TOTALLY NOT the prosperity gospel: Romans 8:17-25

today as we continue moving through Romans chapter 8 again we're gonna start in verse 16 what I want to do is I want to tell you this study is going to have a big piece of the puzzle is far as debunking the whole health and wealth gospel the whole prosperity gospel thing but what I want to do is I want to teach the study and then see if you can notice where it addresses the prosperity gospel so it should be you should catch it if you don't I'll tell you at the end I'll tell you at the end so that's that's the goal that's the idea is that we want to debunk the health and wealth gospel that's actually just one little piece of it but really we're going to do verse by verse and talk about some amazing beautiful truths of God in Romans 8 so picking up where we left off last week or verse 16 it says the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and we talked about what that witness was last week but I just wanted to remind ourselves that's the context because it's one sentence that takes us into verse 17 it's about us being children of God right and if children then heirs hcir s heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together I think what grabs us as we read verse 17 is this if we suffer with him that we may be glorified together and we'll come back to that in a minute but what should grab us is the concept of being heirs of God it's this idea that I'm an heir wait I'm in heir of God this is what should grab you not the that suffers with him because you know sometimes it's it's like I'm going to give you this this shot and it's going to give you superpowers you know and you're like how BIG's the needle you know what I mean we tend it we tend to sometimes gravitate towards the down side of things and not appreciate the virtue and the glory of things that are coming so let's come back to that whole idea in a second but first let's talk about this what does it mean to be an heir of God and heir joint heir with Christ well first off an heir is what it's someone who stands to inherit they have they have a sort of a title in a position even while the parents is still alive they're the heir let's say it's in a oil family they're the heir to the throne so they're treated with special treatment of course but it goes beyond this they're also given an inheritance when the time comes this time can come in one of two ways it can come either because of the death of the parent and then they step into it or the parent maybe just simply says you're old enough you're stepping into it you've reached a certain age now I'm giving it to you that now now step into your airship so to speak so typically this is children but it's one who stands to inherit and they stand in a particular kind of position and we're given this title after Romans 8 teaches us about our adoption in Christ so we're adopted in Christ and we're heirs of God in other words this adoption thing is not just an analogy it's like a literal thing you're adopted you're actually his child let me read to you in verses 15 and 16 of Romans 8 let's get the context just to repeat it to ourselves for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba Father the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God so if children then heirs so God really means it he means that when he when he tells us that were aired that were inheritors of what belongs to God that's pretty intense let me let me read to Galatians 4 7 it talks about this as well it says therefore you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir of God through Christ if you really are his child then you don't you not only live forever but you have a forever status as a child of God now this admittedly this is where weird preachers get way off base and they start teaching stuff that's just way out there but sometimes conservative preachers who love the glory of God can ignore this error ship and they say err when it comes to being an heir you know and sometimes they forget to emphasize what God emphasizes and just say hey I'm an heir with Christ like it says later in Romans 8:29 it'll say that he's the firstborn among many brethren that that I'm I'm part of the family of God not only in a familial sense of relationship with God but in a positional sense of inheritance it's pretty intense now Jesus is high above all others that's for sure we know this is clearly the case right so we're not at all going to suggest that like in some sort of weird like Mormon theology where you actually sort of elevate and become a God and Jesus is just your older brother and I mean just as in just your older brother that's all he is and he didn't come and take on flesh and then and then identify himself as a human but rather he's just born first amongst our group in heaven so firstborn is a different sense in Mormon theology and then you can get elevated you can become as great as God you really can but no no there's there's no one who's ever is great of God I mean if you understand who God really is omnipotent you know all-knowing you know all loving all these wonderful qualities then it's just silly to think anybody could ever compare to him that anybody could ever step into his shoes or or get up and be equal to him it's just falling to even think it so Philippians talked about this it says Jesus he came down it's like it's got this like down-up theology that we get it in Hebrews 2 this down-up theology it appears a lot actually where he's you know he's equal with God he comes down he's on the form of a man a servant and dies he's exalted and it says above every name and not his name every one will bow so though he is the firstborn among many brothers there is a sense in which he's escalated and elevated far above and beyond any of us rightly so because he's not only man he's God man but that being said some people they do minimize this airship this sense of what we inherit so he's overall Jesus is overall but I'm over some stuff - and you are - in Christ and we're waiting on this inheritance it were heirs it's coming it's not there yet it's coming but but let me let me I would have a balance so I don't have a balanced view of everything biblically so let me read to you what I think gives us a balanced view this is in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 and there's a couple verses here that I think give us a very good perspective on how to view this so I don't become over overblown with myself and at the same time I don't diminish what God has given me in Christ 1st Corinthians 3 verses 21 through 23 it says therefore let no one boast in men for all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo's or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours and you are Christ's in Christ is God's now he's talking to them about petty quarrels and quibbles about who's who's got the best ministry I'm a Paul of Apollo's the grulla I'm part of this denomination oh well I'm not denominational which means better than denomination or preference you know that we we contend to divide over these issues and and and he's like you're quibbling over this stuff like but everything's yours you're you're an heir with Christ whether it's what he names a few things life or death or things present or things to come it's all yours and you your Christ's in Christ Christ is God's now personally I don't know exactly what this is going to look like and I don't want to just make stuff up I have literally heard behind closed doors heard people talk about how many cities they think a certain like preachers going to have in the millennium or something like this and I think like really you're getting a little too imaginative at that point but I do know this that Christ owns everything and he's sharing it with us and he's sharing it with us and we're talking about the new heavens the new earth that his kingdom comes his will be done right but that we were not only servants in this kingdom we are also leaders in it we are leaders in it that's interesting now personally I'm more humbled by this than anything else because I know I don't deserve it and to think that God has me in some sense ruling and reigning with Christ I don't deserve this I'm completely humbled by this I wouldn't ask for this like the psalm says right I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God but it doesn't say that you will be a doorkeeper of God it's just that it's better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than it is to be the palaces of the ungodly right but but I'm actually elevated as an heir with Christ I mean it's plenty just to know Christ I'm totally contingent Jesus I'll just know you and I'll be like the dishwasher in heaven like the equivalent of that and I'm totally happy with that like all pruney fingers for all eternity but I know Jesus and I'm totally content and yet he decide to know I want to elevate you way beyond that why all by grace and I don't understand this I would never have expected it I just would have thought we just earned you know nothing and be given heaven but not the expectation of some sort of ruling position in the in the universe to come so to speak but I think that's exactly the point that's exactly the point that this this the flesh leads me condemned at the enrollment seven but then Christ he not only saves me he delivers me from from judgment from Hell from death from sin he glitters me from the bondage to sin he delivers me from the from the broken relationship between me and God into a close relationship where I call him father and then I have an inheritance above and beyond simply existing forever but actually ruling and reigning with him it's I'm almost scared to talk about it because it just sounds so crazy it just sounds so much I don't know what that'll be like I don't know what that'll be like but I know that it's going to be sharing in his glory in some sense he's still far above us but we're sharing in his glory and I'm blown away by that now let's come back to that other part that probably grabs you like it grabs me in verse 17 it says that we're if children then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together now this is one of those verses that the that the works for salvation people will grab onto and use and they'll quote to you out of context of course because that's the only way that works the only way works work is out of context but they'll quote it to you and that's really not what he means okay and I shouldn't even have to tell you this because if we you've been going with me through the book of Romans verse by verse you know that Paul has made it abundantly clear abundantly clear you are saved by grace alone through faith alone apart from works there can't be any debate on this point in fact he even goes so far as to say otherwise work is no longer work like that's not even he's like you're just changing definitions you're basically being like an atheist at this point I was going to change definitions of words but in order to in order to get away with stuff well and not all ETS do that but certainly enough that it should be mentioned but but what is it what is he saying that well Paul can say this because of all the trouble he's gone through the established salvation by faith apart from works so what is he really saying he's saying if we suffer with him because of identifying with Christ because I'm in Christ I am now not of this world the world does not love me but the world hates me because it hated him so now I suffer with Christ I have an inheritance but at the moment I'm not enjoying it and so I am persecuted in some sense by the world attacked by the enemy the world the flesh and the devil are opposed to me and I suffer with Christ in these things that's the with him part think back to when Jesus confronted Paul the Apostle before he was the Apostle and Jesus comes in he says Saul Saul why do you persecute me and he mentions himself why are you persecuting me meaning that the people Saul was persecuting at the time were suffering with Christ because when you persecute Christians you persecute Jesus when you put believers through pain you put Jesus through that by identification they're part of him that's why 1st Peter 4:16 I love this the interesting verse it says if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in this matter he separates it from suffering because you're just being a knucklehead suffering because you just blew it but he is suffer because you're a Christian if you suffer because you're a Christian glorify God in that matter so we suffer with him that that's the with him since suffering for being part of God's kingdom we ought to expect this kind of suffering we should expect it and we should be ready for it and willing to face it I'm not saying we are I'm saying we should be ideally as Christians we should be ready and willing to face the suffering and I don't think it's because you have to reach this great depth of years of following Jesus so you can be ready to face persecution I think that there are many people who get saved and 5 seconds later are ready to die for Jesus because it's just about getting your eyes on the right thing you know and we should be ready and willing but guard yourself against something because it's one thing to realize that we will suffer persecution in this world before Christ most likely to some degree or another and I'm not going to pretend like I'm suffering put the same degree of persecution as as someone in North Korea is right now but but let's not become pessimists let's not become Christian pessimists hey Satan compared is really the world at the air then where the word of them something air it's all going downhill from here she did give up man and I I'm not kidding I saw a conference not too long ago that was it was it was I'll share with you guys some of you guys know exactly I'm talking about but it was embarrassing to me because this conference was about trends in the church that are like bad trends there people are departing from the faith the problem was they started seeing everything as apostasy everything's apostasy it's like oh this pastor tied his shoes differently it must be part of the emergent church movement you know it's like anything at all you know like pastor seen the McDonald's drive-through he must be part of the emergent church movement it and so the leaders of this group have become such terrible pessimists and I talked to one of them and I said I said what do you think of the chances that there'll be a great revival anytime before Jesus comes back and he was like I just don't see it happening and I was like I and I just thought like do you suppose that when Christians were being murdered for their faith over the past 2,000 years they might have felt kind of pessimistic to that some of them might have felt like oh it's all doom and gloom it's all downhill from here you know the gates of Hell shall prevail isn't that what Jesus said I think I left a word out importantly so we don't want to become pessimists I want to have an optimistic attitude I'd rather err on the side of optimism when it comes to spiritual things than anything else anyways it's much more healthy for your own heart and mind and but it can become where you just start to get embittered start to get a little down start to get a little gloomy and then it can even start to feel good to like you know be that kind of like Christian the spiritual weatherman you know where you're always forecasting rain it's just always rain you look out at the world right all it's all going downhill abandon ship you know and and this is the other one regard ourselves again so in one side expect persecution expect their suffering with Christ on the other side don't become a pessimist in it and like mopey about it they're still the joy of the Lord there's still a great hope because and think of this vision that Daniel had right where he sees the Statue it's got the different materials it's made out of the gold it's got the with the bronze and the various different materials the clay down at the bottom mixed with bronze all the toes all but here's the cool part they each represent different kingdoms and then here comes this stone not made with hands and it destroys the statue and it grows and it fills the whole earth God's kingdom is going to be victorious God's kingdom is going to be victorious he's going to win and not just because he comes back and takes over but also because he is right now invading the world and people are getting saved all over the place all the time there's more Christians alive now than have been alive at any time in history and so we want to suffer with him but don't don't be a poopy face about it that's my interpretation so we suffer with him in one sense because of the hate of the world and because of spiritual identifying with Christ but there's another side in which we suffer with Christ and that's where Jesus sort of suffers with us and that's where we're going through hardship in life the world is corrupt the world's falling apart maybe your body's fallen apart the things are falling apart around us and so we're suffering and he's with us in it and so we suffer with him in that sense as well the bottom line is verse 17 talks about the fact that there's a glorious time to come where we enter into our great inheritance and for now we suffer with him we suffer with him verse 18 let's keep reading it says for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us now let's this this verse is so extreme in what it's saying there is suffering in this time that is beyond words it is so bad beyond description to explain the pain and the hardship and the suffering that some people are going through right at this very moment right now somebody today just got the worst news of their entire life and they're thinking I don't know how I will ever deal with this somebody else has been going under a burden under suffering and some hardship that's hitting them in a deeper way than they knew as possible and it's just been going on and on and on the sufferings of this present time are incredible and they're bad some people they want to act like like we're just supposed to pretend it's not happening look there's this old song happy plastic people I can't be plastic people and it did encourage me for believers not to do that not just pretend everything's how are you doing thank you anesthetic always my mouth hurts from smiling like that's that's like a la la land theology where I'm just going to fake it and put on a put on a face and pretend that nothing's there nothing's wrong and that sort of thing and I think it's interesting that there's there's people who preach that every believer is supposed to get healed all the time that that that's kind of what we should expect is to always be healed always be he'll always be healed but these people also preach something alongside this now think about why they would do this they tend to preach alongside this is sort of pretend you're healed mentality because you're claiming it you got to claim it you got to profess it and confess it so you can possess it and you've got to say it and you and are you healed are you I'm healed I'm you know another thing like not yet but if I keep saying it maybe I will be because what you have to do is when you have pretend healings you have to have people pretending they're healed they go together I don't think that the leper who jesus healed was like it's not any better and Jesus is like whoa you're quenching the spirit just say you're healed okay and eventually it'll happen I think that that's a joke and I think it's an insult to true healing which God does in fact do so why is those who preach constant healing also preach for people to pretend that they're healed why because it keeps up you know everybody's got to keep it's like that game where you have to keep the ball in the air don't let it touch the ground but so that's a bad response to suffering as Christians we should look straight in the face of the most difficult sufferings of life and we should be able to say that suffering that terrible horrible suffering is not even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us this is a real solution this is a real fix we overcome suffering with truth Christianity has no empty platitudes I remember being at an atheist funeral I used to work at a company where we would release doves those pigeons you know white doves at funerals and and in one of the funerals I attended was a was an atheist funeral and there's a thing we would share about John 14 and we'd shared and they were like we don't want you sharing anything and I just sat there a very polite and stuff like Mike part grieves for these people and they've lost someone they care about and but it was an atheist event and so they just read like this column and it was just like really sad and then there were I at a Christian funeral had never heard so many empty platitudes as I did at the Atheist one but as Christians we don't have empty platitudes empty platitudes where you offer people like encouragement that don't actually mean anything like that's an insult to true Christian true Christianity it's an insult to us it's like you why are you doing that it's like serving your kid like rice puffs instead of that lasagna you just made it's why would you why would you be giving this out when you have this you have a real hope that you can give now some people are cold and rational some people are emotional me I don't know which where you find yourself on the spectrum maybe you find yourself more not cold in the sense of care uncaring but you're more stoic you know and you're more just rational thinking like you just tend to be like yes that is that is in fact true okay I will live accordingly maybe that's you maybe you tend to be more emotional and you tend to need more like I got to get my feelings on board with this thing in order for me to to step into it and some people are both as Christians I actually think it's great if we're both I think it's fantastic to try to if you're if you're not very rational to try become more rational if you're all rational and not emotional at all like that's part of being human right like you should be a margin like we should have emotions we should enjoy those things just not let them control you but I think either way you should get this verse this powerful verse verse 18 right I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us if you are rational you should literally be able to take the sufferings of this life as bad as they are and then put them on scales and compare them to eternity in glory where God works all things together for good and has more comfort for us than we can imagine where he gives us his presence makes us co-heirs with Christ and then go these really are not worth comparing rationally still eclis I have realized the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to deplore which other revealed with us with long and prosperous you know it's just logical look there is that that that's that sort of you know rational side then there's the emotional side and in that sense maybe you shouldn't be thinking about the scales maybe you should be thinking about the glory think about the glory that will be revealed in us and the I can't imagine I'm a co heir with Christ I don't know what that's like I'd never asked for it I don't deserve it but that's amazing does it comfort your heart because it lifts you up can you now look at the deep difficult sufferings of life and say you know what if there's anything that gives me comfort in all this it's that and that's the only thing that's the only thing I can think of eternal glory certainly gives me comfort in the middle of the sufferings of life to the point where it's not even worth comparing I know some people have said they have questions for God I've heard this several times from people I've never really responded out loud so I'll do it now while their backs turned they live some questions for God but I die I've got a few of questions for God and I've always just thought to myself really like I have lots of questions for God in the sense if I just wanted all sorts stuff I'd like to know but this is different this is like I want God to answer to me doesn't really work that way doesn't really work that you ever try that on your parents your parents come home late where were you six like so they just laugh at you go to bed you know like it doesn't really work that way but but think about this maybe you have questions for God think of this this idea that God it says in Scripture he'll wipe away every tear now I don't think we're actually carrying our tears up into heaven I don't think I get there and you like standard one like like oh no don't wipe wipe wipe I don't think that's what it means what is meant by the symbolism of wiping away tears it's that the tears are an embodiment of your sorrows and God is saying I'm taking away the need for sorrow I'm not just going to answer your questions I'm answering your sorrows and that that's powerful that's powerful so I think it's a bad idea to minimize suffering like some people do and they try to make things feel better by just making it look smaller the suffering is not as bad as it looks that kind of thing in some cases it's not but we don't want to minimize it the solution to suffering is don't minimize glory that's the solution to suffering biblically it's not to minimize suffering it's to maximize the Laureus to realize the glory that is to come seriously it is not even worth comparing the two and that blows my mind I think verse 17 of Romans huy verse 18 of Romans a should be as much of a memory verse as Romans 8:28 if you ask me so let's keep going verse 19 for the earnest expectation of the creation now we're now we're moving into the subject of the creation we talk about the creation for a minute so the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits 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 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God now I'm going to do something I don't normally do only to take these verses out of order because it makes more sense in my brain so looking at verse 20 the creation was subjected to futility that's the thing that happened first maybe that's that's why I want to start there the creation was subjected to futility this is the same word used in the greek version of Ecclesiastes when it says that all is vanity and it's all like an emptiness like it's it's futile and creation is glorious I mean it is absolutely glorious if you look at those images from the Hubble telescope you're just like wow actually I look at those and I think is that photoshopped or is that I don't know if that's real or not like hi somebody tell me is that real did he mess with it I can't tell anymore what's real I don't know man that's all cat with the dog head and I wasn't sure if that was science or Photoshop but yes creation subjects it's glorious but it's subject to futility because creation is not quite right it's beautiful it's amazing but it's not quite right so crowded the beach you're like oh man it's it's beautiful too so great at the beach and you get home and you're going to learn to read sunburns you know you're like so this is not a right here there's there's elements of creation I'm being silly but there's all into creation that are obviously show there's a bondage of corruption that's what it says in verse 22 or 21 I'm sorry the bondage of corruption that all of creation is experiencing I find this really interesting because in the Christian worldview it sees the universe as being designed and being neat and being glorious and being amazing but also being corrupted not just people not just humans but the whole of creation is somehow in a state of corruption humans can be beautiful glorious and gorgeous as well and creation can be the same thing so not just man is in the state of corruption it is it is creation itself that really settled my mind when I realized that that Christian worldview was not preaching that this was this was all there is like hey you mean this is not the ideal that's what's coming that encouraged me um then it talks about why creation was subjected this is in verse 20 creation was subjected not willingly but because of him who subjected it in hope God is the one who subjected it and he did it in hope creation in a sense is like the law let me draw an allegory here a parallel the law was needful but it was meant for a time and a season and it was to usher in Jesus Christ and so creation being subjected to corruption is needful for God accomplishing certain purposes and it's going to be ushering in a new creation that is not subject to corruption there is a coming better creation let me read to you 2nd Peter chapter 3 it talks about this creation second Peter 3 verses 10 through 13 but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise boom like that's the sound it will actually sound like I'm saying boom and the elements will melt with fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up that's the demise of this corrupt creation corrupted creation therefore since all these things will be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness that's a good question it's all going to burn so how should you live looking for in hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat nevertheless we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells this is a temporary creation just in the sense of the law was a temporary thing that's interesting so creation is going to come with us in to verse 21 of Romans 8 the quote glorious liberty of the children of God that when we are brought into our this full glory that God has for us though then creation is also renewed and brought into that full glory as well so it's Liberty from bondage Liberty from corruption Liberty from all those things this is why back to verse 19 since I've done at all all wonky verse 19 for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God there's this eager waiting like it's just it's kids going to happen it's the music is building it's that it's that unresolved note you know for guitar players are play G C D D D D what is G okay you've got to come back to that root note before before you can feel settled in that sense the creations waiting I really wonder what this is going to be like with the new heavens and new earth are going to be like I mean we don't spend eternity up in up in heaven like I say ups like I mean the earth the ball so like everywhere is up from here but we don't spend eternity up in heaven so to speak there's a new creation new heavens new earth and then on this new earth is not even this earth it's a new earth there's this massive city revelation talks about I take that fairly literally and there we are living in the very presence of God but I wonder this new heaven new earth what will it be like well there's some things we know about it we know like it says in 2nd Peter that it's a place where righteousness dwells there'll be no sin it's perfect righteousness and you're there I mean that's a miracle right God's presence will be with us like never before his presence like never before the description of his presence is like this in Revelation that that there will be no need for the Sun because God Himself will be the light Wow let me read to you revelation 21:4 it describes this this new thing and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying and not because God says stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about but because there's nothing to cry about there shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away now let me highlight two of those for a second just for fun right there's no death and there's no pain how how is your no pain like that doesn't even work in the world we live in right now like if I don't have pain like I'm going to cause a lot of harm to myself there's all sorts of things like I won't realize that like I left my hand on the stove I've been very careful I like I like two tortillas like Mexican mama style like the right way you know which is my bare hand over the fire tortilla that's the way it tastes better that way it wasn't for paying I wouldn't be as quick and I probably get injured how is there no pain but the text just simply said this the former things have passed away everything's been new creation has given birth so to speak it's the new things come about what's it going to be like I'm not entirely sure but I really do wonder how can you put this together that this will be accomplished it's a new creation that things are different let's keep reading in Romans 8 verse 22 it says for we know that the whole creation the whole creation that's the whole universe groans and Labor's with birth pangs together until now this is the scope of the problem it's all of the universe now this is where this is where like I'm bringing up these guesses and I think it's fun to guess it's fun to guess like maybe the laws of physics will just be different in the new universe maybe that maybe they'll be totally different maybe they will but let's be honest we don't really understand the laws of physics right now most of us so so guessing it how they'll be different might actually make me start to look a little silly as I start to put my guesses onto the scripture so I want to say it's fun to guess things and I want to wonder things and ponder things but I want to go too far with it because guesses can become hobbyhorses and this can happen in any area of Scripture eschatology is one of the big one where it's about the end times we start to go like what about this like I know these these creatures in Revelation are Apache attack helicopters I can prove it and you're like okay like if that's where you want to like you know hit your post you can plant your flag die on that hill the problem is guesses can become hobby horses hobby horses can quickly become doctrines and doctrines that aren't based on that clear teachings of Scripture where you you know just draw a line where it says here's how much we know from Scripture and here's how much I guess from Scripture and just call it guessing I like chuck Missler would always say this he goes now this is conjecture which means guessing like I'm just God maybe and he was just say stuff that was like nutty sometimes and really neat sometimes and it was fun to listen to as long as you understood that it's guessing but let's remember the difference because it can become doctrines and then those are distracting and they can also make you look kind of foolish in the long run especially because in hindsight some of the stuff every time somebody guesses it who the Antichrist is later generations laugh at them every time so why are you guessing you're going to laugh at you in 20 years we have no idea God's timeline on these things so we should we should be humble about those types of issues but but we can say this something this is kind of neat something really big is being accomplished by the time of corruption the universe is going through the fallen I don't want I'm going to use the word fall in exactly what the word corruption is what's used in the text the universe is subject of futility creation groans and something's being accomplished that's why in verse 22 it talks about these being labor pains labor pains are worth it because they bring forth the child they're bringing forth something and this corruption that the universe is in is the birth pangs for what is being brought forth which is I think the new heaven to the new earth actually it's a lot of things it's the new creation it's a saved people it's the glory of God and redemption and love which wouldn't be possible without without the particular story we've got going on in the world of the glory of God in judgment yea God's glorified even in judging those who reject him that's his glory revealed and now that's not a bad thing in a sense like as though it were evil it's God's justice and goodness and glory that's accomplishing judgment and it's the the wonderment of freewill creatures choosing to love and know God and God exalting us into this close and glorious relationship being co-heirs with Christ that's all this is being done through this time of birth pangs now some people act like the labor brings forth nothing and could you imagine imagine we live in a world thank God we don't we're all the suffering and all the hardships and all the pains and the heart-piercing hardships of life bring forth nothing that's the world of atheism there's no point there's no purpose there's no reason there's no plan that's the world of atheism I I I've asked atheist who I actually like love talking with atheists and trying to reason with them and then with me hopefully um but but I've never heard a good case for any purpose behind pain behind suffering or any purpose of anything within the worldview of atheism but in a Christian worldview this labor brings forth something keep this in mind when we get to Romans 8:28 because he's it's all connected it's all connected we get to that confetti verse you know that one verse II know in Romans eight now I'm sure you know more than that okay verse 23 not only that not only that there's more but it's maybe not the and there's this good thing it's actually kind of the other way around not only that but we also who have the first fruits of the spirit that the first fruits of the spirit here is I'm sealed by the Holy Spirit and I have this Abba Father relationship with God that's the first fruits but there's a later full fuller fruit coming that glorification so even we ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption the redemption of our body so I groan - not just creation creation groans and I groan and we'll get there next week but the Holy Spirit also groans and for us so to speak but we groan too III have a habit and maybe it's a bad habit I tend to ask people all the time when I see them hey how are you hey how's it going how are you doing and sometimes I've recently been thinking like maybe I asked that too much because it's like if you people ask you that everyday you just end up not being able to answer them you're like well I'm just like how are you well actually I'm in a really hard time you know as they keep going other it's not that we don't care it's just that sometimes another best moment to share but but when people ask you how you are you you always reply totally awesome right I'm fantastic I've never been any better now I know Christians who always reply in the negative how you doing and I've known them for like years and I've never heard them doing good not once not once I mean they could win the lottery then you can go how are you doing they go oh these taxes man it's just always like it's not good nothing's nothing's really ultimately so they be rejoicing over but then there's the other side where we think that we always have to be smile and we always have to be like happy-go-lucky or something like that and first off that's not true like and no one's accomplishing this not me not you nobody but neither did Paul the Apostle let me read to you Philippians 227 now this is the joy book right Philippians this is the joy book of the New Testament he says he's speaking of his friend who was sick he says for indeed he was sick almost unto death but God had mercy on him and not only on him but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow it would have greatly grieved Paul and he's just honest about it man I would have been so sad if my friend died I mean he's going to be as a lord but I would have been wrecked I'm doing this ministry stuff and it's hard and he's my ministry partner and I love him and he's my friend and I would have lost him that would break my heart but Paul cheer up joy Lord he's like no you don't really know how this works to you the joy the Lord the thing that comes under you when you're in the sorrow upon sorrow is not the thing that makes it disappear it becomes underneath you it comes and holds you up so you don't go into the depths you know the joy the Lord sometimes is rejoicing in the midst of sorrow and grief not in the absence of sorrow and grief just like you know courage isn't the absence of fear well joy isn't necessarily the absence of sorrow in this case as believers we too groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption man things are gonna get so much better they're going to get so much better and so it's what we look forward to that brings us joy it's not always what we're going through that brings us joy this should seem obvious it should seem obvious you know verse 24 for we were saved in this hope but hope that is seen is not hope for why does one still hope for what he sees but if we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with perseverance now this is where the I like to point out where people would misuse the scripture this is where some skeptics would grab these verses and go hah hope that's not seen that's blind faith this is where your Bibles telling you to have blind faith and I've know a bit of a big proponent that the bible does not teach us to have blind faith now faith yes but if by blind faith what I mean is faith for no reason whatsoever like just believe it to believe it because you should believe it but then I could believe anything for that same reason I mean I only believe God has a trust in His goodness and character that's a good reason I trust in the goodness and character of God but but no this isn't blind faith isn't actually talking about that at all on this term of hope so there is a difference between faith and hope right faith is what I believe hope is what I expect faith is about the things that I believe are true hope is about the things I expect to happen like I believe my wife loves me I hope she makes me some food I expect a specific thing to happen you know so this is belief and hope are not the same thing in this case obviously if you're hoping something it involves an element of faith but they're different things so this isn't about blind faith in fact the word unseen here it's referring to things that have not yet happened that's why it's hope doesn't exist if you see the thing because boy I hope I have my Bible no I don't I have my Bible I'm not hoping I have it you know hope is about what what's going to happen in the future but it's not this tentative holy look so you know it's rather it's a confident expectation of what will happen but hasn't happened yet that's why it's hope so hope that is seen is not hope we don't we don't hope for what we see we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait it says eagerly wait I think that's interesting so what we do not see here is where the co-heir is this new creation the birth pangs in your life of what God is going to bring forth in the future time I'm waiting on this I have not yet seen it but I should have an eager wait there's different ways to wait in life you know wait on the Lord but I'm awaiting eagerly am i eager eager means there's a present anticipation for that thing that is coming in a future time but sometimes we treat heaven the older we get in a sense we're getting closer to heaven the older we get but we treat it like heavens getting further instead of closer and instead of creating more expectation and more eagerness we almost are like you I know I know it's called evangelism but really it's needful for a believers mind to be healthy we've got to have a present expectation of heaven in our hearts and minds not just that I die and I'll be in the presence of God but also the whole scope of the new heaven the new earth the glory that is to come co-heirs with Christ all of these realities let that be an eager thing let me give you an illustration from the book of James if you would turn that James chapter 1 verses 9 through 11 this is a passage that confuses a lot of people when they read it so it's kind of nice to go there and clear the air on it James 1 verses 9 through 11 this is a great illustration of what it means to be eager in your life for that future glory that's coming James 1:9 it says let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation but the rich in his humiliation because as a flower of the field he will pass away for no sooner has the Sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass its flower Falls and it's beautiful appearance perishes so the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits now the lowly brother in verse 9 it seems clearly this is talking about he's poor this is a Christian believer who's poor he has no money he's low he's a lowly brother in that sense then there is the rich and they're both to have glory but their will to glory in opposite things the lowly the poor brothers to glory in his exaltation why because even though you are poor now Yoriko heir with Christ so here you are and you're like you're going to the store and you're like I don't have the money to pay for macaroni and cheese and you're laughing because you're going to inherit the universe and your life Lord this is just this is piddly stuff now but I I am an heir of Jesus Christ but the rich is to glory in his humiliation why because he looks at all that wealth he's God he scrooge mcduck he's diving inside his swimming in his vat of gold you were when you were a kid that you were like does that work now I want gold like here but that doesn't reason die but then he's swimming in his VAT of gold you know that that's and the rich looks at it and he goes this is all worthless my inheritance in Christ is way more than this but also all this is gone and that lowly brother there he's right here with me and so he's laughing about the fact that the world sees him is higher but in the Lord they're all the same and it's a beautiful thing that in church in the early days of church you could have this like rich believer who comes to church and he could be maybe he's there you know cleaning chairs after service and you got the poorest guy and he's up preaching it's just this whole flip and so this is the eager expectation it's like this stuff doesn't even matter compared to the glory that's to come I eagerly expect heaven so I treat this life on earth very differently my money's temporary it's here to serve God my family here to serve God my life here to serve God my employment here to serve God my education here to serve God whatever I've got it's here for the Lord because that's what I'm expecting and so I have an eager expectation and it's also verse 25 we eagerly wait with it afford it with perseverance perseverance I think is okay so I'm not only eager but it doesn't peter out I'm not like the firework that explode boom that was great now I'm done but I continue to serve the Lord with perseverance I persevere I put off sin I live a godly life and I set my eyes and mine on heaven for the long haul it's easy to get excited and get involved in serving the Lord for a week or a month but can you do it for 40 years can you do it for 50 years can you do it for 60 years if the Lord tarries and you're still around can you just keep doing and serving God for the long haul with perseverance Jesus says this do not fear little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom to keep giving you the kingdom he doesn't just make you part of the kingdom he's giving you the kingdom sell what you have and give alms provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old a treasure in the heavens that does not fail where no thief approaches nor moth destroys for where your treasure is there your heart will be also so we eagerly wait for this hope to be realized with perseverance and that's where we're going to end up in today but I want to I want to bring us back to what I opened with which is this how does this debunk the health and wealth gospel because none of this would have been written that the health and wealth wealth gospel was true what would Romans they say if health and wealth was all true you'd be like your co-heirs with Christ your reigning right now forget suffering with him you're in glory and you will get glory name it and claim it blab it can grab it that's that that would be that would be the statement instead what do we have we have our glorious Liberty from sin Liberty from the flesh enjoyment of a relationship with God that these are just the first fruits of the spirit and we suffer with him and there's a future time we'll be in glory because this life is not going to be right but we can be right with God our life is not going to be right all this debunks that help them wealth gospel because none of this expectation is needed you don't need this hope if it's already here I feel like the there's very few of these prosperity preachers that will teach verse-by-verse because they'd have to mangle the passage so incredibly in order to get around the obvious implications of the text but the thing is they do teach too little because really God has more prosperity for us than these preachers ever talked about anyways it's just that their timing is wrong and their sights are too low if they would have it where Jesus doesn't self sell your moneybags and give alms and you'll get treasures in the heavens they would have to change that sell your money bags in here give alms and God will give you more money in your money bags again that seems just sold and then you give it to me and he'll give you more you give me any gives you more you give any Goods and all this kind of garbage but it just seems pretty obvious to people who are in love with Jesus it doesn't seem like they're too often fallen for this kind of stuff the reality is that the people who preach prosperity they appeal to the people who are all about prosperity in this world and those who have their eyes on Jesus it doesn't really have a lot of appeal to you because you want what you want more than that that's petty why would I just I just wanna be rich I glory in that humiliation of that I am Ana I want I want to serve the Lord and store treasures in heaven so let's pray father we want to pray that our perseverance would be eager and that in our eagerness for what you have for us we persevere we pray Lord that you give us a biblical life in the local mind a biblical heart that we would be able to look in the face of the sorrows of this life which are many and are hard and we'd be able to say seeing that clearly as it is that it's not worth comparing to the glory which shall be revealed in us all we pray would be a people of hope hope that carries us through hope that encourage us in hardship hope that gives us the right perspective Lord we pray Lord that we just be biblically minded and all that we do God we love you and we thank you for your grace for your kindness to us and the incredible privilege of knowing knowing you God as went as well and above and beyond that to to be your children to be heirs it's unimaginable or what you have in store for us but let us have it somehow in our imagination so that it would carry us through when we're going through hard times in Jesus name [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Mike Winger

Views: 24,296

Rating: 4.9305553 out of 5

Keywords: Mike Winger, BibleThinker, Bible Thinker, Romans 8, prosperity gospel debunked, what’s wrong with the prosperity gospel, co-heirs with Christ, coheirs, what does it mean to be an heir with Christ, why is the world messed up, fallen world, new heavens new earth

Id: O1OGXSp8BAg

Length: 54min 15sec (3255 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 17 2017