SERMON TITLE: The Assurance of Hope
TEXT: Romans 8:23-25 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 8/29-30/20
You can watch the sermon here.
It’s great to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us in person at one of our Findlay campuses or are worshipping with us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
So this is our last week in the book of Romans for this year. I believe this is our tenth sermon in the eighth chapter of Romans and we’re only halfway done. When we return to this chapter — next year — we’ll have another 10 sermons to go. And 20 sermons — by the way — is the most I’ve preached out of any chapter in the Bible. And the reason for so many sermons from one chapter is because — as I’ve said before — this chapter is important — not just in Romans — but this is one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible.
So let’s turn to our passage for today.
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Romans chapter 8. We’ll be looking at verses 23-25.
And while you’re finding Romans chapter 8, with this being our last sermon in Romans what’s coming up next? We’re headed back to the book of Acts. Acts — the story of the early church — is another book that we’re going through together as a church and we’ll be picking it up — in chapter 11 — right where we left off last year. So if you want to familiarize yourself with the book of Acts, this week would be a great time to do so.
Now hopefully you’ve found Romans chapter 8. We’re beginning in verse 23.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:23-25 ESV)
“Live your best life.” That’s a phrase used as a hashtag on social media for when people post a picture of themselves doing something they equate with “living their best life.” Now I googled the hashtag — and given the pandemic — there weren’t a lot of fancy vacation pictures, not too many new sports car photos, or eating out at five star restaurants. But here were two things I did come across — two quotes tagged with the hashtag “Live your best life.”
“Live your life...before life leaves you.” ( https://www.instagram.com/p/CDJOyvNlPke/) That’s the first quote. The second is titled “How to Win at Life: Step 1. Let people do what they need to do to make them happy, mind your own business, and do what you need to do to make you happy. The end.” (https://www.instagram.com/p/CDL3A8BJ26C/)
Now these may sound like pretty innocent philosophies of life to you. But these examples illustrate a kind of thinking in our day — that life is now or never — and what’s most important is for you to do what makes you happy — now! Which sounds great until what makes you happy is abandoning your spouse and kids. Or sleeping around with a bunch of guys or gals before marriage, which leaves you with regrets once you are married. Or finding yourself addicted to drugs or alcohol or pornography. Sometimes “living your best life” leads to destructive behaviors because they’re quick and easy — cheap substitutes — that require zero effort and no patience.
And what’s somewhat baffling is how life — now — ends up being wasted — for many — in the pursuit of living their best life now. And life now is important. But the best life for you and me — and for all people — comes by way of something that’s lacking in our world today — patience.
And — even for the Christian — we have to be careful as we live our present lives — to not get so caught up in “living our best life now” that we end up doing things that we know displease the One who loves us and has made our best life possible. It’s easy to think, “Well God’s going to fix everything anyway, so it doesn’t really matter if I ____” fill in the blank with something you know that Jesus had to die for. But it’s tempting — for all of us — to live this way — especially given how popular this approach to life is in our culture.
It’s tempting for seasoned Christians to get caught up in trying to “live our best life” now. We can feel the pressure from the people we work with or our classmates at school — that we’re gonna miss out on those special moments in life if we don’t start doing what makes us happy now. I love what one pastor and author said. He writes, “We do not pass our peaks in this life. The best is yet to come. Missed opportunities will be replaced by billions of new and better opportunities. . . . Don’t wait until you die to believe that. Believing it now will change how you think, how you view the people around you, and what you do with your time and money, which are really God’s.” (Randy Alcorn, “C.S. Lewis on Heaven and the New Earth: God’s Eternal Remedy to the Problem of Evil and Suffering,” 2013 Desiring God National Conference, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/c-s-lewis-on-heaven-and-the-new-earth-gods-eternal-remedy-to-the-problem-of-evil-and-suffering, Accessed July 10, 2020.)
For the Christian, trying to live your best life now is fruitless because your best life is still to come — so be patient.
Others of us are conflicted because patience — and waiting for God’s best life for us — can feel so boring — especially when others are doing what makes them happy. And you worry if your patience is going to cause you to miss out on life. But as pastor Chuck Swindoll has said, “True patience is waiting without worry.” Do you believe that God has what’s best in store for you? Then trust him with your life now and your life that is to come.
For others — your problem with waiting and being patient — isn’t that you’re bored — it’s how patience makes you feel powerless and vulnerable. You want some sort of control over your life and you feel the tension of how following Jesus means giving up control. As one pastor has said, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.” (G. Campbell Morgan) And if someone else is giving the commands — well — then you’re not the one in charge.
So if you’re new to the Christian faith — if you haven’t been following Jesus very long — know that this is a struggle for you whether you realize it or not — it’s a struggle for all of us. Patience — we say it’s a virtue — but our culture doesn’t act like it is.
Think of the things we have no patience for.
Patience is a virtue — except when it isn’t. But as Christians, following Jesus makes patience — not just a virtue — but necessary. For rarely is God’s timing our timing. But the wait for God’s timing is always worth it. Especially when it comes to waiting for the day when we will live our best lives.
“Live your life...before life leaves you.” “Let people do what they need to do to make them happy, mind your business, and do what you need to do to make you happy.” That’s it, right?
No that isn’t it. The Christian faith challenges this way of thinking by showing us that God’s people are to wait patiently — with hope — for the eternal day when we will “live our best life.” And as we wait — with patience and hope — we see how life now is important — but our best life is still to come. Thus we live now with an expectant incompleteness — an optimistic sorrow — a groaning of assurance — where we live patiently with hope for our best life to begin.
Paul says it this way in our verses. In verse 24 he says, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25 ESV)
We hope for what we do not see and we wait for it with patience. What are we hoping and waiting for? Our best life. Some are trying to make their best life happen in this world that’s under a curse — in bodies that are dying. But we Christians set our hope on things not seen. A Savior we do not see, but believe in. And a best life that we groan for, but yet do not experience.
So what I want us to do is look at two things we groan for — what does this “best life” look like for God’s people — and then we’ll look at the guarantee that our groaning will come to an end. So two things we groan for as we groan for our “best lives” to be lived — and a guarantee that our groaning is not in vain — it will come to an end.
Now the first thing we groan for is to be completely free from the curse. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re to be someone who groans — who longs to be free from the curse we currently experience. Back to verse 23.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23 ESV)
Now if you remember from last week — all of creation is groaning. That’s why Paul begins verse 23 with, “And not only the creation…” So what creation is groaning for is what we Christians are also groaning for: To be completely free from the curse. Now these groans aren’t so much an audible sound as an inward attitude. An attitude — not of anxiety — wondering whether or not God’s promises to his people will come true. But an inward attitude of frustration due to living in a world marred by our sin and under a curse.
But this frustration isn’t meant to lead us to despair — to give up fighting to live the holy life God has called us to live. So even though we live under the curse and in bodies marred by sin and influenced by our flesh — we’re to fight to live according to the Spirit of God in us. Paul gives us a glimpse of what this looks like when he writes, “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:28-32 NLT)
Those who have the Spirit of God living in them aren’t to steal. But they’re not just supposed to get a job and pay for things they used to get by stealing. No — the holy life God’s people are called to live is a life of being generous. Working so we can share with those who are in need.
We’re not just supposed to just stop using foul language — as if that’s the goal. The goal is to use our words to build others up — to encourage them — to use language that’s good and helpful to others. The goal isn’t to just stop being bitter, and full of rage and anger, to stop slandering others. We shouldn’t do those things, but not doing them isn’t the goal for a person with God’s Spirit in them. We’re to be kind to each other, tender with one another, forgiving each other as we’ve been forgiven by Christ.
And sometimes we nail this stuff — we hit the ball out of the park and do some God glorifying living. And — then — other times we strike out. We fail to be who God has called us to be. So we groan and long to be set free from this curse.
James — Jesus’ younger brother — illustrates the effect the curse has on us in a simple and helpful illustration. He writes, “For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.” (James 3:2b-12 NLT)
James says our tongue — the words that come out of our mouths — demonstrate to us that we are under a curse. For with our tongues we praise the God who’s saved us and curse people made in his image. And even though all of creation is under the same curse — apple trees still produce apples. Orange trees produce oranges. Freshwater springs produce freshwater and so on. But our tongue — which is supposed to produce words of life and encouragement and praises to our God — produces profanity, and words of hatred and death, and curses upon people made in God’s image.
And God’s people feel the frustration of this being not good! So we inwardly groan and long for and anticipate the day when our mouths will produce what they were created to produce — words of encouragement, words of life, words of praise and adoration.
Do you feel this tension? Are you familiar with this inward groaning for the curse to be lifted? This is the first thing we groan for: to be completely free from the curse.
The second thing we groan for is the redemption of our bodies. Let’s return to verse 23.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23 ESV)
Here we return to the themes of adoption and redemption that Paul introduced earlier in this chapter and letter. Earlier Paul said that we already possess an adoption status, but here he says we eagerly await our adoption. Now he’s not contradicting himself, but describing the “in between” time that we’re living in. The already, but not yet. The promise given, but not fulfilled completely. This adoption is our hope and it is ours, but — right now — our adoption isn’t fully realized. Our adoption will be complete in glory — it will be finished with the redemption of our bodies — as we see in our verse. And our redemption is fully realized once these humble bodies of ours are transformed into the resurrected bodies that will be ours forever.
In another place, Paul describes this groaning — for the redemption of our bodies — in this way. He writes, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-9 NLT)
Did you catch the groaning and sighing that takes place as we live in these earthly bodies? These bodies that are dying and wasting away. Wrinkling and not working like they used to. Knees and backs that hurt. Eye sight that’s fading. Cancer. Diabetes. Arthritis. All of the ailments and diseases and viruses that remind us that these earthly bodies are cursed. But this shouldn’t depress us or scare us — but should cause us to groan and anticipate our heavenly bodies that we will be clothed in for all eternity — bodies renewed and restored and free from the curse.
And we long for — we set our hope on — Christ who is the firstfruits of those who will experience the resurrection of the dead and the redemption of their bodies. As it is written, “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died….Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. 45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam — that is, Christ — is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-20, 42b-46 NLT)
God’s people groan for the eternal body that — we have been promised — will come later. We groan for the redemption of our bodies.
And now we come to the glorious news that our groanings will come to an end. Back to verse 23.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit... (Romans 8:23a ESV)
Because we have the Spirit in us we have the guarantee that our groanings will come to an end. The Spirit is given to God’s people as a first installment — like a downpayment — for our salvation to be finally realized. You see, God’s people — through faith in Christ — are saved. And — we are still waiting for all of the benefits of our salvation to be ours. For to be saved is to be rescued. And — right now — we’re rescued, but still living in a world that’s cursed. We haven’t arrived where God’s salvation has promised to lead us. But the Spirit of God in us — we’ve looked at the Spirit taking residence in us earlier in Romans 8 — but the Spirit of God living in us is the guarantee to us that our groanings will come to an end.
Paul says something similar to Christians in Ephesus when he writes, “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NLT)
Later he says, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30 NLT)
Don’t grieve the Spirit of God living in you — Paul says. Why? Because the Spirit in you is the guarantee of your eternal future — an everlasting life with no groaning.
To Christians living in Corinth, Paul writes, “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NLT)
Later he tells them, “God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 5:5NLT)
Paul encourages Christians in Philippi with these words. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT)
God’s not going to give up on his people. He won’t give up on you. He will complete the work that he began in you. A work of salvation that’s guaranteed to lead you to a life lived — not under a curse — but solely under the grace of God.
To Christians in Thessalonica, Paul writes, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV)
Notice how Paul says that God chose these Christians to be the firstfruits of salvation through the Spirit and their belief — their faith. But don’t miss the guarantee. God’s goal — in choosing them — is that they will obtain the glory of Jesus Christ. Eternity with Christ is their future.
But we must be careful because — for many people — their groanings are in vain — even their groanings to be free from the curse and for the redemption of their body — their groanings are in vain because their hope is built on a foundation other than Christ.
What do I mean? As pastor John Piper has said, “There are many people who embrace the Christian religion (at least in its externals) because they are afraid of the physical pain of hell and want the physical comforts of heaven, but who do not have a heart for God. If God were not there in heaven, that would be all right, as long as they were physically fit and could have fun. God is not the center of their hope. And they are deceiving themselves that they will ever see the kingdom [of God].” (John Piper, Our Hope: The Redemption of our Bodies)
But is this true? Are there people who believe they’re going to Heaven — that their eternity is going to be fantastic — and yet show no concern with whether or not Christ will be there in eternity with them? Listen to these words from a children’s book on Heaven.
The author says that Heaven “Is somewhere you believe in...It’s a beautiful place where you can sit on soft clouds and talk to other people who are there. At night you can sit next to the stars, which are the brightest of anywhere in the universe...If you’re good throughout your life, then you get to go to heaven...When your life is finished here on earth, God sends angels down to take you up to heaven to be with him...” (Maria Shriver, What is Heaven? (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999). The pages are not numbered; these extracts comprise the main message of the book.)
I mean — at least the author mentions God — I guess. But “If you’re good throughout your life, then you get to go to heaven.” Really? If so, that stinks because we’re all disqualified. This kind of garbage sells because everyone can feel the pain of living under the curse, everyone can feel the pain of bodies that are wasting away, but the hope of the Christian faith isn’t just that the curse will be lifted and our bodies will be redeemed — our hope is that we will be with our Savior. Heaven — without Christ — isn’t Heaven — it’s Hell. This is what the people of God know and understand and are longing for. God’s people are groaning for the curse to be lifted and for their bodies to be redeemed because this means they will be living in the presence of their Savior forever.
And the Spirit of God — who lives in us — is our guarantee that we will live with our God and Savior forever. That life not under a curse is our destiny. That new resurrected bodies — wholeness — no more cancer or need for glasses or root canals — resurrected bodies living in a creation that’s been completely renewed — is the future for those who have faith in Christ.
For Christ — and Christ alone — is the One who has made all of this possible. His life. His death. His resurrection. His ascension. His sending the Spirit of God into the hearts of those whom he has called to be his people. Jesus is the One through whom all our blessings flow. He is the One for whom we will one day praise and find our eternal delight and joy in because the curse will be gone, death will be gone, and life — our best life every single day — will be all that we know and experience. May your mind, soul, body and spirit find assurance in knowing — and believing — that this future hope and glory is yours through your faith in Christ. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, what wonderful news for your people. News that is to be proclaimed to all people. That all who turn to Christ in faith will experience the curse being lifted, death being no more, and every single day — for all eternity — being their best life now because we will be with you.
Jesus, we thank you for making our best life possible. It was costly. It cost you suffering and ultimately your life. For you died so that we might live. And not just live — but live our best lives with you.
Spirit of God, may you draw your people to you. Give us faith. Give us hope. Give us assurance that we are your people. The firstfruits chosen to be saved. Those who have been guaranteed the fulfillment of all of your glorious promises. And Spirit may you draw to you those who you are calling. Give them new life. Give them faith. May they believe in Jesus Christ and turn from their sin. We thank you for being the gracious life Giver that you are. And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May you go with great assurance of the hope that is before you through your faith in Christ — your best life is coming — life with God forever. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
You can find the sermon notes here.
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