God will complete our experience of sonship

So we're reading from verse 16, just to give a bit of context.

So Romans chapter 8, verse 16.

Romans 8:16

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

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.

For in this hope we were saved.

Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.

For those who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,

in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined, he also called.

And those whom he called, he also justified.

And those whom he justified, he also glorified.

Well, will you pray with me as we come to God's Word?

Let's pray together.

Lord, your Word to us today is weighty.

It carries all cancer and wars and the death of children.

Lord, it's weighty.

It is profoundly soaked in your sovereign will in all things.

Not just in the good things.

Lord, its scope is all of history, even before history and into forever.

And incredibly, tying it all together is your purpose to give undeserving sinners an eternal weight of glory in your Son.

Lord, I am not sufficient for teaching this.

We are not sufficient for hearing and understanding and believing.

And so my prayer is that you would help us humble ourselves before your Word.

To take off our shoes as we stand on holy ground.

To prostrate our assumptions and thinking before you.

I pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, you all know that voluntary assisted dying laws came into effect in New South Wales this week.

I was looking at the New South Wales Health website and as well as having a terminal illness, one of the eligibility criteria reads that the illness must be causing the person suffering.

Cause the person suffering that cannot be relieved in a way they consider tolerable.

Now, I'm not in this situation myself.

But can I suggest that pain and suffering is utterly intolerable if it seems meaningless.

If there's no point to it.

If at the end of the struggle there's no light, there's no freedom at the end.

That makes suffering intolerable.

A girl, Joni, she was 17 years old and in a diving accident she was left paralysed for the rest of her life.

Now, I can't even begin to imagine the daily suffering that brings.

I haven't experienced that.

I get these emails from these email blogs.

I don't know, some people here might be getting them as well from a guy called Tim.

Tim's son Nick died suddenly when he was at university.

And Joni reached out to comfort Tim in his grief.

And Joni didn't know this but 40 years earlier she'd also reached out to Tim's grandma when she lost her daughter.

Now, despite her own suffering, Joni has spent her pain-filled years seeking to comfort people in the love of God.

She likes to say, apparently, that when she reaches the goal of seeing Jesus, she will finally leap to her feet.

Only to fall on her knees in worship.

Hope is the theme of our passage.

You can't live without it.

But with it, you can love people and love God even in deep darkness.

So as we come to God's enormous, enormous promises in Romans 8, can I simply ask you to reflect on yourself.

Do you have this hope?

Not hope that you've created, but this hope.

And if you do, is this hope filling you and directing you in every inch of your life?

We've had some lofty claims so far in Romans 8.

No condemnation whatsoever.

Peace with God.

We're living a transcendent life in the Holy Spirit, if you're a Christian.

The Spirit is living in you.

You don't have to fear God that he'll punish you at all, but we can see him as Father.

Full status as sons and daughters.

Sharing the privileges of Jesus himself.

That's pretty lofty, is it not?

If God didn't say it, that's pretty arrogant to think these things.

If it's not based on grace, it's pretty arrogant to think these things.

Now, instead of suffering causing us to doubt the reality of our adoption,

this passage says,

we can stand firm in the love of God,

knowing we're sharing the same pathway to glory as the Son.

So, in the face of the onslaught of living this broken world,

the remainder of Romans 8 gives us such enormous grounds

to persevere with confidence that we really are loved by God.

As sons and daughters.

So, I've got two pretty simple questions

that I'm not probably going to satisfactorily answer,

but what is our hope?

And how do we know we'll make it?

What is our hope?

How do we know we'll make it?

So, have your Bibles open, verse 19, or 18 to 25.

Verse 24a sums up our status as God's children.

In this hope, we were saved.

Interesting phrase, isn't it?

Saved.

Past tense.

Current.

We're saved in Jesus.

But hope is faith in Jesus in the future tense.

We often talk about, I often preach about,

that we can be satisfied in God's love.

That if we set our eyes on Jesus,

we can have joy and peace and purpose no matter the circumstances.

Now, that's true.

But the Christian experience is awfully incomplete.

Not incomplete as we look around at our neighbours thinking,

I don't have what they have,

but incomplete precisely because we take the promises of God seriously.

We should have a holy discontentment.

I'm not full.

I think to live a meaningful life,

we must have this holy discontentment.

But sharing in Jesus' life means the present suffering

isn't worth comparing to the glory that's coming.

What?

Wow.

That must be a lot of glory.

So what is our hope?

We're told we know,

verse 22, this section,

we know creation is groaning.

So on the 6th of February this year,

7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria,

1.5 million people homeless.

The population bigger than Port Macquarie killed.

Groaning.

This groaning is a weighty groan.

In Sri Lanka,

Sri Lanka topped Lonely Planet's best country to visit in 2019.

2022,

they had that severe famine.

Why does John Hunter Hospital need a children's ward?

So verses 19 to 22,

it pictures all of creation,

not including human beings,

but all of creation.

And one person describes it,

I read this week,

a symphony of sighs.

It's just groaning.

It's longing forward.

It's eagerly longing.

It's straining its neck forward in anticipation.

It's currently in bondage to corruption.

It's been subjected to futility.

In other words,

it can't produce the abundant life that it was made for.

It can't.

It's futile.

It always ends in futility.

It just ends in corruption.

And creation just longs to be free.

Now,

it wasn't Satan that subjected it.

It wasn't Adam.

It must be God in this passage,

because it was subjected,

verse 20,

in hope.

So it must be recalling Genesis 3,

that God cursed creation because of sin.

When sin is removed,

so too the curse on creation will be removed.

I think this is a wonderfully positive picture of the world,

compared to a closed, materialistic...

I've got to be careful.

I'm careful of my words here.

I think this is very hopeful.

It's saying that the present situation is not how it will stay.

So why personify creation like this?

This has kind of been bugging me this week.

Why?

I think it prepares for the analogy in verse 22.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning together

in the pains of childbirth.

So imagine you're in a hospital,

and outside a room,

and you hear cries of agony.

And it's so loud that everyone in the hallway

is just looking in that direction,

just in concern.

And it's piercing.

And nurses are rushing in and out,

and some of them are holding linen that's soaked in blood.

And the alarms are going off.

Doctors are running in, in a hurry.

The person sitting next to you

believes this life is all there is,

believes this world as it is now

is the only one we've got.

They tremble as they say to you,

I think that lady is going to die.

She's going to die.

But from where you're sitting,

you see a glimpse through the door

when the nurse opens,

and you see what's going on.

And you're filled with hope,

and you can turn to your friend and go,

no, no, she's not dying.

Unspeakable joy is coming.

Yes, there's blood.

Yes, there's trauma.

Yes, there's crisis.

But it'll be worth it.

What massive different perspectives on life.

What's creation waiting for?

It's waiting for the revealing

of the sons and daughters of God.

We're waiting for creation to be made new.

Creation's waiting for us.

I just find it staggering

how central God's children are

to his purposes.

Creation is waiting for...

It's even described

the freedom that creation wants

is to share in our freedom.

I'm not sure I've got to the bottom

of what that means

in my preparations this week.

So I invite you to think on that.

That seems profound,

and I don't know what it means.

I've got to be honest with you.

Creation wants to enjoy our freedom

of the children of God.

Perhaps not being under condemnation.

So there's at least one very good implication

for knowing that creation

is in the pains of childbirth.

God is waiting to draw more people

to his son.

He's bringing in all his adopted children.

There's a very good purpose,

and there's a great outcome.

And we who already right now

have the status of adoption

because we've put our hope in Jesus,

we're described we too are groaning.

Now, I don't think this is complaining

at our present circumstances.

This is that future-looking groaning.

It's precisely because we have

the first taste,

the first installment of the Spirit

that we want the whole thing.

It's by the Spirit that we groan.

We want to be in this new physical earth

God has promised.

Yes, there's joy calling God Father, Abba,

but it's not full yet.

We want the redemption

of our sin-infested, weak, corrupted body.

We read Genesis,

and we know the goal is rest.

God being in his creation with his people.

We want that full adoption.

So we're adopted status.

We want the full experience of it.

So we're groaning for that.

So, to whatever degree we're trying to get glory

in this world,

in this creation,

in this life,

in a creation that's groaning to be made new,

and yet we're trying to get glory now,

that can only end in futility.

It's trying to claim now

what has only been promised when Jesus comes back.

If we do that,

really that's just impatience.

It's not trusting God's good purposes

for our present suffering.

But we must groan.

So there's a bad way to groan,

is what I'm trying to get across.

There's a groaning because we want more of this life.

That's ungodly.

But there's a good way to groan,

trusting his promises.

We must groan in this hope of this embodied,

not this airy-fairy spiritual,

there's nothing wrong with the term spiritual,

we just don't understand it,

but embodied glory in the new earth.

How do we know this is coming?

Because God's the creator.

He's going to get the goal for his creation.

How could he not?

Is he going to let sin or Satan or anything defeat him?

He's the creator.

Of course he's going to get the goal.

He would not be God

if he didn't achieve his purposes.

That eternal rest is coming.

And as we look at the Son of God

walking on the earth,

nothing constrained him.

Nothing.

Exactly when his alarm went off,

three days,

he got up,

folded his pyjamas,

and walked out.

He's the first fruits of this full harvest.

He died to redeem all things,

including the creation.

Jesus died to redeem us,

body and soul to God.

So that's our hope.

It's a pretty massive hope.

It's a wonderful hope.

So our second question is,

how do we know we're going to make it?

How do you know you're going to make it?

Now when a Christian,

when a believer dies,

it is a horrible and sad time.

And I think of our church's loss of Margaret and Rose this year.

But it's also an incredible testimony

to the safekeeping grace of God.

They made it.

They've fought the good fight.

They've finished the race.

One year closer to death.

One year closer to glory.

We're given two reasons why we can be sure

we're going to make it home.

And in between these two massive reasons,

we're given enormous comfort

being told what God is doing

with our suffering now.

Now I want us to notice

that as we go through this,

you have no part to play.

You've got no part to play

in what we're about to hear.

Nothing.

If you believe this,

it'll motivate you to enormous action.

But the grounds of actually knowing

you're going to make it,

you've got no part to play.

It's all on God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So what's going to help us

keep our eager longing

knowing we're going to make it home?

Well, the first thing we're told is

just like knowing our hope

sustains us in our present suffering,

so too the Spirit comes to help us.

We know creation is groaning.

We don't know what to pray for.

I don't know if you've ever experienced

someone genuine in their concern for you

who takes the time to pray for you

and maybe you're unable to pray for yourself

because of what you're going through

and their words are just,

they capture your heart's longing.

Yes, the pain,

but also your longing to trust God

in this situation

and they're sincere

and they care about you

and it's like you're in the presence of God

as they pray for you

and they have insights into God's word

that just seems to connect

to your current experience.

They draw you into the comfort

of God's person and his promises

and when they say amen,

you're just like,

to describe it,

I think it's just,

you know you're not alone.

It's like their prayer brought you

into the very presence of God.

It's a wonderful blessing

to pray for one another.

Now imagine having that all the time

and these verses say we do.

We do.

Not just in other believers praying for us

but the Spirit interceding for us,

praying for us.

The promise in verse 26 and 27

is that the Holy Spirit in our hearts

is always interceding on our behalf.

The love of the Spirit for the Father's will,

always praying in line with what God wills

and the Father's love for the Spirit

always effectually answering

the Spirit's intercession

because Father and Spirit

are working towards the same thing

so that we will be conformed

to be like Jesus, like the Son.

Now we imagine prayer

as entering the throne room of heaven

and rightly so.

Like we've got those pictures in scripture

and Christ gives us full access

into the throne room of heaven.

The picture here

is that it's going on inside our hearts.

That's incredible.

The Father is answering the prayers

of the Spirit in our hearts.

Now I don't think

we should take this promise as meaning

that if you have a gut feeling

that God is telling you something

that he's saying anything to you,

your intuition can be dead wrong.

This is not the promise here.

And I don't think we should take this

as speaking in tongues.

That spiritual gift

is for some Christians.

This promise is for all Christians

all the time.

In fact,

this groaning of the Spirit

is too deep for words.

We wouldn't know this is going on

unless God told us.

I'm tempted to think

that God is fed up with my weakness.

When I'm not motivated to pray,

when my prayer is about

often getting things from God,

not God himself,

when I'm trying to seek God's will

but life's just too complex,

I don't know what

I'm praying about.

Like, is God fed up with our weakness?

No, he's not.

The Spirit is helping us

in our weakness

and interceding on our behalf.

Christ is interceding in heaven,

which we're going to come to next week.

The Spirit's interceding in our hearts.

Wow.

Wow.

That's a pretty good ground of confidence

we're going to make it.

The Spirit's praying

and the Father's answering

the Spirit's prayers.

Even though we're weak.

It's a great grounds to pray.

That it's the Spirit prompting us to pray.

When my prayers are just mixed motives,

I can trust that the Spirit

is sanctifying my prayers.

It's kind of getting,

just getting rid of all the self-centered

side of it,

which is probably 95%.

And we can trust

that he's actually directing

to God's will.

You can even believe

he's praying

when I don't want to pray.

Or I can't pray

because I'm just too

in pain.

So how do we know

we're going to make it?

Because the Spirit

is interceding to the Father

on our behalf.

And the second reason

is because we know

we know God's promise.

We know creation

is groaning.

We don't know what to pray for.

The Spirit's praying for us.

But we know

that for those who love God,

all things work together

for good.

I challenge you

to add anything

to that phrase

to make it better.

all things

work together

for good.

Whoa.

Okay, what is the good?

Now,

I don't know.

Do you have

sufficient awareness

of yourself

and insight

into other people?

Do you have

sufficient wisdom

and knowledge

to know the complexities

of life

and the eternal

purposes of God

and the wisdom

to know how that

fits all together,

the timing,

the manner,

the outcomes

for everyone involved,

that you can even

look at a simple

situation and go,

I know exactly

what good.

I'm not sure

I can claim that.

at the start

of a family holiday

at my parents'

house,

as a thank you

for having free

accommodation,

I mowed their

lawns

and at the end

of mowing them,

just before I was

finished,

I hit an

irrigation pipe

and I created

a water feature

for my parents,

which,

just as a thank you,

now moments

like that

are humbling

because it's

something I felt

so confident

in

and yet

I didn't have

enough insight

to see that

irrigation pipe.

It just challenges

my ability

to control

the world,

those little

moments.

Now,

how much

deeper

the things

of relationships

and my own

character development

and God's

church?

Do we really

know good?

Now,

I don't think

this wisdom,

this lack of wisdom

should be

paralysing

because we

can trust

this promise.

lean not

on your own

understanding,

submit to God's

word and we

learn,

chapter 12

tells us,

learn what

pleases God.

We're urged

in scripture,

use the agency

God's given

you,

make a decision.

Yes,

it's chaos,

you don't know

what you're

doing,

but make a

decision,

trusting me

to sort out

your mess,

and even

use you

for good.

It's because

of this

promise that

we can

seek to

please God,

knowing that

he will use

it for good,

even when

we don't

actually intend

it for good.

So we don't

know the exact

good,

but we are

told the

overarching

meaning of

good,

what everything

is working

for.

God is

committed to

giving his

sons and

daughters the

full experience

of being

his child.

Thinking like

Jesus,

valuing what

he values,

rejecting what

he rejects,

loving like

Jesus does.

Life,

in other words.

when I first

bought my

Subaru Forester

back in 2012,

it was parked

out on the

street,

and while I was

inside the

house,

I was watching

TV,

I can't remember

what I was

watching,

it doesn't

really matter

for the story,

but I heard a

smash outside,

and I jumped

up,

I jumped on

the seat,

I pulled

open the

curtains to

look at my

new car,

it wasn't

my car.

I sat

down,

and instead

of relief,

I was then

convicted,

it's like,

why do I

care so much

about my

car?

And then I

prayed,

I prayed,

God help me

to love you

more than

this car.

It was

something along,

I can't remember

the exact words,

something about

that.

Now I was

about to go to

bed that night,

and I heard

another smash.

And someone's

vandalised my

mirror.

And I

could smile

because I

saw it as

God answering

my prayer.

And like

$400 later,

it was

something ridiculous

for a mirror,

like $400

later,

an inconvenient,

I don't know,

it took a day,

a Saturday,

a morning to

go get it

fixed,

and my

flatmate was

with me,

he's just

like,

why are

you angry?

Like,

someone's

vandalised,

it's costing

you this

money,

it's,

and I

told him

what I'm

telling you,

I see it

as an

answer of

prayer.

God

giving me

himself

rather than

the things.

Now,

I wish I

had that

kind of

trust more

often.

I could

tell you

a hundred

stories where

I didn't

trust.

But in

that moment,

something

deeply

satisfying in

my soul

was going

on,

because I

was valuing

God more

than the

things I

could get

from God,

and in

doing so,

in trusting

him,

even when

he smashes

the things

I love,

I was,

my friend

could see,

I didn't

have to

blurt out

the gospel,

he asked

me,

why aren't

you angry?

I was

reflecting the

character of

Jesus because

I was trusting.

Now,

I know I

don't do

it as,

I hate

being the

hero of

the story,

but I

just want

to say,

it was so

satisfying,

that moment,

because I

think it's

what we're

created for,

to know

God for

his own

sake,

and by

doing so,

we learn to

reflect his

character.

That's what

sonship is,

what being a

child is,

is to

enjoy the

father,

reflect his

character,

and we're

told that

everything is

working together

so that we

would have

that joy

forever,

and full.

So this

brings us to

what all

things is,

the good

is being

conformed to

the image

of Jesus,

what is

all things?

Now,

the damage

to a car,

that is

nothing compared

to,

that is

absolutely

nothing compared

to,

I don't have

to tell you

that,

the other

sufferings in

life.

The problem

with the

health,

wealth,

and prosperity

gospel,

gospel,

if we have

enough faith,

isn't that

God hasn't

promised these

things,

he has,

it's the

timing,

it's not

now,

it's not

yet,

we will

have

unimaginable

wealth,

and health,

and prosperity,

when we share

in Jesus'

inheritance,

it's just,

it's the

cross now,

that's the

problem with

that gospel.

A man

named John

Owen,

whose teachings

we probably

all rely on,

we just

don't know

it,

because he's

influenced so

many Bible

teachers,

now he

wrote a

book called

Communion

with God,

and in

this book

he describes

how a

Christian can

commune with

the three

persons of

the Godhead,

we can relate

to and

enjoy God

the Father,

the love

of the

Father,

and the

grace of

the Son,

and the

comfort of

the Holy

Spirit.

Now if

you think

those terms

are wishy-washy,

John Owen

would outdo

I think anyone

in this room,

these are

solid truths

he's talking

about,

but the

depth of

knowing God

wasn't just

born out of

study for

God's Word,

it was,

but it was

also born out

of suffering.

John married

Mary,

and they

had 11

children,

10 died

in infancy.

The

daughter who

made it to

adulthood died

of tuberculosis.

Jesus,

when this

promise says

all things,

it means

all things.

so who is

this promise

for?

We're given

two answers,

one is looking

at a human

level,

what we can

see,

the other

at a heavenly

level,

only what we

can accept

by faith.

So I'm

going to

start with

the heavenly

level,

heavenly

perspective.

In my

second year

of my

teaching

degree,

it was

in the

first semester

of second

year,

we did a

four-week

prac,

and after

that prac,

I think

it was about

40 of my

peers dropped

out,

once they

actually

experienced

teaching.

They

didn't

turn up

the next

semester.

Where's

this person?

Now,

from God's

eternal

perspective,

there's

no drop

outs,

none.

Each state

of the

process of

salvation,

from

eternity

past,

the

Father

foreknew,

you.

Now,

to

foreknow

does not

mean he

looked into

the future

and he

saw who

would respond

in faith

and then

go,

okay,

I choose

you.

No,

foreknow in

the Bible

is a very

intimate

term.

It's

used

even as

a man

knowing

his wife.

For God

to foreknow

is that he

freely chose

to set his

love on

you in

eternity

past.

I'm

going to

love

you.

before

you'd

done

anything

good

or

bad,

before

the

world

even

existed,

he

selected

to

love

you.

There's

no

drop

outs.

From

those

who he

foreknew

to love,

he

predestined

to be

conformed

to the

image

of his

son

and

will

be

glorified.

Verse

30 is

this

golden

chain

of

salvation.

There's

no

weak

link.

We're

as good

as glorified

because God

knows the

end from

the beginning.

There's

no

drop

outs.

If

you

look to

the

death

of

Jesus

as

your

only

possible

way

of

being

at

peace

with

God,

even

if you

don't

feel

terribly

hopeful,

if

you

want

this

salvation,

salvation,

then you

can know

that this

promise is

for you.

It's

speaking

about

you.

You

may not

feel it,

but if

you want

it,

it's

for you.

There's

no

drop

outs.

Now,

if you're

stumbling

over the

justice

of God

in this,

that he

selects

some to

love

and not

others,

can I

urge you,

don't

think of

people as

morally

neutral.

If you

want

justice,

then we

all should

be consigned

to hell.

Give

me

mercy,

please.

I

don't

think this

insight is

given to

solve all

our

philosophical

questions.

Like,

I can't

even mow

the lawn

without

hitting an

irrigation

pipe.

How am

I going

to work

out?

How God's

sovereignty

relates to

my free

choosing.

Good luck.

I don't

think this

is given

to solve

our

philosophical

questions.

Look into

those things.

I think

there are

some answers

that God

gives us,

but not

total answers.

It's given

to us for

us to

build our

life on.

To know

that people's

love is

fickle,

God's

love is

literally

eternal.

God's

love is

because it

springs out

of himself.

In the

end,

he's not

responding

to you.

It sprang

out of

himself

before you

existed.

That's how

deep the

ground is

of his

love for

you.

You can't

mess it

up.

believing

this.

It's a

wonderful

insight

into

salvation

because if

we believe

this,

nothing can

shake you.

Nothing.

It's such a

deep

foundation.

I like the

illustration.

I'm

stealing this

from someone.

I don't know

who it is,

but if you

picture a

large cross

so big

that there's

a door,

on the one

side of the

cross is a

sign above it

saying whoever,

whoever may

come in.

Scripture says

it, whoever,

come, come

in.

But those who

come in, once

they go through,

they look back at

that door and

there's another

sign on the

other side,

which Scripture

says chosen for

the foundation of

the world.

You're not to

work out whether

you're chosen or

not before you

come.

Come.

But once you

come, wow,

there's a

wonderful assurance

of God's love.

So this

promise is

yours if

you've

tasted

the hope

and the

peace that

comes only

through the

death of

Jesus.

it's for

those who

are called.

Called means

summoned.

It's not

called as in

just open

invitation, it's

called as in

Lazarus, come

out.

It's the very

call that

creates the

life and

creates hearing

with faith.

It's an

effectual

call, the

command to

come to

Jesus.

We come

because he

set his

love on us

before the

world began

and he

calls us.

Those who

are called

will have

faith in

Jesus.

We are

justified

and we're

as good as

glorified.

We can't

stuff it up,

there's no

dropouts.

We can't

stuff it up,

there's no

dropouts.

I want

to say

one more

thing on

this point

and let's

not think

of this

golden chain

of salvation

as this

mechanical

process.

Once you're

on the

conveyor belt

it just

occurs.

It's all,

it's all

in Jesus,

it's all

received in

Jesus,

personal

connection to

Jesus.

Jesus.

I really

love how

a Scottish

teacher,

Sinclair

Ferguson,

he helps

us feel the

wonder of

this,

so I'm

going to

quote him.

Our

union with

Christ,

which we

experience

through faith,

is not

first of all

grounded on

my faith.

Our

faith

falters,

but that

doesn't mean

our union

with Christ

falters,

because our

union with

Christ is

grounded in

God's

eternal

purpose,

to think

that before

the foundation

of the

world,

that whenever

he saw

the coming

work of

the Lord

Jesus

Christ,

he would

never think

of Jesus

Christ without

thinking of

me.

And that

he would

never think

of me

without

thinking that

one belongs

to my

son,

Jesus

Christ.

We receive

it all in

Jesus.

on the

human side,

what we

see,

those who

are called,

what we

see is

those who

love

God.

Now the

context here

is about

believing we

are children

loved by the

Father,

not after,

but even

while we're

suffering.

Later,

as we'll see

next week,

it talks

about

tribulation,

distress,

persecution,

famine,

nakedness,

danger,

sword,

we're like

sheep to

be slaughtered.

And those

love God.

It's like

John Owen,

who can

look at

God giving

his own

son to

give us

this hope

of glory,

and I'm

going to

quote a

song here,

and can

sing,

though you

slay me,

yet I

will praise

you.

Though you

take from

me,

I will

bless your

name.

Though you

ruin me,

still I

will worship,

sing a song

to the one

who's all I

need.

With my

eyes,

I'll see

the Lord

lifted high

on that

day.

Behold,

the land

that was

slain,

and I'll

know every

tear was

worth it

all.

It's for

those who

love God

because he

so loved

us.

Trusting

that not a

drop of

our pain

will be

pointless.

It's all

preparing us

for this

weight of

glory,

the full

experience of

sharing in the

life of

Jesus,

in the

new

creation.

Brothers and

sisters,

in this

hope we

were saved.

And if we

patiently,

eagerly wait

for this

hope,

that's when

we will show

that Jesus

is better

than life.

he's more

precious than

what this

creation that's

groaning and

is futile can

give.

That's when

we honour

him,

when we

eagerly

await the

full experience

of being sons

and daughters,

and we know

we're going to

make it.

to quote

another song

we all

know,

through many

dangers,

toils,

and snares,

I have

already come.

Tis grace

that's brought

me safe

thus far,

and grace

will bring

me home.

Will you

pray with me?

Let's pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Father,

even this

hope is a

gift.

Forgive us

for our

commitment

to this

futile,

broken,

groaning

world that

makes us

not see the

beauty of

this hope

that you've

purchased for

us with

the blood

of your

Son.

Lord,

I pray

that you'd

fill us

more,

with this so that we might live lives that are leaning forward

in eager expectation so that we live lives that honour you.

And I pray for any who don't know this hope yet,

I pray that you would use your word, not mine,

but your word to call them to yourself.

And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.