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Weigh What's In The Balance
Text: Romans 8:17-23
17 Moreover, if we are children, we are also heirs; to be sure, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him in order that we also may be glorified with him.
¶ 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.
19 For the persistent expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God;
20 for the creation was put in subjection to frustration, not of its own will but because of him who subjected it, on the basis of hope
21 that also the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until the present time;
23 and not only this, but also we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
Sermon:
Picture my holding in the fingers of my one hand a gravel stone. Visualize that in my other hand I am holding a $10 bill. Now what do you think is more valuable? The gravel stone or the $10 bill? Would you give me $10 for the gravel stone? No? Why not? Because the value of the gravel stone is not worth comparing to the value of the $10 bill, correct?
In the same way, there is something about your life that is not worth comparing to what you have in store for you, which is worth a whole lot more. But too often we believers in Jesus fail to see the comparison, and we get down in the dumps. For your encouragement turn your attention now to the Word of God in Romans 8:17-23, so it can take off your blinders that you may see clearly.
Verse 17 states: “Moreover, if we are children, we are also heirs; to be sure, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him in order that we also may be glorified with him.” We good for nothing sinners, who have disobeyed all of God’s commandments, were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ that he shed on the cross for our sins. His death was the payment for our sins that reconciled us to God and restored us to God’s favor. We are, therefore, children of God. What is more, we are co-heirs with Christ. This means that all that the resurrected, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus received from the Father, we also will inherit. Our inheritance is sure, if indeed by the faith that saves us we share in Christ’s sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
You know how the world treated Jesus Christ. It hated him and crucified him. Being a Christian who confesses him as Lord and his teachings, you can expect similar treatment from the people of this evil world. By faith you must suffer with Christ what the world dishes out to you now, so you may be glorified with him in the future.
You are, then, faced with two things: present groaning -- because of what you suffer, and future glory -- because Christ redeemed you. The present groaning due to suffering no doubt wearies you. What will give you the strength and courage to bear it patiently? The hope of the future glory that is yours.
So weigh what’s in the balance. Present groans versus future glory. Pretend you have a balance scale, which works like a teeter-totter. On the left side of the balance scale place your present groans of what you are suffering in this world. On the right side of the scale place the future glory in Christ that is yours. Now which outweighs the other?
Verse 18 tells you. It says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.” What is not worth comparing to what? Your present sufferings, your present groans, are not worth comparing to the future glory that will be revealed to you. This being true, your future glory far outweighs your present groans. Your future glory weighs down the right side of the balance scale and lifts up the present groans on the left side of the scale. Your future glory makes your present groans light by comparison.
If by faith you indeed share in Christ’s sufferings, you shall also share in his glory. One thing he suffered was death, not for any sins of his own, but for all of our sins, which God had charged against him. His death saved us from eternal death, that is, from damnation in hell. Because the wages of sin is death and because you too are a sinner, you also must suffer death, unless Christ returns in glory first. Being ill and slowly dying until death overtakes you will prove to be an intense suffering, if it is not already. But even that suffering, which will cause you to groan in this life, is not worth comparing to the glory that awaits you. So weigh what’s in the balance. Your future glory far outweighs your present suffering.
Over the years I have ministered to a number of Christians who were sick and died. They were miserable due to the illness they were suffering. The one thing that lifted them up to endure it was the hope of the future glory that was theirs in Christ. The more their disease or illness progressed and the worse they felt, the more they eagerly waited for their entrance into eternal glory. Why? Because by faith they had weighed what was in the balance. They knew their future glory far outweighed their present groaning. Follow their example. Weigh what’s in the balance. Your future glory outweighs your present groaning. So wait eagerly for that glory to come.
We are not the only ones who wait eagerly for us to inherit our eternal glory. Verse 19 states: “For the persistent expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God.” All of creation is waiting eagerly for the day we believers in Jesus will be revealed for whom we are in glory. How creation and all of its creatures can be waiting in eager expectation for this to happen, we don’t know and cannot understand. The simple truth is, however, creation is waiting eagerly for the day of judgment to come when all of us true believers in Jesus will be revealed and identified as God’s people in Christ.
Creation has a reason for waiting eagerly for judgment day when we will be revealed in glory as God’s believers in Christ. Verses 20 to 22 state: “For the creation was put in subjection to frustration, not of its own will but because of him who subjected it, on the basis of hope that also the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until the present time.”
Creation, that is all living and non-living things, was subjected to the frustration of having its original goodness and perfection and bounty and beauty diminished because of man’s fall into sin. Now all of creation is in a constant state of deterioration and frailty. Creation is enslaved to a bondage of decay. The creatures also groan as in the agony of labor pains. The animals and the birds and the trees and the plants also get sick and die. Creation did not deserve this because of anything it had done. It did not choose this decay and death for itself. God subjected creation to the bondage of decay and death when he cursed the ground because of man’s sin, to remind man of the seriousness of his sin and his need for God’s mercy. Therefore, creation is waiting eagerly for us Christians to be revealed in glory on the day of judgment. Then creation itself will be set free and liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom with us children of God. It will enter into eternal glory with us believers in Jesus.
Verse 23 states: “And not only this, but also we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” Yes, we ourselves groan inwardly because of the things we suffer in this world as the consequences of sin. You mothers suffer pain in childbirth. You men suffer hard toil. You all get old and get sick and in time die. Being Christians, you also suffer the rejection that Jesus himself suffered. Because of all this suffering, your heart groans, for it is very heavy and hard to bear.
But in the midst of all your suffering weigh what’s in the balance. Your present suffering versus your future glory. Then wait eagerly for your future glory that far outweighs your present suffering.
Wait for the future glory eagerly, for you see, as a believer in Jesus you have the first-fruits of the Spirit as verse 23 states. During the Old Testament era the first-fruits of the crops were given to God with the trust that they were the first produce of the abundant harvest that God was still to give them in the days ahead. The Holy Spirit, by whom you believe in Jesus Christ, is the first-fruit given to you by God. The Holy Spirit is only the beginning of what God is still to give you. The Holy Spirit is the down payment on the glory that is yours already but you have not yet received in all of its reality and fullness.
So in your present groaning wait eagerly for the adoption of us believers in Jesus as sons, the redemption of our bodies in the final
resurrection. Then your body will be resurrected from the dead. Or, if you are living on that day, your mortal body will be changed in a blinking of an eye into an immortal body. Then you will be freed forever from all the suffering that makes you groan now. Look at what God promises in Revelation 21:4 to you and every one of us believers in Jesus. He says: “And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning or crying or pain; because these earlier things have passed away.”
Yes, in this life you suffer and groan. But by faith you share in these sufferings now with Christ that you may share his glory later. So when you are feeling weary and worn from all that you suffer, weigh what’s in the balance. Remember that your present groans are far outweighed by your future glory. Your present groans are light in comparison to the future glory that is yours. Your present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to you, any more than the gravel stone is worth comparing to the $10 bill.
Amen.
17 Moreover, if we are children, we are also heirs; to be sure, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him in order that we also may be glorified with him.
¶ 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.
19 For the persistent expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God;
20 for the creation was put in subjection to frustration, not of its own will but because of him who subjected it, on the basis of hope
21 that also the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until the present time;
23 and not only this, but also we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
Sermon:
Picture my holding in the fingers of my one hand a gravel stone. Visualize that in my other hand I am holding a $10 bill. Now what do you think is more valuable? The gravel stone or the $10 bill? Would you give me $10 for the gravel stone? No? Why not? Because the value of the gravel stone is not worth comparing to the value of the $10 bill, correct?
In the same way, there is something about your life that is not worth comparing to what you have in store for you, which is worth a whole lot more. But too often we believers in Jesus fail to see the comparison, and we get down in the dumps. For your encouragement turn your attention now to the Word of God in Romans 8:17-23, so it can take off your blinders that you may see clearly.
Verse 17 states: “Moreover, if we are children, we are also heirs; to be sure, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him in order that we also may be glorified with him.” We good for nothing sinners, who have disobeyed all of God’s commandments, were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ that he shed on the cross for our sins. His death was the payment for our sins that reconciled us to God and restored us to God’s favor. We are, therefore, children of God. What is more, we are co-heirs with Christ. This means that all that the resurrected, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus received from the Father, we also will inherit. Our inheritance is sure, if indeed by the faith that saves us we share in Christ’s sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
You know how the world treated Jesus Christ. It hated him and crucified him. Being a Christian who confesses him as Lord and his teachings, you can expect similar treatment from the people of this evil world. By faith you must suffer with Christ what the world dishes out to you now, so you may be glorified with him in the future.
You are, then, faced with two things: present groaning -- because of what you suffer, and future glory -- because Christ redeemed you. The present groaning due to suffering no doubt wearies you. What will give you the strength and courage to bear it patiently? The hope of the future glory that is yours.
So weigh what’s in the balance. Present groans versus future glory. Pretend you have a balance scale, which works like a teeter-totter. On the left side of the balance scale place your present groans of what you are suffering in this world. On the right side of the scale place the future glory in Christ that is yours. Now which outweighs the other?
Verse 18 tells you. It says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.” What is not worth comparing to what? Your present sufferings, your present groans, are not worth comparing to the future glory that will be revealed to you. This being true, your future glory far outweighs your present groans. Your future glory weighs down the right side of the balance scale and lifts up the present groans on the left side of the scale. Your future glory makes your present groans light by comparison.
If by faith you indeed share in Christ’s sufferings, you shall also share in his glory. One thing he suffered was death, not for any sins of his own, but for all of our sins, which God had charged against him. His death saved us from eternal death, that is, from damnation in hell. Because the wages of sin is death and because you too are a sinner, you also must suffer death, unless Christ returns in glory first. Being ill and slowly dying until death overtakes you will prove to be an intense suffering, if it is not already. But even that suffering, which will cause you to groan in this life, is not worth comparing to the glory that awaits you. So weigh what’s in the balance. Your future glory far outweighs your present suffering.
Over the years I have ministered to a number of Christians who were sick and died. They were miserable due to the illness they were suffering. The one thing that lifted them up to endure it was the hope of the future glory that was theirs in Christ. The more their disease or illness progressed and the worse they felt, the more they eagerly waited for their entrance into eternal glory. Why? Because by faith they had weighed what was in the balance. They knew their future glory far outweighed their present groaning. Follow their example. Weigh what’s in the balance. Your future glory outweighs your present groaning. So wait eagerly for that glory to come.
We are not the only ones who wait eagerly for us to inherit our eternal glory. Verse 19 states: “For the persistent expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God.” All of creation is waiting eagerly for the day we believers in Jesus will be revealed for whom we are in glory. How creation and all of its creatures can be waiting in eager expectation for this to happen, we don’t know and cannot understand. The simple truth is, however, creation is waiting eagerly for the day of judgment to come when all of us true believers in Jesus will be revealed and identified as God’s people in Christ.
Creation has a reason for waiting eagerly for judgment day when we will be revealed in glory as God’s believers in Christ. Verses 20 to 22 state: “For the creation was put in subjection to frustration, not of its own will but because of him who subjected it, on the basis of hope that also the creation itself will be set free from its slavery to decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until the present time.”
Creation, that is all living and non-living things, was subjected to the frustration of having its original goodness and perfection and bounty and beauty diminished because of man’s fall into sin. Now all of creation is in a constant state of deterioration and frailty. Creation is enslaved to a bondage of decay. The creatures also groan as in the agony of labor pains. The animals and the birds and the trees and the plants also get sick and die. Creation did not deserve this because of anything it had done. It did not choose this decay and death for itself. God subjected creation to the bondage of decay and death when he cursed the ground because of man’s sin, to remind man of the seriousness of his sin and his need for God’s mercy. Therefore, creation is waiting eagerly for us Christians to be revealed in glory on the day of judgment. Then creation itself will be set free and liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom with us children of God. It will enter into eternal glory with us believers in Jesus.
Verse 23 states: “And not only this, but also we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” Yes, we ourselves groan inwardly because of the things we suffer in this world as the consequences of sin. You mothers suffer pain in childbirth. You men suffer hard toil. You all get old and get sick and in time die. Being Christians, you also suffer the rejection that Jesus himself suffered. Because of all this suffering, your heart groans, for it is very heavy and hard to bear.
But in the midst of all your suffering weigh what’s in the balance. Your present suffering versus your future glory. Then wait eagerly for your future glory that far outweighs your present suffering.
Wait for the future glory eagerly, for you see, as a believer in Jesus you have the first-fruits of the Spirit as verse 23 states. During the Old Testament era the first-fruits of the crops were given to God with the trust that they were the first produce of the abundant harvest that God was still to give them in the days ahead. The Holy Spirit, by whom you believe in Jesus Christ, is the first-fruit given to you by God. The Holy Spirit is only the beginning of what God is still to give you. The Holy Spirit is the down payment on the glory that is yours already but you have not yet received in all of its reality and fullness.
So in your present groaning wait eagerly for the adoption of us believers in Jesus as sons, the redemption of our bodies in the final
resurrection. Then your body will be resurrected from the dead. Or, if you are living on that day, your mortal body will be changed in a blinking of an eye into an immortal body. Then you will be freed forever from all the suffering that makes you groan now. Look at what God promises in Revelation 21:4 to you and every one of us believers in Jesus. He says: “And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning or crying or pain; because these earlier things have passed away.”
Yes, in this life you suffer and groan. But by faith you share in these sufferings now with Christ that you may share his glory later. So when you are feeling weary and worn from all that you suffer, weigh what’s in the balance. Remember that your present groans are far outweighed by your future glory. Your present groans are light in comparison to the future glory that is yours. Your present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to you, any more than the gravel stone is worth comparing to the $10 bill.
Amen.
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There are many kinds of Christians. Whichever kind you may be, you can never hear enough of the good news that God has for you in Christ or be reassured too often of your final destination and eternal dwelling place. With this book its author Rev. JC aims to do just that for you by means of the inspired words and message of God as written through his apostle John.
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