Saved by Hope
Romans 8:23-25 · Bob Eckel · Jan 14, 2007
Romans (2005-07), No. 66
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926014351907

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Let's go back and re-read the section in context where we find ourselves today. I listened to Roger's lesson last week. Boy, that's a privilege we have in this church to get on the website. It was like I was here. I was hearing all your questions, all the chuckling. It was great. It's kind of like I didn't even miss it. That was a lot of fun. Let's start with verse 18.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body.

For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man sees, why does he then hope for it? But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. You know, it was funny because we'll get to this maybe in 15 or 20 minutes, but the noun hope is an interesting one. And, you know, I went to Webster and I went to other sources to define this term hope.

And you know the best definition of hope is in Romans 8.24. Beats all the secular views of what hope is, at least for us. Okay, American Standard Version I liked best on 8.23. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves waiting for, quote, or in parenthesis, our adoption, to wit, meaning for it to be the redemption of our body.

So this not only so implies something's happened before. It's not only this, but also something else. So the idea here is that whatever this was before, it's now for us also. So what does this refer to? Roger taught this last week. What occurred before? where there's a position of waiting or anticipation, if you will. Well, you got your notes before you. I mean, what occurred before was the creation.

The creation's groaning, right? Again, Roger touched on the rocks and mountains and hillsides and everything that the Lord has put in place is kind of groaning in a way that we can't perceive. But now we're identified with this creation in terms of this waiting for the adoption. Now the creation is not waiting for the adoption of the body, but this is now an example of how we in fact are put in a position to be patient for what is yet to come.

Now here we as believers, and I think it's important in context to realize we're not talking about mankind here, this book is written to the believer. So this is the body of believers collectively as the church, the body of Christ, and it's also to each and every one of us individually as believers.

And we're described as having the firstfruits of the Spirit. And the question for you, what are the firstfruits? Is this the Galatians 5 fruits of the Spirit that Paul is alluding to here? And parenthetically, some commentators would suggest that this is the fruit of the Spirit. I don't think so. What else might the first fruits of the Spirit? Morning, Jim. Morning, Rachel. What do you think Paul is teaching us here about the first fruits of the Spirit?

The resurrection. Never thought of that. Anybody else like that? Positionally, aren't we resurrected already? Okay, now I think we're getting a little closer. Okay, and what aspect of the resurrection are we considering here then? I mean, if we're told here that even, but ourselves also, by the way, tying into this expectation to have the first fruits of the Spirit.

Is there an Old Testament basis to first fruits? And the answer is yes, there is. So let's go back and take a look at just a couple of passages. And the idea of the first fruits was the first portion of the dough from which the sacred loaves were to be prepared. But moreover, beyond that, during the period of the harvest, the firstfruits were brought to be consecrated to God. It kind of, if you were, a sanctification of the person bringing the firstfruits in terms of their relationship through the priest to God Almighty.

Jim, could you pull Leviticus 23, 10, and 11? And Wayne, how about Numbers 28, 26 for us? We're not going to spend too much time here, but I thought it's important to reflect back on firstfruits as viewed by the nation of Israel Leviticus 23 10 and 11 And Jehovah spoke to Moabit saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land that I give unto you, and ye reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest, and he shall weigh it for you on the next day after the Sabbath. Did you get the concept there a little bit? I mean, firstfruits brought to the priest and ultimately presented to God.

Numbers 28.26. Wayne? Also in the day of the firstfruits, when we bring a new feat offering unto the Lord after the weeks we have, we shall have an holy convocation. We shall do no superfluous work. Did everybody hear that? Did everybody hear that? Okay.

All right, so the concept here in the Old Testament, and by the way, there are a lot of other passages that reflect on first fruits in terms of the harvest and ultimately what's done with the first fruits. It's kind of like the first sun concept of the Old Testament too. So here, the idea is that the firstfruits in the Old Testament was used of persons consecrated to God. And for all time, you could question this, but keep in mind the role of the priest in terms of the annual sacrifice and the intervening position of the priest on behalf of the people. So I think firstfruits is a concept that is well-founded scripturally before Paul ever brings it up here in the New Testament.

Now, another definition that's used by Thayer, and remember Thayer is apparently a Greek scholar, and some question whether he was a saved man or not. But in a sense, that's what I like about Thayer, not that he wasn't saved, but the fact that he is providing a very scholarly view of the Greek language and how it might be best to objectively interpret it.

So now you get to see the rest of the Scarboroughs. That's Meryl and this is Danny, everybody. Margaret's brother and sister. So they're only used to wearing shirt sleeves. Danny, how long since been since you wore those wool pants? About three decades now?

So the idea of fair is that another definition of first fruits defines people who are superior in excellence to others of the same class. Now, if we use that definition, how might we interpret first fruits as identifying believers? Is it that some believers are of a greater class than the other? You guys want to come up front or you want to sit in the back?

Does the believer have a particular relationship to the Lord? Again, keep in mind, if Thayer is providing us with an objective Greek definition of the Greek term and is not tied to a subjective relationship like hopefully each and every one of us in this room, then the idea of the believer is set aside, set apart.

This is a unique relationship for the believer that we all have as the body of Christ, the first fruits of the Spirit. We are consecrated to God as found in the Old Testament in terms of an Old Testament principle. That's pretty special. But keep in mind what this has followed, and we'll return back to that here in a moment. So what does this mean here, this idea that we ourselves have the firstfruits of the Spirit? Well, I think I'm just going to go to scripture.

James 1.18 says, Of his own will begot he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Scripture comments on itself, which is what's so wonderful about the word of God.

We don't ever get put into an atmosphere of void. We always have a way to cross-reference and explain exactly what the interpretation should be. So if James says that we've been made a kind of first fruits of his creatures, that in fact we've been begotten to him through the Word of Truth, then I think it really relates to the superior class of people are the body of Christ, each and every one of us.

So we all have the first fruits of the Spirit. by definition, is being saved. We, in fact, are all partakers of the firstfruits of the Spirit. We're not going to look at, you know, objective evidences of that. In other words, the firstfruits are love, peace, joy, and on down the list. That is the fruit of the Spirit. But the firstfruits is the relationship we have with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Any thoughts there at all? And if you will, I've kind of commented, this is a pledge of a rich and full harvest. We're sacred and dedicated to the task of being his earthly representatives. And remember, this is founded on what we've spent, you know, recently time on in this class in Romans 8, 14 through 17. Remember, let's go back and take a look at that.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they're the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

And if children, then heirs. And if heirs, then joint heirs. And if so be that we suffer with him, we may be also glorified together. So the first fruits is identified as an attribute of the believer that relates to our special and very escalated relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, the verse also says we groan, present tense, within ourselves. Now, Roger touched on this last week. In verse 22, we saw that the whole creation groaned and prevailed in pain together until now. And in the Greek, groan can also be interpreted as a sigh.

Now, if you were going to define grown to somebody, how would you do it? Let's say you've got somebody who's only Russian speaking, and he or she wants you to define grown. How would you define grown? yeah you'd act it out the size so what does this how would you define sigh but what is a sigh utterance pain or discomfort.

All right, so you're projecting this as a negative interpretation, correct? Do you think that's what this means here? In the English, it does imply strife and pain. I mean, a groaning is really reflecting of that. And maybe we should not go there yet. But in a sense, do you think scripturally that this is strife and pain, this groaning, and a sigh. Can't you sigh at times where strife and pain is not the explanation for the sigh? How would you describe that? What is a sigh?

What's that indicate? Could be. So you would call that post-strife in pain, right? Yeah, I think it potentially could be interpreted that way. And I couldn't really get much more into the depth of the understanding from the Greek perspective. Thayer wasn't very helpful in providing alternative explanations. But yes, is the believer put in the position of pain and strife? Absolutely. Yes, doc.

In a sense, it's a release of whatever the underlying emotion is. I mean, you can sigh in joy, too. I think so. Yeah, I mean, I think the example that was just given in terms of, you know, something that you avoided in terms of your automobile on the road, that could be easily a sigh of relief and joy and rest. Or if your children are received back like the boy that was found I'm sure my mom and parents are all sighing there. That's pretty incredible.

So the fact that the scripture isn't specific in terms of defining groan, I think it could relate to all of the above, couldn't it? I mean, this groaning that we have in terms of the expectation really is one of anticipation. It's one that carries us through strife and pain. I mean, think about our earthly existence here during this process of I am being saved. I mean, there are bumps in the road, are there not? And scripture talks well about the trials and tribulations that are brought our way.

Boy, the sigh is a kind of, yes, pain and strife, joy, release, tension, whatever. It's a kind of resting back and saying, God, thank you for all that you are in these circumstances. The groaning is potentially interpreted in all of the human experience, I think. And remember what the groaning relates to. It relates to what we're expecting. The idea that this is just for a time. The trials are just for a time. The grief is just for a time. Our hope is in something more. But it's based on our relationship.

And that's as sons, children, heirs, and joint heirs. So this condition of groaning as reflecting strife and pain, yes, that's part of our condition, groaning in response to these. But I think also, as presented here today, it can be groaning that relates to the expectation and sense of relief that we have from all our earthly trials and tribulations. So I think we've dealt with that already. Now here, the groaning is specified to a very specific outcome.

And I think it really extends far beyond that. So it relates to the adoption and the question, I thought we were already adopted sons. We are. But it's in fact, is that the adoption that's specified in verse 23? Are we groaning because we are still here? Isn't part of our groaning to be with the Lord? We're going to get there, but yeah. I think Gail brought this up a while back, that our suffering, all of that has to do with we're still here, even if for a moment. We're going to get there, but you're very anticipatory.

She had to look at my notes before we came in today. So here the adoption is specified as the redemption of the body. And when we think of redemption, we think of the term deliverance, the idea of delivering us from these earthly bodies. And what do we think about when we think about our earthly bodies?

Negative, positive, neutral. They're deteriorating. All right, so it's a dying entity, that's for sure. And we don't need to share experiences here. What else about the Earthling? Do you think of the Earthling body as sinful or heavenly, or is it in fact just a vessel? It's a vessel, but it's here. And it's deteriorating, right?

But what is part of our earthly existence that reflects on our ultimately being adopted into resurrection bodies? What's different about our resurrection body, this new body that we're going to get, the redemption body, from the one we have now? What kind of gasoline are you putting in that new body? What kind of gasoline's in your current one?

Well, we have two natures. We still have a sin nature, although it's been crucified. Our adoption to sons and heirs and joint heirs reflects on who Christ is and how we identify with him. But man, these old bodies, they're deteriorating and I also got that old guy hanging around in here. So this redemption body is a hope, something we're looking forward to. It's an adoption that is promised for the future. 2 Corinthians 5, 2 I think says, well, for in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. Groaning, to ultimately want that new existence. Yes, we have that existence now in our position of truth. But we still carried this flawed concept or reality of the sin nature in these earthly bodies.

The redemption body will have none of those. This is not the deliverance, by the way, just to make sure we're clear on this, this is not the deliverance of ourselves from our bodies itself. Now, in a sense, what we've been talking about is that, the fact in the redemption body there'll be no old man. But this talks about the bodies itself from being raised from the grave.

But I think even though that is the interpretation in the text, We have to believe that that redemption body also is a different existence entirely in terms of the sin nature and how it impales the existence of the human body. So the way I tried to summarize this is the redemption of the body is really part of this entire adoption deal.

I mean, it's kind of, you know, you go into you know, maybe a convenience store or something. And you've got a package deal where you get, you know, chips and dip and soda and all this all tied in. Well, this is one component of this. And that's kind of the way, of course, there's got to be low fat chips.

And Romans 8.15, which we've looked at before, is that we've not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you've received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. I think that adoption is not simply the redemption body. It's the adopted relationship that, in fact, we have that includes the redemption body as a promise of things to come. So although the adoption here speaks to the redemption body, let's not narrow adoption to think that only that is part of the adoption process.

And this reflects, I think, as said in 1 Peter 1.4, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you.

And Margaret, this is back to what we were saying before. I think this is consistent with our position. I mean, this earthly existence really is a vessel that we all have, but we've been placed in eternity as adopted sons and children and heirs and joint heirs. And, you know, if Hal were here, he'd remind me that this is a verse I often use too much, maybe. He wouldn't say too much.

But, you know, our citizenship is in heaven. And so we eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I don't know about you, but one thing I kind of fall back on when things seem like they're getting a little tough and a little overwhelming is, you know, what's the worst that can come of this? I mean, this isn't where my citizenship is anyway, right? I mean, we're citizens of a heavenly kingdom. And so therefore, all this groaning, whether it be in response to trials and tribulations or kind of a release of tension that comes after these trials are behind us, this reflects, I think, very importantly, our citizenship. You know, we're actually living in a foreign country here.

Our position is heavenly. We've been crucified, buried, risen. positioned above. And I think that the adoption of the redemption of the body is just one aspect of an adoption that reflects on our citizenship and how ultimately we will be changed to be as he currently is.

All right. Now, verse 24. This is the interlinear Greek because it, again, translates it, I think, most closely to perhaps what the original Greek intended. For by hope we were saved. Now, we'll come back to that in a second. But hope being seen is not hope. For what sees anyone, why also he hopes. Notice we were saved. Now, integrate this aorist passive indicative. And the various versions differ here. Some say we are saved. Some say we were saved. And some say that we have been saved. So what are your thoughts here? Is this important? What's the aorist tense?

Past point fact. What's that? Past point fact. Past point fact. All right. And how does that relate to the way we interpret that in terms of the language? We were. It's a done deal. At a point in time. All right. Can that fact be applied to different time periods? Well, it's not like the perfect tense, which has a continuous action, but the aorist tense is a fact which can be uniquely applied to have been, but also can be actually interpreted as active and potentially future. It's a complicated scenario. But wrapped up in the aorist is done deal, but yet it has interpretations at any time period. So the idea is that we often kind of try to simplify this by saying I have been saved or was saved, I'm being saved, and I will be saved. It all relates to the aorist tense in terms of conceptually defining what the term salvation means.

So I was saved. July 14, 1978, I was saved. Now, God had me. written in the book of life before the beginning of time, but nevertheless to my knowledge July 14 1978 I was saved. I have been saved on July 14 1978. I'm being saved by the process of the outworking of the spirit day in and day out.

An active process and that's why some versions say we are saved. We're present tense. We're being saved. We're saved. It's an existing phenomenon. And we'll be saved is the redemption of the body, is it not? I mean, our ultimate salvation, where we spend eternity, reflects on the aorist tense applied to what's still before us. Important concept. By hope. It says, for by hope we were saved. Now, is that hope applied to the past tense? I mean, I'm hoping that I have been saved? No. I mean, the hope has to reflect the fact that this salvation process, in fact, is not yet complete.

We have security in our salvation. There's no room to interpret that once saved, one loses your salvation. And people will use scripture to try to indicate that you lose your salvation if your works aren't good enough. And I think we at Holly Hills would interpret the Bible very differently.

And that's important. So, by hope is demanding an explanation. Let's describe hope. Future fact. That's a very strong definition. Everybody like that? Future fact? I like how absolute certainty. Absolute certainty. Will you be able to convince the world, the skeptic about this?

All right, let's play this out. If you will, a very simplistic explanation is that it's an expectation. And I don't know, in my old man, in my flesh, I always have expectations and then when you're disappointed, you know, they don't occur, you're disappointed, right? That's an old man kind of thing, I think.

But in scripture, the expectation, is for the believer the joyful and confident view of what eternal salvation is all about, in context here. Now we could have hope for other things that might be scripturally based, but for the believer it's the confident, joyful and confident expectation.

And according to this verse, and here's the definition aspects, if it's seen it's not hope. So a hope is not based on anything that's currently evident. It can use what's currently evident as a foundation of what the hope is. But hope is something we don't see.

And that's an important part of the definition. For what sees anyone, why also he hopes? And that's really effectively what the verse says. So for the believer, what's our hope based on? We've heard a lot of strong statements about hope as something to be joyful and confident about. It's an unrevealed fact and lots of strong definitions here. So what's our hope based on?

Well, I think in this context, it would specifically be to go back to verse 23, where we're awaiting the redemption of the bodies, and that's in contextually. Obviously, hope for the redeemed is greater than that, but contextually, I think it is. Okay. But that hope, though, weaves itself through many other aspects of our hope. Here, the hope is, in verse 23, specified for the redemption of the body, right? But I took this, Jim, and went a little bit further with it in terms of the hope in general that we have as believers, which, by the way, I think extends, and we're going to end with this today, extends beyond the redemption of the body. So we're using this as a springboard into the definition and application of the term hope as it reflects how each of us view our life today and reflect on what is to come tomorrow.

So Hebrews 11.1 says, it turns to faith as a working principle for our hope, right? I mean, if we're feeling so confident about our hope, it must be based on faith.

And so Hebrews 11.1 so frequently quoted, now faith is a substance of things hoped for. The term hoped is used in there. and the evidence of things not seen. So in a sense, it's an act of faith by which our hope is exerted. Let's look a little further. Is this faith blind? So is our hope a blind faith? Or is it a leap of faith?

And I pulled something on Soren Kierkegaard. Now my late father-in-law, this is my first wife Sharon's father, was a Kierkegaardian philosopher for all of his life until he got cancer of the esophagus. And finally, what Sharon and I represented and existed as new believers ultimately became truth, and he's with the Lord Jesus Christ today. So after years of Kierkegaardian philosophy and the leap of faith, he ultimately came within months of his death or home going to become a saved man. So Kierkegaard, here is the concept here.

Faith begins where one knows and has experienced the limitations of rational thought. Therefore, it's a leap into a paradox. I know by not knowing. I believe because I cannot know. But due to this unknowing, I've established a direct and unspeakable relationship with that which is beyond thinking, which leads me in the relationship. How's that?

You like that? So someone who takes this leap of faith, his or her thought has reached a level of lack of rationality. And so this is the leap of faith. So you hear that term used all the time, but here's a representative definition of what Kierkegaard was thinking. Yes? I had someone after the moral service for Howell say, well, then you're right to what you told me when you shared about Howell. That's a leap of faith. I said, no, it's not. It's absolutely the opposite. It's good that our faith is not a leap.

Let's look at 1 Peter 1.18-21 first, and then we'll kind of return to some other things from an apologetic perspective that makes our hope based on faith, and it's a different hope than in fact the world or Kierkegaard had.

Donna, would you read 1 Peter 1.18-21 please? Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold in your vain conversation received by traditions from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot, who barely was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in his last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God. What's the strong part of that series of verses that relates to the topic here today? There are two aspects, I think, that are particularly evident in terms of what our faith is based on.

How about foreordained? How much Old Testament prophecy relates to the birth and death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? I mean, Burns has been covering this some in Isaiah, right? Tremendous prophecy fulfilled. and all that preceded the Lord Jesus Christ. His birth, His earthly existence, His death, His resurrection, and His second coming. And secondly, very importantly, is verse 21.

No one can doubt a testimony of changed lives in yourself and those that we impact through the power of the Spirit. So our hope is based on an act of faith that relates to fulfilled prophecy, the historical record, and then most importantly on lives that have been changed by the power of the Spirit, and provide unequivocal evidence for faith. Now you can say, well, the Muslims, maybe they can change their claim to change lives, or the Mormons.

I mean, the issue is we don't want to go there particularly. But the idea is that if Christ was who he said he was, and we believe he was, Someone who is seen live, then dead, then resurrected in the historical documents, clearly beyond scripture, document that fact. The issue is, how do you deal with the Lord Jesus Christ? And in verse 21, we believe. And we believe for the reasons that have been historically and prophetically documented in the scripture, and then by the lives that have been changed throughout the world by this truth. So is this a leap of faith? I mean, I don't know.

When I was seeking truth, and I came on July 14, 1978 to be saved, two things convinced me. I had an opportunity to study other religions in college, so I got exposed to what other people were thinking and believed. And then secondly, I was seeking truth and ultimately continued to kind of critique scripture until ultimately I became convinced that scripture had the truth that I was looking for. And then I saw Sharon, a woman who I'd known a long time, whose life had been changed by her salvation. Yeah, we still have our own personalities, our own characters and things, but yet I saw a woman who I knew well who was different because of an experience of salvation.

So 1 Peter 1.18-21 plays out in reality that my hope now is based on evidence provided by the truth of the word of God as documented historically and prophetically and an opportunity to see lives changed among the people I know and love.

Verse 25, but if what we do not see we hope for through patience we eagerly expect. So this continues to describe hope. But if what we do not see, again, remember, hope is something we don't see. And the atmosphere that we need to have surrounding us is one of patience.

Now, in context, this could be best interpreted as we assiduously and patiently wait for. And it's interesting, because the Greek there is the same thing that we saw used back in Romans 8, the same chapter 19 and 23. Don't the terms assiduously, meaning with diligence, and patiently seem conflicting? I mean, I don't know. If we're seeking it diligently, it sounds like there's a tension, a tremendous desire, maybe an anxiety about it, and then patiently. But yet in the Greek, the interpretation of the word, I think, is perfect for the position of patience we find ourselves in.

Romans 8.19, remember, just a couple of weeks ago, I think I taught this section, for the earnest expectation of the creation. Again, this involves the diligence and patience we have. Diligence means we take it seriously. It becomes an impacting part of our thought process and our life and our prayer, by the way. And patiently is this concept of being ready for God's perfect timing.

823, Roger taught last week, you know, the creation. No, it's 23 from today. The patience that we have in 23 as we groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption. The term waiting, again, is this term that involves assiduously and patiently applying the concept of where God has us and what's to follow.

We'll not look at the other verses now. Now compare that of the flesh, that of the flesh with that of the spirit. I mean this eagerly awaiting, this expectation, how's the flesh do it, that kind of stuff. I don't know, I'm not going to let Margaret tell stories here. She reminds me, but it's so true. Patience, my flesh knows nothing of that stuff. And the neat thing here about the expectation we have in the hope that the Lord gives us, it is something that in fact we seek after, we've grown about, but yet we know it's His timing. I have no control over this. And that's neat. Because if my flesh could control it, believe me, I'd set the timing of this. But I have to diligently seek this out and ultimately be patient for God's timing to let it happen.

So in the Spirit, do we have any choice? And the answer is no. I mean, the Spirit expects a behavior that's energized through the Spirit in the new man and how he views the promises of God. Remember Christ himself said, I don't know the timing of these events.

They're going to follow. And in a sense, the believer is very much positioned there too. We have the hope, we have the expectation, we have the faith that energizes our hope. But yet the timing is not ours. All we need to remember is we're heavenly citizens. And God will be true to his promises. and not on our agenda.

Describe your hope. And what I did is just kind of develop a brief list, and there could be a lot more that we could really think about. Christ's return. Boy, a hope that we all have, isn't it? I mean, talk about prayer, and Roger's going to talk more about prayer next week. I think an unconscious and conscious prayer all the time is for his second coming. And that reason isn't to deliver us from all the trials and tribulations we have here. The reason is that it places us eternally in that hope we have of our eternal salvation. Different reasons for us to look at Christ's return. Deliverance unto a resurrected body.

We just dealt with this here in Romans 8.23. A new body. Different than the ones we have now. No disease. No pain. No hunger. No thirst. A whole different concept. A hope that we all have. It's scripturally founded. Being presented spotless before Christ.

In 2nd Corinthians 5.21, He made Him be sinned who knew not sin, that I might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Great, great verse. So, when we're presented to the Lord Jesus Christ, we're spotless. It's a done deal. Because He was made sin for us who do no sin, Him. that we would be declared and made the righteousness of God in Him. That's a hope. Boy, if you don't have this hope, you think about standing before Lord Jesus Christ, and you're thinking about all the bad things you've done, we're really in a position of less than optimal hope.

Rewards. I think the believer doesn't understand the rewards concept at all. And Donna Mike, I've always loved what he said about rewards. He said, we're not going to be able to really figure this out, and it ain't red and white and blue ribbons. I mean, and the way Mike describes rewards, and this is just his opinion, but I agree with it fully, those who are closer to that new man relationship here will be closer there and everyone will be satisfied.

I don't know, I mean that may not be right, but it's a concept of rewards that we, I think the heavenly rewards are beyond what we can clearly understand as humans, because we want first place, second place, third place, but everybody wins in heavenly places. and how this is going to be transacted, we don't know, but one thing we can do is hope for that and not work for it, but it's a hope that ultimately reflects who we are in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Deliverance from Satan, sin and death, how about that for a deal, huh? So, you know, if you think about the alternative, boy, that's something that's ultimately a little bit fearful, isn't it? But the idea when we're in heavenly places, physically, that Satan, sin, and death have no relevance at all anymore, ever.

And another concept is the companionship with the body of Christ. And again, these verses will not take time to look at now, but you can look at these. The idea we're going to be with fellow believers. And you will see, we will all see one another again. And these are going to be like the pieces of sand on the seashore. Lots of us, surrounded together around the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then finally, the simple thing, and this may not be an exhaustive list, there may be a lot more, but spending eternity. And remember what eternity is, it's the absence of time. With eternity, there's not today, yesterday, and tomorrow. And I like the way Byrne describes that. I mean, he describes this kind of sphere of no... Temporal existence and eternity is a concept that we don't begin to even comprehend, I think. This is such an interesting and ephemeral kind of issue. And I'm going to close with this.

How can or does the hopeless soul respond? We really have a treasure in our hope. And as believers, this is so uplifting and so factual and gives us an atmosphere of humble confidence that we all exist in a world system that the world doesn't know. I mean, we exist here. And the idea, again, of a business address is a good concept because we're here for a time. And we're here to live by faith that ultimately the gospel message might be seen. Not necessarily in everything we do and say, but who we are. And so, what a great hope. What hope does the world have? My brother believes that he's done enough good things for people that ultimately God will deal with him justly. No Christ in his hope for tomorrow.

It's just based on what he's done. Scripture doesn't teach us that, does it? It's not what you do, it's who you are. And the neat thing about that, and we'll see this in Romans 12, and you see it in all of Paul's epistles, at the second half of the epistle, is once you know who you are, what you do is an evidence of who you are.

Great hope? Let's close in prayer. Father, we're just amazed by a concept that the world does not know. And even we sell this short. I think often our hopes are just fairly superficial and not sufficiently grounded in all that you've provided to be convincing of the concept. So we need to be constantly aware of the fact that this hope is in things not seen. You have nothing further to prove to us than what's already been done. And may we walk and trust and live by faith that the hope will be surrounding us and we look for his coming and all of the other great benefits that follow each and every day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.