1 Corinthians 1:30 & Romans 8:18-25

I. You have hope that you will have freedom from death.

A. Jesus and you are both redeemed (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus did not need to be redeemed from sin. What did Jesus need to be set free from? Death. Hebrews 13:20: “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant…” We are waiting for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). Specifically, we are waiting for the redemption of our dead bodies.

B. Three times in vs. 17-21 Paul uses the word glory to tell us where we are headed. Paul is saying that there is a glory that is coming for us that will be so blindingly powerful that when it falls on us, it will envelop not only us. It will envelop all of creation also with glory. Our resurrection body will be glorious like Christ’s resurrection body. That is what glory is. Our resurrection bodies will be forever free from death.

II. You have hope that you will have freedom from sin.

A. God’s original creation was glorious. In the words of Genesis, it was very good. So what happened? Sin happened. Genesis 3:17-18: “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” Because of this curse on creation, it is not surprising what we read in Romans 8:20: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it.”

B. Creation will be redeemed (vs. 21). When? When we are fully redeemed, when we receive our glorious resurrection bodies. Our redemption and creation’s redemption are tied together. This is why verse 19 says that the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. There is pain for creation now (vs. 22). But something glorious is on the way. Creation will be restored to glory. Creation will be free to be itself when we are freed from sin!

III. You have hope that you will have freedom from suffering.

A. The Holy Spirit is making us as Christians spiritually alive, giving us internal freedom from the effects of sin and death, making us slowly more like Jesus. But this is just the firstfruits (vs. 23). One day we Christians will not just be free spiritually. Our bodies will be freed from sin and death and suffering as is found in another use of the word firstfruits in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

Application:
Wait with hope and patience for the freedom of your full redemption.

Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by Tim Keller, G.K. Beale, Tom Schreiner, Frank Thielman, Colin Kruse.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) How are you growing in resemblance of Jesus? What have you been set free from? What do you need to pray to be set free from?

2) What is causing you to groan at this time? Why can you have hope in your groaning?

3) How can you better remember that you are heading to glory? How can future glory transform your view of your present life?