity (not willingly). But it is your choice if you decide to stay subject to vanity. It might not have been your will to be subject to sin and the wages of sin. But if you choose to die in your sin, you will do so on your own free will. God has made us an offer. “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

God is HIM, him that hath subjected. It is God that has subjected us, put this creation under the power of vanity. There is a certain sense of relief knowing and accepting that it’s God that has put us in this fix. I believe that knowing and accepting this can help us understand that it’s God that will deliver us from it. When a person gets saved and accepts the gift of God, he must first accept that the wages of sin is death. To receive the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, you gotta receive the bad news first. “They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” (Matthew 9;12) I believe that the essence of knowing that you are a sinner is knowing that God is sovereign, just, and holy. To know your sin is to be acquainted with the holiness of God and the power and authority of God. To know you are a sinner is to humble yourself before the mighty hand of God.

Of course verse 20 doesn’t end there. “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. God has subject mankind, his creation, to vanity. But he has also subjected creation to hope. We are cursed by vanity, yet we are saved by hope. Romans 8:24 says very plainly, “For we are saved by hope!” And the same rules apply. Subjection is subjection. Hope has subdued us. Hope is in control. We are brought under the power of hope. And hope will conquer vanity.

I’ve used this before. I was given an illustration of hope. Hope is the holy matrimony between desire and expectation. You may have a desire to go to heaven, a desire to be rid of the curse of sin, a desire to be freed from the subjection of vanity. But if you don’t have a reason to expect what you desire, then you don’t have a hope. My reason is his reason. He said let us reason together. The creature was made subject to vanity by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. He has a reason to subject us to vanity. He has a reason to subject us to hope. And his reason is my reason to expect what I desire.

Conclusion

Revelation, Expectation, and Subjection. This subjection of hope gives me an expectation for the revelation of the glory in me. By what authority do we hope for that revelation? by what authority do we hope and wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the same authority that has subjected us to vanity. The authority of God and the power of God.

Romans 8;24 says, “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? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” Let me read that first verse again, “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.” Hope that is seen is not hope. Colossians 1:26,27 “The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I want to try to put this together. The hope of glory, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the revelation of glory, the manifestation of the sons of God, the future, the things to come – they should affect what the bible calls this present time, particularly the sufferings of this present time. What is it that you’re suffering? Is it more than what is in you? Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Do you believe that?

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. (Genesis 24:63-65)

The journey might be long and it might be rough, but like Rebekah did, lift up your eyes to the horizon and see that there’s somebody that waits for you, somebody that has long awaited to remove the veil. Lift up your eyes above the fields. Do you know what those fields represent?

“…cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt 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; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Those fields represent all the toils and hardships of this life, all the sweating, the thorns and thistles that we encounter on this road. Look above all that this present time. It’s only temporary. Look above all that into eternity. Take your eyes this present time off the fields and see what lie on the other side of that field. Look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, the lover of your soul. For a moment in time as Isaac looked across the fields and saw the caravan coming, Rebekah also lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac waiting. For a moment in time they, though they be a field away, locked eyes together, waiting and hoping and anticipation the blessed day they would be together.

One day soon we’ll meet the lover of our soul and the veil will be moved. We shall see him face to face. Bless his holy name!

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 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. Romans 8:17-18

We spent some time last time we were together in the beatitudes of Matthew regarding this matter of suffering with him. And we spoke alot about the suffering of persecution. And we made a distinction between trials and tribulations that are common to man, and trials and tribulations that are common to Christ, and to all that will live godly in Christ Jesus. And we really just touched the surface.

The fellowship of His sufferings…

I want to take the time to explain something before we begin. I always want to strive for my doctrine to be sound. I don’t want to just come up here and tell you what I think and get things all jumbled up. I’d rather preach the doctrines of the Bible the best I can and let the Holy Ghost do his work depositing the word into the hearts of man, woman, and child. I must. For I surely cannot speak to your soul and spirit. But God can.

Now I know we talked alot about persecution; how that Christ was persecuted first. Therefore, his children will also be persecuted. How that they hated him first before they hated us. Now I know there is a certain sense which we spoke about in which we can suffer with Christ concerning persecution. We talked about how Paul said that I may know the fellowship of his sufferings. But I want to put the brakes here. I don’t want to go off the deep end. Or at least I don’t want anybody think I’m going off the deep end. There is a fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. I believe that the life of the martyr, the life of the persecuted Church most definitely is part of that. That is an aspect of the sufferings of Christ we covered last time we preached.

The substitutionary sufferings of Christ…

But there is an aspect Christ sufferings, that we cannot have fellowship. I guess we can call this the substitutionary sufferings of Christ. Christ suffered all hell, for all sin, for all sinners. We cannot do that. If we did, we would simply be just another dead sinner with no power to pull ourselves out from death as Christ did. Jesus was the only one that could suffer in this manner. Jesus is the only lamb without blemish. Jesus is the anointed one; the chosen vessel of our salvation. Jesus, when it came to the sufferings of the cross, suffered alone. There were two that were crucified along side him, but all they suffered was the cruelty of man, the pain of the flesh, the pangs of death. Jesus suffered all that, but he also suffered all hell, for all sin, for all sinners.

What Christ did on the cross, we cannot do. We cannot have fellowship in his sufferings in that manner. Yes Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. As it pertains to the salvation of our souls we can however know the fellowship of his sufferings as a benefactor. We can however go along for the ride. We can be thoroughly affected in his sufferings. Paul said:

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death… Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:3,6-7

We can indeed enter into the fellowship of his sufferings and know them by, as the bible says, baptism; not water baptism like almost every other denomination teaches, but by baptism into his death. Paul said I am crucified with him. So as it pertains to salvation we can know the fellowship of his sufferings if we’re talking about the sufferings of the cross as a benefactor. We can partake of the benefits of them; a benefactor, but we cannot do them or repeat them. No. Nobody suffered like Jesus suffered.

The Suffering of Christ Before Gethsemane…

One thing to consider regarding the sufferings of Christ is that His sufferings did not begin at Gethsemane. You know I’m always amazed around “Easter” time, around Resurrection Day, that so little is spoken about his Resurrection. You look on Facebook during Easter and there’s a zillion memes that say He is Risen! Praise the Lord. But what else can we say about it? You go to church or a typical church that’s putting on a play, and they’ll spend 55 minutes on the suffering and the crucifixion and five minutes on the resurrection. I’m just saying… I’m not complaining.

The garden. The sweat drops of blood. The passion. But Christ’s suffering did not begin amidst the garden of Gethsemane.

1) He Suffered in His Birth…

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death…” Hebrews 2:9

Jesus, the Son of God, to whom angels prostrate fall, was made a little lower than angels. Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, reduced to just flesh and bones. All of heaven falls down before him and worships him. The angels, the cherubims and seraphims, the four beasts, the twenty four elders; they all bow down and declare to him Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. The bible says that all things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made. Yet he left his throne. The creator humbled himself under the creation. The bible says He…

“Made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself…” Phillipians 2:7,8

Jesus suffered in His birth. The King of all creation made to be a little babe in wrapped in swaddling clothes. The Holy God Almighty lying in a manger, yet also wrapped in the sinful flesh of Adam.

“God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…” Romans 8:3

The bible says “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Listen, he wasn’t made sin at Calvary. He was made sin in the womb of the virgin Mary. He was made sin for us in His birth. Holiness, divinity, and glory clothed in sinful flesh. Jesus suffered in His birth.

We can never do what Jesus did? Jesus was touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He was in all points tempted like as we are. But not the other way. We will never touch the feelings that Jesus felt when he left his throne. In this point, we will never be tempted as he. Like the sustitutionary sufferings of Christ, we will never know the suffering that Christ endured in his birth.

2) He Suffered in His Society…

You think about what the people probably said about him. We believe that he was born from a virgin’s womb. Well, they didn’t believe that back then. What did people say about him? What did people say about his mother? I wonder if Jesus could hear the whispers behind their back. “There goes that promiscuous women and theat illegitimate child. There goes the bastard child.” He was looked down upon and scorned because of his irregular birth. Jesus sufferings did not begin at Gethsemane. When they brought that woman before him that was taken in the very act of adultery, and they threw her at Jesus feet and all picked up stones to stone her, Jesus knelt down and wrote something on the ground. I wonder if he thought of his mother, how that could have been her. I wonder as he saw the condemning faces around him, did he think about the looks that people used to give him.

3) He Suffered in His Family…

There is one passage in the John where the disciples are urging Jesus to go into Judea instead of the feast of tabernacles in Galilee, because his life was at risk there.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. (John 7:1-5)

His brothers, the ones that grew up with him: James, Joses, Juda, and Simon; members of his own house. Neither did his brethren believe him. Jesus suffered in His family

4) He Suffered in His Friends…

Yes Jesus had friends. He wasn’t a loner and a recluse. He had friends, but even his friends forsook him.  When Jesus was casting out devils and healing sick folk, the bible says this: “And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.” (Mark 3:20-21) That’s right, his friends thought he was crazy. Jesus suffered in His friends.

5) He Suffered in His Hometown…

Jesus suffered in his hometown. Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee and one of the first places he went to was his hometown of Nazareth.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, (Luke 4:16-30)

His own city of Nazareth; his hometown. He suffered in his own hometown. The people he knew and grew up with. The bible says that he came unto his own and his own recieved him not. We usually think of Israel as a whole and it was Israel as a whole that recieved him not. But it was first his own hometown that led the way. He had just come out of the wilderness where he was tempted of the devil. He was filled with the Spirit and began his public ministry in his hometown, and they were the first to reject him.

6) He Suffered in His Preaching…

When Jesus preached on his body and his blood, not all the disciples stuck around after that. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life…” The bible says, “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”

We know the twelve stuck with him all the way to Gethsemane, but there were alot that didn’t. The bible goes on to say, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” Jesus suffered in His preaching.

7) He Suffered in the Upper Room…

As he sat with them and ate with them, and looming thoughts of Calvary came before him, he broke bread with the one that would betray him. He dipped his bread in the same sop in which his betrayer would dip his bread. And even after he united them together in the Lord’s supper, the bible says “And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.” Jesus suffered in the upper room.

Jesus suffering did not begin in Gethsamane. Now some of these we might be able to know, some maybe not. But I will say this. Nobody suffered like Christ suffered.

What truly are the sufferings of Christ…

But see, Paul was already saved. He was already crucified with Christ. He had already partaken of and had knowledge of the sufferings of Christ. Why then did he say that I may know the fellowship of his sufferings? He had already also experienced much persecution. What sufferings are you talking about Paul? What truly is the fellowship of his sufferings mean? Or for that matter, what does the power of his resurrection and being made conformable unto his death really mean? And even if we truly know what it means, do we have experiential knowledge, that which Paul the Apostle desired and yearned for? He said:

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 3:13,14

I mean if Paul hadn’t apprehended, then surely there’s more in this Christian life to apprehend than we’ve apprehended already. Paul said I’m reaching forth unto those things which are before. What are those things which are before? He said I’m pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God… What is that prize? That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings.

Let me go back to our scripture: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 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. Romans 8:17-18

There’s a whole other suffering that Jesus did or does undergo. And I believe this we may suffer with him? Jesus suffered in the presence of sin and sinners. Jesus was just as much God as God was God. He was just as holy and divine as the Father and the Holy Ghost. And God hates sin. And we ought to hate sin. We ought to abhor that which is sinful as God abhors that which is sinful. We ought to loath wickedness and pride and evil as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit loaths it. But we have to remember that nobody hates sin like Jesus hated sin. Jesus hated sin so much that he suffered all these things we covered, and then on top of that, the sufferings of the cross: the betrayal, the unjust trial, the spit, the slap, the cat-of-nine tails, 9 x 39 stripes, the weight of the cross, the crown of thorns, the nails in his hands, the hour of darkness, and the wrath of God. Nobody hated sin like Jesus hated sin. Jesus hate for sin burned as hot as his love for sinners.

God commendeth his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God didn’t just show his lover for sinners at Calvary, but he also showed his hate for sin. I believe that the suffering of Christ is the love of sinners. Just like nobody hated sin like Jesus, nobody has ever loved sinners like Jesus did. I believe that if we could just walk in the Spirit, we could enter in to the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ Jesus. To suffer is to love.

Romans 8:15-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

I still want to spend a little time on this idea of being led of God, particularly led by the Spirit of God. I want to mention again that this ties us all the way back to verse 1 where Paul says that there is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. To walk after the Spirit is to be led of the Spirit. To be led of the Spirit is to yield yourself, your members, to Him. Yet the Holy Spirit does not lead you to condemnation, but rather to freedom, liberty, righteousness, the things of the Spirit, the new life in Christ Jesus, into truth. There’s nothing negative or undesirable or dreadful about yeilding to the Spirit. He’s not trying to lead us into something bad, but something good.

Contrast of the Spirits

Which brings me to my first point: The Contrast of the Spirits. Paul says that we have not received the spirit of bondage, but rather we have received the Spirit of adoption. For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are led away from condemnation, away from bondage, away from sin, away from the law of sin and death, away from the wrath, the anger, and emnity of God. Think of the Holy Spirit as the administrator of your adoption.

Ephesians 1:12-14 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye 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.

Sealed. That means marked. That means stamped. That means the transaction is complete. Sealed means closed. The deal is done. The paper work is complete.

 2 Corinthians 1:21,22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

The earnest of the Spirit. The earnest is the down payment. The down payment, or the earnest money, is what the buyer puts down as a promise to return and complete the deal and take possession. He said “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the the redemption of the purchased possession.”

Right now, I’m in the process of purchasing the adjacent 5 acres to my property. You see, what I did is I put down some earnest money. And I the buyer signed a contract. And in that contract it explains that earnest was given for this sale. And the seller also signs the contract. Then this contract goes to the title company along with the earnest money. And title company puts their little stamp on there, their little seal; which means this is done deal. Both parties have agreed to the price, terms, and things like that.

Now what’s happening? The seller is relinquishing ownership of that land. And the buyer which is me is gaining the ownership of that property. And I want to say this. These things take some time. You have to wait before you can take full possession. That title company is going to do some research and see that everything is in order and is as they seller says it is. Can I say this? The title company is going to prove the contract. The title company is going to research and find out if any other person or entity have a claim on that property. They want to see if the title is clear. Sometimes, there’s things that must be worked out before ownership can be transferred.

And this is what happens in an adoption. There is a transfer of sonship; of ownership. Before you were saved, your father was the devil. You master was Satan. You were a slave and a son to sin. But when God saved you, when he found you, and picked you up out of the miry clay and set your feet upon the solid rock, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. You were given the earnest of the Spirit. God has put the transfer of ownership in motion and has promised to finish what he’s started. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Understand that if the buyer fails to complete the transaction, he loses the earnest money. That’s how a contract works. God is not going to lose his Holy Spirit. And there is no 10 day bail out option in the contract. God is not going to bail out of this deal. No, The deal has been made, signed in the blood of Jesus Christ. Remember the Israelites in the wilderness. They said, “We want out! We want to go back to Egypt!” God said “No, Israel is going to the promised land.”

And now we wait until the title company does it’s work. Or can I say this? We wait for the administrator of this adoption to work. Remember, the title company is now going to prove the contract. They’re going to investigate and see if there are any liens on this property. Let me ask you this? Are there any liens on your soul? What else out there has a claim on you? I remember years ago, there was another property down the road, 8 acres, that was for sale, and I really wanted that one. It had been out there on the market for sale for over a year, but it couldn’t get sold.

It turns out that those people that owned it couldn’t sell it. They had too many liens on the property. They owed money to certain creditors and these creditors staked a claim on that property because either they weren’t getting paid, or they wanted some insurance or collateral for the money that those people owed them. And I remember I got kinda peaved and was thinking, “Come on! How much do these people owe?” And I wondered was there someway to work that into the contract. The money of the sale would be contracted to go to their creditors. So I was very curious as to how much money was holding up this sale. I mean, could I just go pay it? Was it $1000 bucks? what?

Can I say this? Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Sin had left it’s crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. Sometimes I wonder if the things we go through in this life are just the searching of the Holy Ghost trying to find those claims on our soul, whatever they may be. He’ll find them and bring them to our attention and then wash them away in the blood of Jesus Christ. Do you see how these things might take some time?

Yes, the deal is done. Yes the earnest is given. Yes the contract is sealed. But the closing date has not yet arrived. But every minute we are drawing closer and closer to that day. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) The Holy Spirit of adoption will lead us through this performance. The bible says, “Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23)

So when we got saved, we were given the Spirit of adoption, yet we are waiting for the the adoption. Can you see how that adoption is not just once instantaneous event. You think about even adoption in our midst. You think about these children who get adopted. How long does it take for that child to fully realize their new standing? How long does it take before that child trusts his new parents? How long does it take before that child obeys and fully loves his new parents? It may take some time.

Every minute the Holy Spirit leads you, every step the the Holy Spirit guides you, brings you closer and closer to the Father, closer and closer to the adoption, closer and closer to glory, closer and closer to the heaven of heavens, to the mansions, the crystal sea, the tree of life, and the throne of God. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who are led by the Spirit of God; not the spirit of bondage. The spirit of bondage will not lead you in that direction. The contrast of the Spirits. This is the essence of the leading of the Spirit. God is preparing us for the glorious things to come.

The Encouragement of the Spirit

We see this also in the next verse, verse 16. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” This is equivalent to when Jesus told his disciples, “He will guide you into all truth…” And this is the great truth we must realize by the power of His Spirit, that we are the children of Almighty God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the son of God!” What does it mean to be a child of God? Aside from what it took for us to be a child of God, what does it mean?

In other words, aside from the great love wherewith God has loved us, aside from the fact that God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, what does it mean to be a child of God. The bible says that to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. To become a child of God means so much. This power was given to us at a great price; His only begotten son. This power was given to us by a great move of the Holy Spirit in our life, to bring us to a place of repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. To become a child of God, to be born into the family of God, is the greatest thing to happen to this poor lost sinner.

To become a child of God is one thing, but to BE a child of God is another. And after we’re saved, this is what the Holy Spirit helps us to be. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God!” God wants to tell us and show us and demonstrate to us our standing, our sonship, our position in Christ Jesus. To be a child of God is to be highly favored of God. What parent does not favor his child? The reality is that a child is the apple of his parents eye. A father loves his children above all things. And he’ll do everything he can to provide for them, to protect them, to teach them, and to care for them.

I think the liberals would disagree with me on this, but I’m not working everyday, getting up early, driving 40 minutes back and forth to Corpus, racking my brain, and running a business for some other person’s child. I’m doing for MY children, not somebody else’s. I’m sorry, but I was made in the image of God the Father. And God the Father has children. And his children are the object of God’s affections and care. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place FOR YOU!” Those mansions are for his children, not the devil’s children. The riches of heaven are for his children. The affections of the Father are for his children. The provisions and protection that God affords are for his children.

I came across this verse the other day, Deuteronomy 3:22 “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.”

I find it amazing that in this day in age where people can’t believe there’s a place of everlasting torment, a place of judgment, a place called hell, that in this verse at least, there may be more than one hell. It goes also with the territory though, that in people’s ignorance and contempt for God’s judgment, there also lies an obliviousness and disdain for God’s love. Consider these scriptures:

God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: (1 John 4:16,17)

Notice the phrase God is love and the phrase the day of judgment are in the same thought here? God’s wrath is as thorough as His love. Both will reach down into the furthest depths. The Bible says that “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

God’s anger shall burn unto the lowest hell. But God’s love will shine through the highest heaven. “Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee…” (1 Kings 8:27) Paul said that he knew a man that was “caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Corinthians 12:2) Even the third heaven cannot contain the love of God. And if there’s a fourth or a fifth heaven, God’s love will deliver us there and beyond.

“This life is but the threshold of our existence, — a breath; we gasp once here and live forever.” Edward D. Griffin.

The wrath of God and the love of God will both extend into and baptize our immortal existence with such an intense reality it will make our time here on earth but a brief figment of our imagination. How low is the lowest hell? John said, “I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and great chain in his hand.” (Revelation 20:1) The lowest hell? Where he who falls in will sink deeper and deeper into misery yet never find the bottom. He’ll look back at the first million years of torment and say “My agony has just begun.”

Yet how high is the highest heaven? “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Romans 5:20) The Psalmist said, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell… Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:10,11) O that we might realize now, today, here on this earth, what Paul spoke of, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)

I know that there is somewhat of a mystery concerning our future. For John has said “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” (1 John 3:2) Paul said, “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.” (Romans 8:18) Yes, it truly says in the scriptures as Paul quotes, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

But Paul has also said, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10) Just as God can open the eyes of a lost man so that he can see the wretched state of one’s soul, he can also reveal to the saints of God the blessed state their eternal soul. “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2:6)

If a fire is kindled in God’s anger unto the lowest hell, then what is born in God’s love unto the highest heaven? Elisha prayed, ” LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw…” (2 Kings 6:17) Would God show us those great and mighty things?

The Bible says of Stephen, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55,56)

“Did I not say to you that if you should believe, you will see the glory of God?” Jesus, (John 11:40)

John said, “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God…” (Revelation 21:10,11)

Would we pray today as the Psalmist said, “Open thou mine eyes…” (Psalm 119:18) Would the Holy Spirit bear witness with our spirit, (reveal unto us by his Spirit) that we are the beloved children of God; the benefactors, recipients, of his love, his glory, his power. Bless his holy name. We are the sons of God. And by his Spirit, we are led into this love. Spirit of God will lead us into the manifestation of this glorious reality, this truth of God’s amazing grace, this realization of your highly-favored standing in Christ Jesus. To be led of the Spirit is to learn these things.

Things of the Spirit

You remember, many months ago, we spend several weeks on the Things of the Spirit. The further I go along in this study I see in the word of God more and more the working of the Holy Spirit. I see more things of the Spirit. And I realize what a poor job I did on the Things of the Spirit. I see another one here is this passage. Verse 17, the first part: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God; and joint-heirs with Christ…” This is list is just an extension to verse 16. The Holy Spirit bears witness, that we are the children of God. Not just children of God, but to that heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.

Do you know what it means to be an heir? It means that we are legally entitled to the property of another. We are an inheritor or a benefactor. This means, there is coming a day, when God the Father will bestow upon us that which is his. We talk about minding the things of the Spirit. Well, this is just one more thing we should mind. And in minding this, is great reward, great peace. We are heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but sometimes we need to hear this again. Come Monday, we’re going to have a celebration of life. We’re going to honor Angela there at the Funeral Home. All the preparations are being made. I see the texts going back and forth as people volunteer to help, make arrangements and plans for tomorrow. Who’s gonna sing. The food. The pall bearers. All this has to be figured out. But in all this, I didn’t see or hear of one person arrange for the U-Haul truck so Angela can take all her stuff here on earth with her. Did anybody catch that? Whose driving the U-Haul? Angela has gone on to glory with nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. For that’s what makes you a child of God, the blood of the Father’s only begotten child of God. His blood makes you his heir, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.

With the blood of Jesus Christ, you’ll obtain the inheritance of Jesus Christ. We need nothing from this earth because we’ll gain everything in heaven. Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!” I think about Angela and this disease of cancer that she had been struggling with for so long. You know you hear a lot of times when someone dies of cancer that “After a ten year battle with cancer, so-and-so has finally succumbed to the disease” as if they the disease has won and the person has lost. I can agree with that if we’re talking about someone who is lost and doesn’t know Jesus. But for the saints of God, I cannot go along with that. Angela has succumbed to nothing. Angela was not defeated. Angela was not the loser. She might have left the body for a little while, but she was gonna do that anyway, and God’s gonna change that in a twinkling of an eye.

Death for the saint is not the loss of life, but rather the promised inheritance of God; to be a permanent member of the household of God;to enjoy together with your joint-heir Jesus Christ the blessings of the Father; to have what Jesus has, to live where Jesus lives, and most of all to see Jesus face to face. Jesus, when he prayed in that garden he prayed the Father that we’d be given the glory which was given him. When he spoke of those mansions that he was going to prepare, he said, “That where I am, ye may be also.” Just as death had no hold on Jesus, death has no hold on his saints. Jesus said, “I am the ressurection and the life… whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die! Believest thou this?”

We say we believe this. But do we believe it in deed? Do we live this truth? What are talking about preacher? Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) Have you ever heard that expression, “His heart is just not in it?” Can the world say that about us?

Can it look at us and look at our life, the things we do, the things we buy, the things we say, the places we go, the things we say, the thinks we think; and can they say, “This guy’s heart is just not here, it’s a in a far and distant land, beyond the sea, beyond the stars.” Where is your heart? I like my little ranchito. It’s gonna be increased from 10 to 15 acres soon and I’m looking forward to cleaning it up and doing things. But I’ll literally trade that land in a heart beat when my time is come for the blessed promised land of God, Zion, and a new heaven and a new earth, bless the Lord. I won’t have a stinking ditch running through my property, but instead the blessed, holy crystal river will run through it.

Oh, how we need to get heaven on our minds. That’s what being led of the Spirit will do. He’ll bear witness that we are heirs, heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ. He’ll make it more real to us our inheritance. We’ll be drawn away from this world and the things of this world, and our heart will be where our treasure is in heaven. And like the song says, “I’ve got more to go to heaven for than I did yesterday…” Now I’m not saying to neglect your earthly duties. But I am saying that being led by the Spirit into these truths will affect how you do your earthly duties.