lesson 33b

We are in lesson 33. So if you haven't gotten the lesson 33, I think there's some up here. I'm getting used to having a Bible program on my phone. Trouble is, I can't turn to it real quick. One of these days. So we're working our way through verses 19 through 21 of Romans chapter 8.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption and to the freedom of the glory of the children of God. So we're, verse 19, we talked a little bit about what the creation was designed for, and it was put under a curse. What happened to the design? You understand what a design is? Let me use the word, when I use the word design, The creation was made by God in a certain way, with a certain focus on the way it should function.

And it was designed, one, to glorify God, but two, just as important, it was designed specifically to meet all the needs of the man that he was going to create on day six. Wow. Okay. Every single need. that Adam had was built into that creation so that he didn't want for anything. And the other thing about the creation is that it suited him. You understand what I mean by that? It fit him perfectly. So it has a design to function that way.

Now, when Adam sins, the design doesn't fit him anymore because he's not the same creature. You see that sin enters in. And so the Bible talks a lot about like the angels. When they sinned, they lost their first estate. Adam lost his first estate. He was given dominion over the creation, and he lost it, and it didn't suit him anymore. So it's almost like the curse that God put on the planet was a design for a fallen man.

You see that? He had to work, he had weeds, he had all kinds of problems, right? Things didn't work out for him, but nothing that, you know, when we know that from our living in this environment, it doesn't suit us. It's always fighting against us because the original design went away. We talked a little bit about, are the elements of the creation included heavenly things? Do you ever think about that, does it? In other words, when Adam fell, did the heavenly things fall too? No. What do you think?

Angels were not subject to fatality. No, that's right. They were kicked out of heaven. They had to come down here and hang out with us. Well, the good angels, they were. I guess the point is that, I was thinking the other day, our society has such a, or parts of our society has such a desire to get in some sort of capsule and go to Mars. Was that part of what God gave Adam? Yeah. I mean, that's really what the desire is, is to get out of here.

Because somehow we think it's going to get better at Mars. And everybody is a super fan of the original Star Trek. You know, they're going through the universe and they keep running into creatures on these planets. You ever notice that all of the creatures and all of the planets they ever ran into, They all had something in common. You know what it was?

Sin nature. Yeah, they all had sin natures. And to hook up with the aliens. Yeah, the aliens had sin natures. Everybody did. But Adam wasn't given dominion over some planet that's 40 million light years away. He was given dominion over this place. Okay.

So why would we want to go to Mars? I want those people to think we'll never get there. God won't let us. What's the reason to go just because it's there? There's 26 movies about getting to Mars and nobody lives through it. Well, they've got to figure it out. how to deal with the deadly rays that come in to the moon. You notice that since we were at the moon, nobody's been up there. Why not? I mean, there's speculation that they could be mining minerals and doing all kinds of cool things up there, but they can't keep the people alive there very long because they can't stop the ultraviolet rays.

You know, God's provision to keep us on the earth where we belong. Right. So I don't think that the fall necessarily includes like the planets, the light that comes from the planets is the same light that was there at the day of creation, right? Did they fall? I don't think so. I think it's here.

So what does the word vanity mean? You're so vain you probably think this song is about you. No, that's not what it means. It means futility, doesn't it? It's the same thing as futility. Mine says futility instead of vanity. Yeah, I really do like that resultlessness.

In other words, every design has a purpose. You know, I remember today Aluna was studying engineering at Metro State, and part of their senior project was to build this race car. And the first time they took it out on the track, they couldn't get it started. So I said, well, that wasn't a design. It isn't doing what you guys designed it to do. So that's really what vanity is, is things don't function the way that they were designed to be.

The other thing, and I talked about this last week or the week before, when God puts a curse on something, what is he really doing? I mean, is he lowering the hammer? Is he saying, well, there's a consequence of punishment that's over and above? Or is he just withdrawing the blessings that would have come had it not been messed with? What do you think?

Now he said, curse is the ground for your sake and there's going to be weeds and you're going to fight against it and you're going to have to toil it with the sweat of your brow and, you know, it isn't going to cooperate. But it was originally designed to cooperate. And it didn't seem like Adam was going to sweat much. But he was given dominion and he was told to be fruitful and multiply and take care of it. God put him in charge. And that was part of the godly attributes that Adam got from God in the image and likeness is you're in charge because God's in charge. So I think a lot of the curse, a lot of the curse that goes on is the withdrawal of blessings rather than a positive consequence, although there is a consequence.

You know, when Adam sinned, we died. Is that a punishment, or is it just a withdrawal of life? Do you understand the point that I'm trying to make? So, I don't know. I think both maybe are part and parcel of what I'm talking about, you know. Because if you think about what God had in store for Adam and Eve and the creation, to just withdraw the blessings and the creation didn't fit the man anymore because he was sinner, that's a curse. That's really a curse. normal results. Yeah, it kind of is.

Can God bless a fallen? He can't, can he? God won't bless something that isn't like what he designed it to be. Sure. Like marriage. What's that? Like marriage. Yeah. I mean, he created marriage, and if you do it his way, it's a blessing. But if you do it your way, you're going to have trouble. So is it a decision that he makes to withhold the blessing, or because of who he is, he can't bless?

What do you think? That's a great question. Everybody hear the question? Is it a decision that God makes? No. Or is it because he can't bless what he hasn't designed? It's a result of sin. Yeah. What do you think? He's not the only authority here. Come on, let's get going. That's an interesting concept or construct in your mind. Because here's the thing. Verse five is a really interesting question.

Does the world know about the verses we're studying today? In other words, do they understand what God has done because of the fall and what he's proposed in the future? Do they understand about the subjection to vanity? Do they understand any of those concepts? No, they don't. Because think about how does the world view the environment that they live in?

Number one, that it's always getting better. All right? Is it getting better? No. I remember... You could burn up in 12 years. Oh yeah, well, Ocasio... Ocasio is a prophet, right? I don't know who from, but... It's either going to burn up or it's going to be destroyed or, given enough time, we're going to make it a Garden of Eden, a utopian society.

I remember a young believer years ago, I said in a Bible study one time, he said, yeah, but the earth has advanced so much since Adam. And I said, well, how do you mean? He said, well, look at technology. I said, is that an advancement? Is it? have two tin cans and a wire trying to talk to Courtney. It's an advancement, but is that an improvement? It's a result of his glory. What, the cell phone?

Just to kind of get off track a little bit, but go back to the curse, the fall. I had a guy at another church teach that God did not curse mankind. He cursed the earth and he cursed Satan, but he placed no curse on mankind. He proved it through Genesis.

Why do we have to die in that case? That's the question. Yeah. You know, you said death was the result of the fall. But there was no curse on mankind. God told Adam that in the day that he ate of the tree, he would surely die. Right. that was a consequence of his actions. So what did he withdraw from Adam? Life.

Is it more semantics, a curse versus removal or separation? Yeah, it's interesting. Is it more semantics that a curse was placed on versus Well, I think he was saying that the Bible says the ground will be cursed. The ground. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. And he cursed Satan, but he never actually used the word curse. That's what I'm saying. I don't think we're cursed. I think we were separated. We died. So it wasn't like a curse that was forever. We just have a sin nature now. Like I said, it's kind of semantics. It was a curse or a placement fit anymore with who we are.

That's a better way to say it, because the verse actually says, curse for your sake. Yeah. It's your sake that I'm doing. I'm doing this for your benefit, is what he's saying. Yeah. But like you said, you just withdrew eternal life. Right. We have still have eternal life. Yeah.

But then it was we'll get to the other, you know, what happens to creation, you know, eventually this will all burn up and go away this birth. But you know, all the creatures and everything, you know, it says the creation is anxiously waiting or revealing. But then, later which we'll get into, the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption and that. So is that, I mean, they're set free from the curse or?

That's right, yeah. That's exactly what it is. So they will be, during the millennial period, I assume, Well, I think that's exactly what happens, is that it was subjected, and it's that great word, hupotasso, which means like, wife, submit yourself to your husband. Hupotasso is the word they use to listen under.

Well, the creation was put under what? The curse. It was put under the curse, so it's a controlling factor. And what the creation is waiting for is the release of that controlling agency. It's released by, and this is another, I think, incredible thing. Ever notice how important we are as members of the body of Christ? Because what's the creation waiting for? Us to be revealed. What's it waiting for? The revealing of who? The sons of God. Who are they? We are they. We are they. So we are not revealed yet as to who we are to the creation, right?

But when Christ comes to rule and reign, we're coming with him. And there'll be a revelation, not only of Christ, but you and me, okay? It's interesting that God says that I'm not waiting for... He didn't put the language, I'm not waiting for Christ to come. I'm waiting for you all to come.

You're part of this program that I put in place to release the earth from the vanity I subjected it to when Adam fell. So what did he do? His original plan has a man in charge, right? Yeah. He lost ownership, let's say, of the creation when he sinned. Who got the ownership then? Satan. Is Satan a man? No. What was God's original intent? That a man, is a man now in place that's going to take it over? Yes. Yeah. Not only one, but all of us.

It all gets released when God brings us and we're glorified with the Lord Jesus. That's pretty cool that we get tied to that. We could have been in the background or somewhere else, but when he said, I'm going to share my glory with you, this is kind of how he's going to do it. So I think that's really important to understand how precious we are to Christ and how He is including us in everything He's going to do going forward. We're part of it. We're going to rule and reign with Him. We're going to be intimately involved in everything that He does from now on because we're one with Him.

And you could say whatever is true of the Lord Jesus is true of me other than deity. It is. The point being is that the earth knows nothing, the world knows nothing about what God intends to do. It's right there in the Word. It's in Genesis, it's here, it's in other places.

I find it interesting, in my lifetime, I think the evolutionists have gone from a million years to how many? Billions and billions of years thinking that given more time we can fix it. Not going to happen. So I think that the world is slowly deteriorating and mankind is slowly deteriorating. I look at We were talking about somebody the other day about how long these Old Testament guys lived up until the time of Noah. There was nothing for them to live 500, 600, 700 years.

Then Noah happens, clouds part, and now we've got rays coming in, and right on the time chart you can see people's lives get cut in half, then half again, and then you get a guy like Abraham who lives 150 years, pretty old guy, but nobody lived any longer than that.

So now we're rocking at 80. And we say, well gee, we've improved the lifespan from 45 years to 80 years in 200 years. Gee, that's really cool, isn't it? Go down to where Jack and Winnie are and look around at these people that are 80 years old or 90 years old. They haven't had much of a life for 10 or 15 years. Modern medicine keeps them going. But a life? So you make it to 95 years old. Mike, you're getting really close to that. Be careful now what you're saying. I can talk like that because I'm old. People say that, but I never think it's true. I had to tell you a joke I heard this week.

Who's the only person who wants to live to be 100 years old? Who? A 99 year old. So human longevity is a really good barometer of how things are deteriorating, not getting better. You know? I mean, how great does medicine have to be to get you to live as long as Abraham did? A lot greater than it is now. Oh boy. Or how would you like to say, well, the lifespan of an average human being is 700 years? And if you're a man, you can produce offspring till you're 500. Wow. You have your own city by that.

So the world has no understanding of what God intends to do. And I'm one of those people that think it's pretty close. I hope it is anyway. Why does, or how does the creation wait longingly? How does it do that? Do you really look around? Courtney's one of those guys, he's out and about all the time looking at creation. Of course he scuba dives. I just wander aimlessly. Are those rocks down there eagerly awaiting? Are they? Yeah. I look at my dog and I think, you're not too eager here, pal. I know. What is that?

What is this eager expectation? I can tell you sometimes it's eagerly awaiting and sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's a dry well and sometimes it's a dry well. Yes, sometimes it's a dry well. Some are really eager and some aren't. There's an expectation. God tells us there's an expectation in the creation. Do you see it? I was going to say Willie the cat, our cat. I don't think he sees it. He doesn't. Only human beings see it. And I think only believers see it. Do you see it? Do you see this expectation?

I mean, in the morning, near where I live and like where her folks are, you can look out from Bellevue and I-25 is kind of a high spot. And if you look towards the mountains from there at like 7 in the morning, when the sun's to the east, I mean, the view is just incredible. Is it eager? Is it expecting? I have a sense that it is. That it really is. It's waiting, again, who's it, what's it waiting for? You and me. The Lord. Us. Well, nothing happens without the Lord, but it's waiting for us.

Do you see that in the creation or not? You know, it's interesting, you know, we may not see it, but, you know, scripture actually says this. It says it is We see deer outside their window this morning. You know, isn't the lamb going to sit with the lion and they aren't going to worry about, you know, so do they, does creation know that it won't, the stress of life for them will disappear too? I mean, you know, we can't see it, but scripture tells us that it's there.

And it's built into the creation. feeling of us. Well, and it also says in 21 that it understands that it's going to be delivered from the decay. Isn't that something? It understands. And if you look back in Genesis, it says that God subjected it. He didn't wipe it out. He just subjected it.

And it doesn't give any indication in Genesis that it's a permanent subjection. because this next verse says he subjected it in hope. What does that mean? What's the word hope mean? Future faith. It's kind of like truth. Okay. It's a fact. That. That what?

Do you know what faith is? What's faith? This is a belief in a fact. Our faith is resting by believing in a fact that God has revealed to us, right? So what's the difference between that and hope? It's future. Both of them have to do with facts. Both of them have to do with God's Word telling us it's a fact. The difference is that my faith is based on a present reality. Something is true of me right now. As an example, was I crucified with Christ? The Word of God says, yeah, you were. My faith rests in that fact. Was I buried and resurrected? Am I seated in Christ in the heavenlies? The Bible says I am. That's a fact.

But here it says that it was subjected to vanity in hope, which is one of the facts. And hope means an absolute fact not yet done. In other words, in the future, this will be like everybody in this room has a hope that we're going to have a resurrected body, right? Is it a certainty? Yes. Got it yet? No, but it's an absolute certainty. So God subjects. the creation to vanity in hope. Hope for what?

That it will be released. That it will be released. So it's pretty cool that God tells us here in Romans, this is not a permanent situation. I'm subjecting it because of Adam's sin and for your sake, but there will come a day when it will be released. And I think he's saying that the creation knows about this hope, that there is a day coming when we get released. Now, they probably couldn't write a term paper about it, but there's an expectancy in the creation.

Yeah. Yeah, in verse 19, the Homeland Christian Standard says, it uses the word anticipation. Like it knows it's going to happen. It expects it to happen. Somehow it just knows it will happen. It's just not happening right now. And it's the same way in verse 20. Because the hope it has is an assurance that it will happen.

That's the day coming. Yeah, it's a destiny. And it's kind of like one of the examples I like is the fact that it's like a pregnant woman knows that there's a hope that an offspring is coming. There's an eager anticipation for the day that we get to go to the hospital. if we make it to the hospital. But we know what's coming. She knows what's coming. She's willing to endure the trials and tribulations of that because she knows what the end game is.

I think the earth is the same way. I think the creation is the same way. Here's another thing about this. to the airport. How's that? Oh, you mean? The anticipation. Oh, the anticipation of going somewhere, depending on where you're going. They're all anxious. Can you drive faster? So, you shouldn't have said that. I lost my train of thought. Oh, I'm sorry. Notice this, that the creation is tied to a man. Isn't it?

When God created the heavens and the earth, he created this planet, heaven, earth, all of this, and then he began to formulate and put it in place so that it would perfectly suit the man. Well, he's never gotten away from that principle. Because you and I, who are redeemed, We, and all the saints that have been accounted righteous, have to have an estate. And when the earth gets released from the vanity it's been subjected to, it will fit saints. You understand what I'm saying? So it doesn't change. Now, we changed as members of the body of Christ. You know what our change is? Monumental change. What's different between you and Abraham? You and John. You and John the Baptist.

We really get to go there. We're not earthly men anymore. We're heavenly men. Our estate now is in heaven. But all these Old Testament saints and Millennial Kingdom saints, where are they going to be? Come here. So the environment has to fit them. You see that? And so much so that at the end of the age that there'll be a new heaven and earth that will be perfectly fitted for the Jews, the godly Jews and all the saints that live on the earth. But we're not part of that. We're heavenly beings. That's pretty cool. That's really cool.

I think because and but I think, oh, gee, I would like to still hang around in Denver. but I mean heaven itself, because God will dwell with his people. Yeah, what is heaven? Heaven is... What is heaven? Where God is. The place with unlimited golf courses? What is heaven? The waters of grace, Christ. Where God is. Wherever the Lord Jesus is, that's where heaven is. Right? It's got to be a place, because he's got a body. Right? So wherever he is, that's where heaven is, right?

And I remember Will Lewis that used to come to the Mass Tuesday Bible Seminar and said this story a thousand times. I said, what about heaven? He said, yeah, I'll get to play golf every day. Every time I throw my line in the water, I'll catch fish. I said, now look at it. Look at it this way, Will. How many holes are there? He said,

18. I said, so you've got a glorified body, right? Get your clubs, go out. What's your score going to be today?

18. And what's it going to be tomorrow?

18. I said, aren't you going to get bored pretty soon? So the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. Question nine. What does it mean that creation will be delivered into the liberty of the glory of the children of God or corruption into freedom of the glory of the children of God? What does that mean? Just look at the words. I think it's self explanatory. into the liberty of the glory of the children of God, or the sons of God.

So, into the liberty. What's the liberty? You and I have liberty. What does that mean? I can do whatever I want? We can do whatever God wants. There you go. And I willingly want to do that. There's no pushback or angst about that. So what does that mean? If I have the liberty of the glory of God, that means that I'm perfectly lined up with his will all the time. I was created to be that way, and I'm perfectly happy to be that way. As a matter of fact, anything other than that doesn't make any sense. See that? So the glory of the children of God, the creation, there's a liberty involved.

You know, Romans 7 is really an interesting group of verses where Paul is really saying, I really want to do this, but I'm not at liberty to do it because sin has taken control of me. See that? I really want to glorify God. I really don't want to sin, but I find another power within me that's stronger than I am that forces me under the sin umbrella. Right? So does a believer, does a guy like Paul who's struggling here have liberty? No. He's in bondage to the sin nature. But here it says the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

There is that time, that day when we will be totally free from any impediment that's outside the will of God. And not only will it be external, but it will also be internal. My heart and my life and the Holy Spirit will never conflict like it does now to do God's will. We'll delight about it. We sometimes delight about it now, sometimes we don't. Because a lot of times we want our own way. You know, what's interesting to me is that Jesus says, I always do the will of my Father. Right. And he didn't say it with gritted teeth. Right. He couldn't wait to do it. And he came and gave his life because it was the Father's will.

You know, because of and slavery of sin and fear and all kinds of other things, we would love to be able to walk in newness of life, but we don't. Opposition to what our desires are, we don't have the liberty. And one of the things about spiritual growth is that entering in more and more into the liberty of the freedom, from the sin of the world, my sin nature, the whole mindset of the world, and freedom from legalism, because liberty is not law. It's not a set of statutes that I have to obey. I can't wait to do it. You're alright with that? Okay. Is that the first spell? Yeah. Hey, we might end up early today. Play a card track. We'll do it. Then we'll have a quiz.

What does what is glory referred to in this? In this first, the bell. How about if I said it this way, for I have come to a reasoned conclusion to the effect that the sufferings of this present season, that's verse 18, are not to weigh in comparison to the glory which is about to be revealed upon us or in us. What do you think about that? What is that glory? What's he talking about? Tell me, Bob, what is glory, by the way? Maybe that will help.

I think it's been expressed as, I've heard, the radiant essence of who God is. And what could be more glorious than to be conformed to His image, to be lined up perfectly with God's will, to be seeing Him face to face, and knowing Him, knowing His attributes, His essence perfectly? That, to me, is glorious. I agree.

The body can't wait for it. And you know, just like He created the earth to perfectly suit Adam's needs, He's recreated us in Christ, perfectly suited to be in His presence for all eternity. How cool is that? In John 17, He shares His glory. He tells us He's going to share it. So what glory He has, we'll have. That's amazing. except for deity. I mean, all of that radianessence will be reflected in us. Yeah. And through us. Yeah. And you know what?

Notice that the release of being taken out from under the bondage of vanity. It isn't just the fact that there's a release. It's from something to something. that to something is the glory of Christ. So not only is the earth going to get, it doesn't go, you know, go from reverse to neutral. It goes from reverse to neutral to full on glory. And you and I, because we have positionally now been recreated in Christ, we're perfectly suited for that environment. We can understand it, we can take it in, we can behold Christ's glory.

One of the verses that has always been in this, you know how verses stick in your mind, is Ephesians 4, 3. God predetermined that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. Think about what that means. God determined. He foreordained it. that you and I would be holy, which means we'd be totally set apart to Him, and blameless, no impediment. And where is that going to be? Before Him, in love. Which means that I'm in His room, I'm in His environment, and I belong there, and I know that I belong there. because I'm glorified and I can take in His glory. That's amazing to me, like you're talking about.

You think about, well, I just didn't get released. It's a lot more than that. I got released to something. It wasn't that I just walked out of the gates of the prison and I'm standing on the street waiting for something to happen. I got released to this. The whole creation gets released to the glory. And that's just mind boggling to me. Cool. All right, I'm done. Unless you're not done. What was that?

That guy in Aurora, the first church I ever went to, he used to say, it's my job to teach, it's your job to listen. If you get done before I do, let me know. Dear Father, I always thank You for Your Word and for the design and the plans that You have for the release of the vanity that You subjected the creation to is amazing. perfectly suited us out as your sons to be part of that release. We thank you, we pray in your son's precious name. Amen.