Romans 8:22 - "For we know that the whole of creation groans and labors with birth pangs, right up to the present time". Those birth pangs - earthquakes, volcanoes, weather issues.
Romans 8:23 - "Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."
The placement into sonship, which means the redemption and resurrection of our body. And it says: if we hope for what we don't see, we're eagerly awaiting for it with perseverance.
God's eternal purpose hasn't yet been seen. When people look at you, it's very true.
What John said: "it does not yet appear what we shall be, but when he appears, we shall be like Him for, we shall see Him as he is see."
God's plan is yet to be revealed. This great hope, its not that we'll go to heaven; the great hope is our being placed into full sonship and having access to the inheritance Christ bought. It's called the adoption. When is that going to happen? It will happen at the end of the age. It will happen at the return of Christ. The return of Christ will mean that we are placed into sonship and the evidence of it is: our body is resurrected and transformed. The Bible calls this a great hope. Hope means it's in the future. It's not now. But when you have a hope, it causes you to look at now and change how you live. It causes you to embrace the challenges, and to embrace the process of growing. It calls you to reach out to build relationship with God. It causes you to persevere, no matter what's wrong. And when people threaten your life for following Christ, you say: I'd rather yield and give up, than to surrender Christ.
This is an amazing thing. This is called our great hope. It doesn't yet appear what we shall be; but when he appears, we'll be like him and everyone who has that hope frees himself from defilement. A lot of people in the church live very defiled lives, defiled by the world, defiled from things in their past, defiled also by things that they're doing; but everyone who has a hope of God's plan in their heart, they don't need anyone to tell them what to do. They know and desire to be free of defilement, and please their father, because they're sons. Their reference point is they're sons; sons as their father; and the person to model on is Jesus Christ.
Closing PrayerI feel the presence of God here. I believe God's going to touch many, many people. I think we should actually lift and exalt the name of Jesus high, because Jesus is the one who gets the preeminence. He's the one we exalt on high. He's the one that they threw their crowns at his feet. He's the one that everything flows from him, Jesus Christ.
If you don't know Jesus Christ, this would be a great day to make a decision. I'm having an empty life. I'm walking my own way today. I choose to follow Christ. Make a response to receive Jesus Christ. Pray a simple prayer. It will change your life and your destiny.
Perhaps you're struggling with something. God wants you to fix your eyes back on Jesus. Perhaps is there is healing you need in your body. Perhaps there's an area where you're oppressed and you're struggling and feeling weighed down. Say God, I really want to be free of that today.
Perhaps there's other people, and you're struggling as I was sharing before with some aspects of defilement; and you say, oh man, I just realized there's stuff I need to be cleansed from. I need to actually get rid of this stuff out of my life. I want to do it today. I want to fulfill the destiny God has for me, that eternal purpose, of being a son of God, fully manifested in the earth, to be part of changing this earth.