#Present Reality, Future Hope

So what I'm going to do this morning is we are going to look

at our heavenly father given of course that it is Father's day

and I rather thought it would be nice to do a bit of a Bible

study together. And this really came out of some

time with the law that I was having.

And I was reading through, Romans, what a wonderful book

that is, who wrote that letter to the, the church in Rome.

And it's just such a wonderful theological outpouring of our

faith in Christ and what it means.

And I was really struck as I I was reading chapter 8 and I'd

like us to turn together to 8:12, it's going to be on the

screen and the room and if you're online it will be on your

device. And what I'd like to do is I'm

going to read from verses 12 to 25 and then we're going to take

it section by section and we're going to see how this applies to

our present-day reality and the title, for this talk is present

reality future, hope our present reality.

Tea and our present hope and we're going to see this

together. So let us read.

As I said verse, 12 onwards So then brothers and of course, he

means sisters. We are debtors not to the flesh

to live, according to the flesh for if you live.

According to the flesh, you will die.

But if by the spirit, you put to death, the Deeds of the body,

you will live. All who are led by the spirit of

God are sons of God. Or you did not receive the

spirit of Slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received

the spirit of adoption as Sons by whom we cry, Abba Father 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. 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.

But the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to

corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the

children of God. But we know that the whole until

now and not only the creation. But we ourselves who have the

first fruits of the spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for

our adoption as Sons. The Redemption of our bodies for

in this hope we were saved. Lord, we thank you for your

word. You pray.

Holy spirit. That you would enable us to

understand it and apply it to our lives.

Your word is truth. Your word brings life.

I pray for the fruit of freedom in this house today.

Lord, we pray in your name, amen.

I mean there is just so much jam-packed in that, I mean, we

could do a tweak season on those versus maybe more.

And so what I'd like to do is briefly, as I said, take it

chunk by chunk and see the truth that is given to us this

morning. Let's start with the first

section then so then Brothers. We are debtors not to the flesh

to live, according to the flesh for if you live.

According to the flesh, you will die.

But if by the spirit, you put to death, the The Deeds of the

body, you will live, all who are led by the spirit of God are

sons of God. Give a read scripture think say

what that is that is a that's a lot of spirits involved here in

a lot of Flesh. We need to understand why this

is here because you see Paul starts with.

So then all therefore therefore means it is there for a reason

because of what came before it. So why don't we quickly look at

what came before it, you see verse 9 in chapter 7 is really

the key here. It says this, if I can actually

find it, it says I was once a live apart from the law, but

when the Commandment came sin, came alive and I died.

Let me go and find the actual verse that I wanted.

Otis. Why I know that.

Nothing good. Dwells in me, for I Delight in

the law of God in my inner being, but I see him my members

and other law Waging War against the law of my mind and making me

captive. And then as we see in chapter 8,

verse 9, and this is the actual one that I wanted you.

How what? You got some free versus for

free there? Hey, check that out.

You however are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact,

the spirit of God dwells in you anyway, Spirit of God does not

belong to him. What is he saying?

You see, you can live your life in two ways, either in the flesh

or in the spirit. Now, what that means therefore,

is that if you choose to live in the flesh, you have not accepted

Christ as your savior. What it is saying here is that,

if you live in the flesh, then what dictates how you live is

your fleshly desires? Not the desire of God in your

life. And so there are two ways to

live here and pull in the preceding chapter is say,

listen, you don't need to live by the flesh because the penalty

of that Is death. If you want to live by your

carnal, your mind and your fleshly desires and ignore God.

That's fine. But there is a consequence to

that and that consequence is death and separation from God.

But there is a choice, because if you say yes to the saving

power of Jesus, on the cross that he took the penalty of that

sin when we lived in the flesh, if you want to say yes to Jesus

and what happens all of us, Sudden the Holy Spirit, dwells

in you and you no longer walk by the flesh.

You walk by the spirit. That is what Paul is saying

here. Now, it doesn't mean to say that

we don't battle with the flesh, it doesn't mean to say that

Temptation doesn't come our way it does.

But we are seeking a lifestyle where we choose to follow the

spirit of God in our lives. That's what Paul is saying here.

He's saying listen. We are not debtors to the flesh

anymore. We don't have to pay the price

of the flesh, which is death. If you have made a choice to say

yes, to Jesus. Because this is what Paul is

saying if you choose to live by the Flesh and not accept Jesus

fine. But that is going to lead to

death. But if you put the Deeds of the

body to death, IE you accept, Jesus as your savior, you will

live. That is what Paul is saying.

Yeah, that is the good news because for all who are led by

the spirit of God, they are sons of God.

Something has happened here. you see the present realities if you

say yes to Jesus and you receive his sacrifice on the cross.

In your place. Then you become a child of God.

That's what happens. Adoption happens.

You see saying yes to. Jesus isn't about getting a

ticket to Heaven. Although we go there.

It's about a restored relationship with a father who

loves us. That is what this whole thing is

about. Yes, we get to heaven because

God is in heaven. But the whole point, the whole

Redemption narrative in the Bible isn't about giving us an

amazing life and getting us to Heaven.

It's about restoring a broken relationship with a father who

loves us. And we Jesus.

You are not a child of God. Now, I know that often times, we

speak to people in compassion and love will say to them,

you're a child of God and he loves you.

That's not truth. Because the whole gospel message

is that you would have a restored relationship with a

father because if you tell someone you're a child of God

and they're not that what was the point of Jesus?

Then I'm already God's child. You see now God loves them and

he sent his only son to die for them, and they are his creation

but they're yet to be adopted into the family.

That Father.

That is the good news. And you're missing out on that

son ship. You're missing out on saying

Abba Father because it doesn't come from the flesh.

The flesh wants to run a mile from God.

But the spirit in US, Cries Out Abba.

Father ra New Creation in Christ Jesus.

You've heard that phrase. It means we've been adopted into

the family and let's read this carry on Billy says this for you

did not receive the spirit of Slavery to fall back into fear.

That is what happens without God does it not saying in 2 Timothy,

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power love, and of

a sound mind. you when you are adopted into the family, you no

longer operate under that spirit of fear of slavery but you have

received here, it is, the spirit of adoption as we cry out Abba

and the spirit himself Bears witness, with our Spirits,

listen to this, that we are children of God The news.

But this is where Paul takes an interest in turn because he

doesn't leave it there. Oh, he gets excited.

I can just imagine Paul's writing this.

These Scholars think he's probably in Corinth writing this

letter and he goes on, but listen. and if children, Are you

comprehending this? If children then heirs, huh?

And then he goes. It's a are you understanding the

ramifications of what this means is?

If you're a child then you're an heir and Heirs of God and listen

to this. This is mind-blowing fellow

heirs with Christ. What?

But, what about? The present reality of adoption.

Gives us a future hope of an inheritance.

Hmm. The present reality of being, a

child of God means that we have a future hope of an inheritance.

That's the gospel message. You tell everybody, they're a

child of God. There's no inheritance.

Do you see how important this understanding is?

Listen, you're not a child of God.

Yeah, he's not your father. I'm really sorry to tell you

that but I got good news for you.

Jesus Paid It All and not only can you be a child of God?

You can be a CO are with Christ and this is where Paulie just

What a calm down. I'm just too excited.

Thank you. Let's just get our minds around

this because don't fit What has Christ inherited?

Because if you can understand that, you can say that's set for

me. Christ had a resurrected body.

Check. It says, Incorruptible will

close corruptible. They're gonna get a new body.

I mean, I'm happy about that. Just see me trying to get our

bed this morning. We're getting you resurrected

body. Hallelujah.

We won't see decay. That's good enough.

Christ was glorified, you're gonna be glorified, you're gonna

be lifted up. Really?

Yes, you're a co-heir with Christ, trust me?

It gets better. It says in the scriptures that

Christ will rule and Reign. Can I tell you that you're a

co-heir with that? You are gonna get busy in

eternity, ruling and reigning with Christ.

You know, it says in the scriptures you we will judge

Angels. Did you know that?

I mean, this is what's to come. That's why being his child that

present. Reality gives us such an amazing

future. Hope you think the heaven is

just a place where we play Harps.

You haven't read your Bible. And

I love Father's Day. Cuz that's my prison reality.

That is your future. Hope the riches of Heaven check.

Your present reality. I just want to just drive this

home, your present reality, as a child of God, guarantees you a

future hope of an inheritance. You know, my, my parents live in

Australia. I don't see my father that much.

But I know I have an inheritance coming, I'm his heir.

Bother. If you're watching this.

Don't spend it all. We can't see him, but the

present reality guarantees it Now, this is when Paul takes a

little bit of a turn, I don't mean he faints.

I mean, he takes, he takes the theological change of Direction,

which is the thing that really hit me hard because I was

getting excited to this point and then he says this provided,

whoa, I don't like the word provided That means there's a

condition. Please don't say provided Paul.

I was having so much fun provided, you know where we're

going with this. We suffer with him.

What hold the foam pool? Where I got that phrase.

I'm that is a phrase, right? It is right.

Provided we suffer with him. Listen to this bit, in order

that we may also be glorified with him.

You want to enjoy the glory, then the suffering needs to come

to, I'm sorry, that's the deal. Why is that the case?

Let me tell you, Jesus came, Incarnate Emmanuel God With Us,

fully God, fully human why. So he could identify with us and

take our place on the cross. Right.

He needed to be human in order for that to happen.

Do you get it? And we identity identifies with

us and we love that we love the fact that he is a high priest as

it says in the scriptures, who can identify with us, who knows

what we go through, because he's been through it.

But here's the truth of it, you have to identify with Christ.

That's why Jesus said pick up your cross.

Well, I don't like that gospel message.

It's all about what you did on the cross, Jesus, and giving me

an amazing life, please. Nope.

That isn't biblical. He identifies with us, we

identify with him. I want to be sensitive to

suffering. because, I had the benefit of pastoring, you

wonderful people and I know that I get the opportunity given type

and size of church to sit down with each of you.

But of the many conversations I have with many of you.

I know that everyone is suffering in a way.

In many different ways. And I am not trying to minimize

suffering because it's hard. But what Paul is going to do for

us in a moment, which will look at Is give us a new lens to see

that through. But when Paul talks about

suffering there really are two types of suffering.

And in a kind of in a categorization sent one is a

general sense of suffering, whether you're a child of God

are not a child of God. He says in Ecclesiastes that it

that it's Shines on the righteous and the unrighteous it

rains on the good and the bad. Right there is, we all go

through this world, which is a Fallen World with the, with a

curse on it and so we all experience suffering Being in

one way or another right? But you see Paul is writing to

this to Christians in the church in Rome and this suffering that

he's talking about is a different kind of suffering.

This is a suffering that comes with following Jesus and there's

a few ways. Number one, when we pick up our

cross what does that mean? It means dying to our fleshly

desires dying to ourselves. It means humbling ourselves and

recognizing that God is our creator.

It means saying I'd rather do what's in the word than what the

culture says. It says Iran.

Rather do what God says I should do, rather than what I feel like

I want to do. And that is painful.

That guy interest. Do we really are?

You know, I was had a picture of earlier this morning.

I was thinking about this. I don't think we treat.

I, I'll rephrase it. I don't treat sin as I should.

I almost treat it sometimes if I'm honest with certain things

like a pet snake, It's there in a box or in a cage most of the

time, but sometimes I'll get it out.

So well. As long as I handle it in this

way, or that way, won't buy, it may just be careful.

You've been to those places. I want to show this, you go to a

farm or not Farm. The zoo was some of those and

you and they bring out the snake world just hold it like this, as

long as you won't and we almost treat scene like that.

But as long as I do it like this, it will be okay.

I won't get bitten on that. I've just got to maybe if I do

it once a week, I'll be You'll look at me as if I'm the only

one that does. I probably but you know what I

mean? I think the picture holds we

treat sin, Not realizing the seriousness of sin because

here's a reality, you still get slime off those reptiles, you

might not get bitten. And you probably get bitten at

some point. But dying to self pull.

You know it says in Hebrews that we should throw off every sin

and everything that hinders us from running the race and living

by the spirit that takes effort. It takes determination and it

requires us to go through suffering.

Just the reality. So you want to, you want that

inheritance? You can have to go through that

dying to self. Number two, what else?

Kind of suffering we talkin about making Godly decisions and

say, Lord, I commit my ways onto you and I'll do what you call me

to do. There's going to be sacrificed

in that. Stephen, I have known that.

You guys have known. They different areas, you know,

friends or family members. I don't believe you're doing

that, you're ridiculous. Heap in shame or abuse from

people because of your decision to stand for what is right and

to live a life that glorifies God, there's persecution in

that, that comes, you know, in this present day, there are more

Christians persecuted around the world than any other time in

history for their faith. That's the kind of suffering

that Jesus, is that Paul is talking about.

You know, Chuck Swindoll, some of you may know, he is a, an

American pastor and theologian. He says a Christian is either

going through a trial, coming out of a trial, are going into a

troll. I'm not is the next suffering

which is God puts us through trials kind of a loving heavenly

father is that a kind of loving heavenly father one that wants

to conform you to the likeness of his son?

Psalm 23. Very famous, isn't it?

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no

evil for your rod and your staff.

They comfort me. What does that mean?

It means that Jesus led you in there.

I didn't just walked in on my own.

Don't go in the valley, Mark, I'll stay back here, this is

Jesus. Speaking you

being a Christians like a it's like a crutch if you heard that

have you ever have you ever tried?

You got it, easy. My loving.

Father, is conforming me to light it to his son and I'm

bearing fruit in the garden of Trials and you're not there,

fine. Okay, that's your choice.

But hey, I would inherit his coming.

So these are the sufferings. And, you know, we often, as

Christians can come up with this phrase, which is I don't believe

it. I'm a Christian, they're not and

have a better life than me. I have you said this, I suffer

more than them, and I don't know.

Jesus. I'm sorry to say there's a

reason for that. If you're here looking to sign

up to a religion that's going to give you the most easiest of

life than please. I'm sorry to tell you in love,

that's not this religion. But if you're looking for a

place of peace and of comfort and of growing in Christ and

having a restored relationship with the creator of the

universe, then good news are in the right place.

So that's the suffering. And then Paul goes on you with

me. Good.

All right. Where we up to verse 18 for now

this is interesting. It's as if as Theologian pool

all of a sudden goes, I've just realized what I said, let me put

my pastors hat on this is what's going on here?

We got pour the pasta now. For listen guys, listen, I

consider that the present suffering It's not worth

comparing with the glory. That is to be revealed in US.

Well, you don't know what I'm going through.

Paul says, I've been Shipwrecked Shipwrecked in one be

Shipwrecked. I've been battered and bruised

and beaten and persecuted and locked up.

I don't think I can survive on any of those.

Paulie said, hi. I consider that the sufferings

I've been through. Let's compare him.

And I think this is very interesting and as I said

before, I don't want to be insensitive to the sufferings

we're going through. This is a pastoral instruction

for how we deal with suffering, because I think this is very

interesting. How do we deal with suffering?

Well, there's a few ways we have coping mechanism.

Number one, we compare ourselves to other people's suffering.

Thank God. It's not like Joe down the road

because man, he is got it bad. Thank god.

Listen, did you hear about Sarah's?

I mean, I know we've got it, you know, we could we try and help

ourselves and I get why we do it because we try and put things in

perspective and there's some value in that.

The problem is, you can't keep doing that because the suffering

still comes up. How else do we do with

suffering? Well, I'm one of those annoying

people that is either ignores the suffering because I can't

deal with it. That's my coping mechanism.

Ignore it, and it won't hurt me. All I do is I seem to just the

bottle it until it gets to Breaking Point.

Anyone else I made that bit hands up?

Or glass is always half full. It's fine.

It's not that big a deal. It'll blow over no Mark.

It's quite serious, whatever. Just how it is.

How I'm wired. So we deal with suffered in

different ways but Paul is giving us a different way.

He's saying this don't compare your suffering with a temporal

stuff. I've got a way better plan for

you compare it with eternity. Listen, he say live your lives.

With your eyes on your future, hope.

Stop thinking about this world so much.

Stop thinking that this is your home.

Stop thinking that this is all there is it says in the Bible

that we're here for a moment. If you fully understand, pull it

toward you saying this paraphrasing.

Of course, if you fully understood the fact that you're

a child of God, if you get that your present reality, then you

have to understand that you have an amazing inheritance waiting

for you. And once you walk into it, man

alive, this is going to seem like naught to you Clearly a lot

of paraphrase in there. you know what in the Scripture it says

you know just like labor pains you know, when you have the when

childbirth when you've got the child, the mother kind of

remember the pie mean Fortune the point being is it's worth it

and you don't you don't think about it really do you because

you're like wow look at this baby.

It was worth it. Paul saying listen, I consider

the present suffering. Nothing just fix your eyes on

Jesus and I've got to tell you. This coping mechanism is

brilliant. I use it a lot. a lot y because

I live in with lenses of Eternity not temporal The

problem we have is we don't want to get to heaven.

What does it? What does he mean by that?

Let me say it this way. The early church, they knew

Jesus was coming again, and they were properly excited.

Then a generation kind of went and the people that they love to

a Christian side. I'm there like, oh my word.

They died before. Jesus came.

This is bad news. So they inadvertently reach out

to Paul. Who would have planted them?

This is a church in thessalonica.

And you know 1 Thessalonians is the first epistle.

The first letter that Paul wrote and in it he dresses the

questions as listen, don't worry about it because those who have

died will be raised first and then we will raise in a

twinkling of I talking about the Rapture that moment when We are

brought up taken up to be with the Lord because Jesus said, I

go to prepare a place for you. Where my father's house is

there, you will be also. And so, Paul is saying like

this, when we talked about this, when I Church planted you it's

interesting, isn't it? That Endtime stuff isn't in

church planting syllabuses these days.

Anyway, as a side note, Paul is saying, listen, don't worry.

Jesus is going to come for all of us but you know what, we

don't live like that anymore, do we?

Do we really are? We really eagerly waiting for

when Jesus is going to come again?

I'm just asking that question. Do we really actually want him

to? Because next Monday is going to

be fantastic. And next Sunday, I'm going on

holiday. So if you could wait until

following Tuesday, that would be fantastic. the reason we think

like that is because we haven't got the right glasses on Why is

it in the Scriptures? It says eagerly await.

Why is it in the Scripture? It says be alert and of

sober-minded keeping watch for when Jesus is going to come.

Why? Because it's good news because

we won our inheritance because we're not of this world.

Why are you an ambassador? An ambassador is posted in a

foreign country. This is not your home.

I'm down, mark. You know, c.s.

Lewis said this. The fact that our heart yearns

for something Earth. Cannot Supply is proof that

Heaven Must Be our home. the fact that our heart yearns for

something Earth, cannot Supply is proof that Heaven Must Be

First nineteen as I attempt to bring this plane into a land 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 side point.

His Sports and listen, it's not just you who are grown in when

suffering the world is as well. You know, the world is put under

a curse Creation itself is under the curse and God is going to

redeem this Earth as well as redeeming us.

That is why there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth, right?

Side note, we are called to be good stewards of this Earth.

Not to save it. You want a theological

understanding? Then please read your Bible.

You are not cool to say the planet, I understand the

language. And I get that it motivates

people are not, you know, and I understand why.

But you can't save it because it's heading in One Direction.

That's why. Jesus says, in the end times

will be earthquakes in is crazy prank.

Places will be pestilence and plague.

This planet is under a curse now that doesn't obligate abrogate

our responsibility to be good stewards And they have been

historically, parts of the Evangelical Church that of use

that to say. Well, we'll do what we like with

the planet. I'm not saying that we need to

be very good stewards and we haven't been.

But can I just say that God is going to save this planet?

Not us, you're not the Creator. He is That's just a side note.

I hope that's helpful. Open 21 noises out of joint.

Remind me to remove my email address from the website this

week. But you, but listen, I just want

you to hear my heart on this. Let's have a good theological

understanding of our place in creation.

Okay. God is going to redeem.

Everything and that is good news.

And Spirit Pentecost? Was that first fruits of the

spirit we groan inwardly as we eagerly await adoption as Sons.

The Redemption of our bodies that's the inheritance for in

this hope we were say, you see, The first fruits when you are

harvesting, you'd go out to harvest and get a bit to

demonstrate the, you can have a fantastic Harvest.

That was the first fruits. What we are experiencing now

from Pentecost till now the church age or the dispensation,

which means a time period of what we call, Grace is the first

fruits. But that is a promise of the

Harvest that is to come because God's going to bring in his

Harvest and he will separate the wheat from the chaff.

He's going to bring his children to him.

And so we inwardly grown for that, you know, I have times

where I look at this world. I look at the suffering and I

just say, God would you come Maranatha?

God, would you come? That is such a Biblical

response, eagerly groaning. I will challenge you to say.

Maybe you're not grown in enough for God.

Maybe you've got yourself so comfortable in this world that

you've got yourself. So, rooted in living by the

flesh that quite frankly, the concept of Jesus coming again,

puts you off. I don't want to offend you but

as your pastor, I need to do some doctors work.

Because if you let that, if you let that grow your going to get

more and more detached from the hope that comes.

You see this? Because when you dwell on the

intelligence that comes and the father who loves you hope rises

in the midst of suffering. If you look to this world to

help you with your suffering, you might get a quick hit in my

help for a moment, but it is not a future hope that you can live

by. And what I love about what Paul

has done here, as as we end is that he's saying he's given us a

perspective on. This is a good news, your

current present reality. If you have said, yes to Jesus,

is that you are adopted and he is your father, that is the

present reality but it doesn't stop.

In fact, The Best Is Yet To Come, you have a future, hope

and a glory and inheritance that wait for you.

So stick your eyes on Jesus. Fix him.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. That's what Paul is saying.

And I think for some of us, I speak to myself, I need to

re-orientate how I see this world and this life that I lead

right now. Because this is an opportunity

for me. To offer a sacrifice of praise

in the suffering. Because when we get to heaven,

we won't have that opportunity to sacrifice where it hurts.

I don't want to get to him and I go, I wish I could have showed

you Lord. How much I loved you in spite of

the difficulty. I don't want to miss that

opportunity. That's what this time gives us

this time, gives us an opportunity to grow in our faith

and our giftings. And to save the lost to fulfill

the Great Commission that is our present reality as sons and

daughters. But that is just almost like the

first second. Of an amazing journey that is

about to come as we inherit what God has for us.

I'd like us to Bow our heads as I pray and Lizzie had a

fantastic idea rather than the band come up and we're going to

sing a song. There's a wonderful song, A

Vineyard song about being a child of God and the lyrics, the

words are just so powerful. And I just want us to receive.

I'm going to pray that the Holy Spirit would come and then we're

going to play this song. But as you do this I want you to

allow the holy spirit in you to reveal areas in your life where

you need to either repent. Say Lord I just turn from that

and I turned towards you and allow the Holy Spirit to pour

his love into you and the realization that you are a child

of God. Let me pray.

Lord, we are so grateful for the good news, which is that Jesus

has restored our sonship, our daughter ship with a father who

loves us. I'm so grateful.

Lord, that we are yours and that we are co-heirs with Christ.

That is an amazing future hope that is guaranteed because of

our present reality as your child.

I pray, holy spirit that, as we listen to this song, you will

minister to our hearts. I ask that you would come.

Oh, Lord, thank you, Jesus. I pray, holy spirit that, as we

listen to this song, you will minister to our hearts.

I ask that you would come. Oh, Lord, thank you, Jesus.