We're going to talk about the resurrection. There's a good reason for it. We talk about the crucifixion because the crucifixion is what paid for our sins. But if the resurrection doesn't follow that crucifixion, Jesus is no more than another dead Jewish man that died in that first century. But he isn't. He was seen by over 500 people at one time after he was risen from the dead. The disciples who didn't want to believe that, who had a hard time with it, got to see him too. And they shook as they were trying to figure out, is this really a spirit or is this really Jesus? Lots of people saw him after he was raised again. So we're not here today to prove the resurrection. We're here to tell you what happened because of the resurrection and what things that resurrection did change. So we're going to be in Romans chapter 8. And we're going to start where we read just a few minutes ago, Romans chapter 8 and verse 8. And let's just pick up there, shall we? What I'm going to try to do is share with you today what that resurrection did, and I think there's at least three things it did. That resurrection gave life to our body. That resurrection made us sons of God. And I think as you'll see as we end, that that resurrection guarantees our future glory and any who will trust in Christ. We're going to make this real simple and plain today. We're not better because we did better. We're sinners. We're admitting that very openly. We are a people who were condemned because of our sin. But we're better off today because we've seen what God has done in it. God knew we were sinners. He was not confused by that. He sent His Son to take our sins on Himself, and He paid the penalty of our sins with His own death. Because the wages of sin is death. Then with His resurrection, Jesus Christ could give to us new life. You see, before, in the sacrifices, when animals were sacrificed, they covered sin. That's why it's called an atonement. And atoning means to cover up. And before, in those Old Testament sacrifices, when an animal was sacrificed, he covered sin. But he couldn't take it away. He couldn't take that sin away from us, and he could not give to us a new life. So animals being sacrificed covered it until the time that the sacrifice could be made. And Jesus Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sin. That's what we're about. But taking away our sin does not give me righteousness. The resurrection, then, gives me righteousness so that I can live a brand new life. Yeah, I'm learning. I'm in the process, just like the rest of you are. But it gave me new life. And that's what the resurrection is about. So if you would, consider with me what Paul taught in Romans chapter 8. I don't know about you, but in my Bible anyway, Romans chapter 8 comes just after 7. And in my Bible, that comes just after 6, which comes after 5, which comes after 4, which comes after 3, which has come after 2 and 1. Isn't that amazing? Now look, if you didn't give anything in offering today, you already got what you paid for. That was free. That's not even in your outline. I say that because it's all connected. Romans 8 is not just there by itself. It's there because chapter 1 is there. It's there because chapter 2 is there. And Paul in chapter 1 and 2 and 3 takes a lot of time to try to prove that everybody is equally a sinner. The Jewish people that had received the Law, the Covenants, the Promises, the Prophets, they were equally a sinner with the Gentile who didn't receive any of that. The Gentile by his very own actions shows the work of the Law written in his heart. So what he does in these first three chapters is carefully take and make sure that everybody understands just because you try harder doesn't make you not a sinner. Just because you've had some advantages being raised in a church, I can say right now, being raised as a Jew, does not give you an advantage over being a sinner. You're still a sinner. So those first three chapters, he spends a lot of time developing that. Then at the end of chapter three, he starts to say some other things. He says, yeah, but I want you to know that people are justified by faith, not by the works of the law. And he takes chapter four and proves that the whole thing is about faith. It's about trusting God. It's not about behavior. It's always been about trusting God. It's about a relationship. If you have a relationship with your husband or wife, that relationship's there. And you don't just do a duty. It's about... I shouldn't say that. It's not just about doing guidelines for the marriage. You do those things because the relationship exists. You follow me? Not to make a relationship exist. You're already in a husband and wife relationship, so you do things to please the other one. Chapter four of Romans makes it so that you see it's faith, it's about trust of God, that he sees us properly. That's what makes you acceptable for him. In chapter five, he shows that by one man, sin came into the world. So that by one man, righteousness can come into the world. One man came into the world, Adam, and he sinned against God, and as a result of that he brought death on all people. Every one of the sons of Adam dies. But one man, Jesus, could come live, die, and raise again. That Jesus was now able to give righteousness to everybody. You follow where I'm at? So he comes to chapter 6 and he wants us to know that Jesus' death was not just his own death. On that cross, he died your death. You died with him if you believe Christ. If you trust Christ, he's willing to take everything that was against him, lay it on Christ, and Christ would die for all of it. All of your pain, all of your hurt, all of your shame, all of your guilt, all of your rebellion, all of that's laid on Jesus, and with his death, your death is paid. If you trust him. But to not trust Him and say, no, I'd rather handle it myself. I promise you, you cannot handle it yourself. It doesn't work that way. You're not your own boss. You're not your own Lord. You're not your own Creator. You're not your own Judge. You were brought into this world by your Creator, by your Judge, by your King. You'll never change that. Only the King could change that. So he laid on him. So when Jesus Christ dies for our sins, he pays for it in full. When he raises from the dead, he gives us new life. In Romans chapter 7, he talks about the frustration of living in this new life. Inside of you, you want to do the right thing. But sometimes the body just works against you because those habits of the old person are still in there. Because Romans chapter 8, he starts it this way. There's therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. Boy, then he comes right down to verse 8. Listen to this. Here we go. I want to tell you about four miracles here in these verses. So then those that are in the flesh cannot please God. But let's make sure we understand this. This first thing that happened, miracle number one, you are transformed from in flesh to in spirit. I want you to get the period here. I'll show you that it's the glory of justification. Here's what happens. Everybody that's born is born in flesh. Everybody. That's a statement for all people. Now, the choice is, if you continue living in that flesh, it's continuing living in rebellion against God. Because you're not in a relationship with God. You're born out of a relationship with God. That's what being in flesh is. There's going to have to be a change take place in order for you to be in the Spirit. And when you're in the Spirit, you have a relationship with God. And that's going to be the basis of something that Jesus did for you. Not anything you can do for yourself. So Jesus is going to transform us from being in the flesh to being in the Spirit. Look with me, please, at these verses. Those that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not. He is not. Get the picture. This is the glory of justification. He's going to take something that is ruined and destroyed. That's what it is to be in the flesh, that relationship with God's ruined and destroyed. Oh, you may be good looking. You may have lots of good ways about you. You may do things that are really pleasing to other people, but you're still doing so in rebellion to God. And he takes this ruined thing, and by a miraculous act, transformed that to a justified thing. Just as if that thing had not sinned. All for one thing. Trusting what he did. Isn't that amazing? That's a miracle, kids. That's a miracle. I've seen six of our children born, and that's a miracle. I love the whole conception, gestation, the whole birth thing. That is just a miraculous thing. To see how that takes place. To think how everything is going on inside like that and there's this beauty and wonder that's in it. When that child is born, what a glorious thing that is to see. Now I want to share this with you. Next Sunday, we're going to be having a child dedication. So those of you who have Then through that miraculous thing called childbirth, you haven't dedicated your child and you want to do that. Next Sunday will be the Sunday we're going to be doing that. So praise the Lord for that. So miracle number one, you are transformed by this justification of you where Christ died for you. That sin is placed on Christ. Christ has paid for your sin in full. Now, if you trust Christ, what Christ has done for you justifies you before God. He counts you as if you were no longer guilty. Miracle number two, Look with me again at verse 9. It says this, that you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Indeed, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Miracle number 2 is this, God's Spirit inhabiting us. God's Spirit inhabiting us, and that's the glory of belonging to God. When that believer sees who He is, is humbled by that, he understands what He is, and when that person trusts Jesus Christ, a miraculous thing takes place. He takes us out of being in flesh and puts us in Spirit. And not only does that, He puts His Spirit inside us. Inside us. And what that does, that gives us the power and the glory of belonging to God. We can say we're the people of God. We're children of God now because of a birth He did in us. Something He did in us. Not something we did. Something He did in us. Miracle number three. Look what he says in verse 2 and 10. Let's look at verse 10 first. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. Verse 2 tells us also, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. So here's what's taking place. When I trust Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, when I realize who I am, that I'm condemned before God, when I trust Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, and He transfers me out of being in flesh to being in spirit, and He puts His Spirit inside me, I'm justified before Him, I am now belonging to Him, I'm a child of God before Him, and He takes the actions of that old man that was nailed to the cross, and He renders my body Inoperative in that realm anymore. Now. What do I mean by that? Am I able to sin? Yes because of the habits of the old man But there's an overcoming that's taking place. We are more than conquerors and that's what's going on in this Yes, we wrestle every day with that, but there is a miraculous power inside of us that if we yield to that We'll walk in holiness. We'll walk in life and We'll walk in the light of life. That's what he's given to us. And you walk that way with your body rendered dead because of sin, but your spirit alive because of that resurrection. All right. So what it does, it renders the body dead to sin. And that gives the power of a freed life to serve God, the power of a freed life. When a believer trusts in Jesus Christ, where he had been a slave to sin before, a slave to the adversary before, pulled out of that, he's now a slave to righteousness. He has been freed from having to live that old way. He lives a brand new way again. And that happened only because the resurrection took place. Everybody follow me? So that resurrection isn't just a nice story that you sing songs about. It is this. You have been a part of that resurrection. You were a part of that crucifixion. Now you're a part of that resurrection. You have been given life in your body. I want you to look a little further with me because miracle number four takes place. Look at verse 11, if you would. But the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Now, if it's doing that, you belong to him. You're a child of God. You have been justified. If that spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. Two things going on here. You have eternal life in your mortal body. You have eternal life in a mortal body. You know, I think the more people go through the suffering in this life, the older you get, the closer you come to Christ, the more you understand how you've been saved by grace and not by your own actions. The more that happens, the more homesick you get. The more you realize that to live is Christ, but to die is gain. Before, when we were afraid of death, before we lived in fear of it, we were always trying to avoid it every way we could. Now to know that I don't have to live in fear of you anymore. I know that if I die, I know where I'm going. Because eternal life is in me. It's in me now. It's not just waiting to be in me some other time. It's in me now. And being in me now, it's doing something to me. It's making me alive now. I'm not having to wait to be alive when I get to heaven or get to someplace else. No, no, no. I'm alive now. That eternal life is with me this moment. Now, brothers and sisters, that brings about a change in us. There's several changes that take place with us. I want you to see what those are. The result of, if I can say it this way, the power to live now and the glory of an immortal, incorruptible body. I know that there are many people who join me in saying this. I'm looking forward to a new body. I'm looking forward to a pain free existence. I'm looking forward. And it's not just a pain free existence. I'm looking forward to not having to wrestle with thoughts and wrestle with goofiness and wrestle with anger and wrestle with relationships that get broken. I'm not going to have to put up with that anymore. And I know it's just as much my fault as it is somebody else's. I get tired of being that way. You follow what I'm saying? And I get tired of other people being that way. And I recognize that as I'm getting tired of them being that way, they're in no better shape than I'm in as far... I don't have any good point about me that I can start criticizing anybody else. You understand what I mean? It's the same cross that paid for them that pays for me. It's the same blood that was shed for me that was shed for them. We're all broken people in the process of being healed. And on that one great day, I am going to be healed. Fully and completely. Changed in a twinkle. Completely changed to be just like Jesus. I'm looking forward to that day. And if you're suffering, whether it's chronic pain, if you're one of those chronic pain sufferers, can I tell you, the sufferings of this age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that's going to be revealed in us. We'll get to that in just a minute. I just want you to get that picture right now. If God has chosen to let you suffer through that, Then my friend, wait till you see the glory that's coming. Wow! You are going to be so blessed by it. I was talking to someone the other day, you know, when you're living in nice conditions and everything's wonderful, everything's going well, heaven doesn't have as much appeal. But when things are not so nice, heaven looks better and better all the time. You know, our Father knows that about us. So what do you suppose he's going to do in your life? What if he says, you know, I want you to be homesick for me, I don't think you know enough about me right now. I want to I want you to know me the way I know you. Here's what I'm going to do if I need to remove some things right now. So that you won't hold them anymore and you will hold me. If I have to put you in a place where you can't think about all those wandering, straying thoughts, and all you can think about is this thing right here. If you know that I'm your relief, if you know that I'm your life, then you and I can have a good relationship. But right now, do you think this is your life? Or do you think this pursuit here is your life? If I have to touch that, just so you know, that's not your life. Will I be wrong? Will you see what I'm doing? I know where you're going to live forever. You're investing in some real short term stuff right here. And it won't last any time. So if I have to touch it, and make it so you can see the terminology of it, the shortness of it. I know later you'll love me for it. By putting that spirit in us and putting that spirit in our mortal body, not only is he saying, I'm going to raise you one day, just like I raised Jesus Christ and we're all looking for that resurrection, I know, but I'm also raising you now. So that as a result of this, you can put the power to put the death, the old life, and the condemned way of life to live a holy life. To live a life that's pleasing to God. That's your Creator. That's the way it's supposed to be. God's trying to put things back the way He created them. He creates everything here for everything to be in a very good fashion. For all of us to work together in harmony, for love, and for freedom, and for exploring new things, for subduing the earth, for learning things. But sin stained all that. And with that, some of the things we learn is just how to be more violent with each other. Some of the things we learn are more deadly, for there is a way that seems right unto man at the end of it. There are other ways of death. So what he wants to do is take us away from this death, hopeless cycle, and put us into the full life cycle. So that you'd be a part of this whole new order of things that's coming. Filled with the Holy Spirit. Enjoying life. Enjoying what it's about. Living abundantly. Because now you see how the whole thing comes together. You begin to see the big picture of it all. You begin to see what God wanted to do. What God's wanting to do. And what God's going to do with you. And you understand you're now a part of a purpose. Part of a plan. Something's been going on since before the foundation of the world. Something you're going to be a part of after the world is gone. Second thing he does. From the resurrection, the Spirit makes us sons of God. Look with me, please, as we go on to verse 14. He says here, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage against 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 the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified. Let's get this. The Spirit of God makes us sons of God. Here's evidence number one. We're led by the Spirit. We are led by the Spirit. Now, that's not some mystical, ethereal explanation where you just kind of wander through life going, I feel led. No, we're seeing what the Word of God says. And for once in our life, we're seeing this is what God's plan was. I'm being led by the Spirit to forgive you. I've been led by the Spirit to confess my sin to you. You see, I don't have to worry about you and what you think of me anymore, because I've already admitted I'm a sinner worthy of death. I've already admitted Christ paid for me in full. I'm one free soul. There is absolutely no control you've got over me. I will do what I do now because I love you. I don't want to be afraid of you. I'm led by the Spirit of God. I'm led to find out in the Word of God what God wants. I'm led by the Word of God to know how to pray. That's the blessing of the resurrection. Because of the resurrection, the Spirit of God has made me a son of God, a child of God. I belong to God. I know who I was before. Before, I was missing an identity. Really don't pursue who I was. The scriptures tell me I was a child of wrath. I mean, I'm trying to figure out who I am. I'm trying to figure it out by my occupation, by the things I like to do, by my hobbies. I identify myself by all those. I don't even recognize enough to know I'm a child of wrath. And God's wrath is sitting on me. Now I know who I am. I am a child of God. Plain and simple. Everything else is a role. Everything else is just a responsibility I'm carrying out. Evidence number two. Well, I should say this. Being led by the Spirit is an entirely new way of seeing things. It's a new way of thinking. It's a new way of acting. That's what being led of the Spirit is. As a matter of fact, he describes that for us earlier here with the spirit of life and Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death. I've got a whole new walk ahead of me, a whole new way of seeing things. I begin to see what creation is all about. I begin to see what the end is all about. I see it all now. Evidence number two. Found in verse 15 and 16 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 I get the picture here There was a time when living in the flesh. I was separated from God. I Didn't know him. I didn't have a relationship with him. I was separated from it But in this act of transforming me out of, in the flesh, to in the Spirit, He made me a child of God. He adopted me into His family. I was once an alien, foreigner, against Him, a rebel. Now, He brought me into His own family. Let's me sit under His own table, put my feet under His table. I'm a part of the whole family with Him. I have brothers and sisters now that I didn't even know before. And I'm in the family of God. That's another evidence that shows that I'm a son of God. What that did, that was the end of bondage to sin and the adversary. It's the end of fear. It's a whole new relationship to God as our Father. When I hear people speak of God, I can kind of tell right away what the relationship is to it if they just use the word God, God, God, God, God all the time. See, my relationship now is as Father. That's something different. God is something He is to everything. Animals, plants, people. The Father is something He is uniquely to one group of people. That group of people who have received what the Father gave as a gift. His own Son. To pay for our sins in full, to be raised from the dead. He made us children of God. He adopted us. It's a whole new relationship with the Father. Next page. The result of this relationship change is this. I now have inheritance rights from God and joint heirs with Christ. I'm going to go all the way back here. Let's go back to creation. Remember it says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now as we go through the Bible we find out that it kind of works like this. It was the Son of God who was creating. He's the Word of God. Now, the Father, as God speaks, the Son, as that Word that He speaks, creates life. And the Spirit of God gives that life life. He's the one that animates it all. He's the one that energizes it all. Remember when God said, He's making a man, He makes a man, and then He breathes in him the breath of life. That's the Spirit of God coming into that individual to make that individual alive. So we have God the Father speaking, God the Son creating, God the Spirit giving it life. Now, since it was God the Son that created it, and since it was this creature, Adam and Eve, that let it all go, surrendering them instead to not Jesus, not God, but an adversary. So that the whole planet falls into that same rebellious category to the adversary instead of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ comes and dies on that cross, it isn't just to save you from your sins, though it does. It is to save the whole planet, the whole cosmos, The whole thing that got plunged into futility because of that. When Christ dies for that, he's paying for not only our sin, but for the whole cosmos. The adversary is being beat up at that point. The adversary is being defeated at that point. Your worst enemy is being beat up at that point. He's being rendered inoperable. You follow me? Out here, this which was lost is going to be redeemed. Jesus Christ, because he won it all back, because he's the one that died for it, paid for it, because that's who Jesus Christ is, he's going to inherit all of this. As we saw last week, if you saw that through his humility, everyone will acknowledge him as Lord. Now, in this world that's coming, he's the inheritor of it. Guess what? As a child of God, you're an inheritor with him. It's the resurrection that promises you, you will rule and reign with him. Not because you're sweet people and wonderful people, but because you're a part of the resurrection of who Jesus Christ is. Let's go to the fourth thing. That's inheritance rights from God and joint heirs with Christ. From the resurrection, the spirit guarantees our future glory. This is the 17B right down to 23. Notice this 17B reads. If indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in it. Now, I want to get the picture here. This isn't just about persecution. OK, it's not just about persecution. Suffering isn't just about persecution. Sometimes when people talk about suffering, they talk about the people who are under persecution. That is a form of suffering. But I want you to see this. This passage isn't about anything to do with persecution. This passage is about the battle that we have daily with sin. The battle that we have daily with pain that comes from sin. The battle that we have daily with relationships. The battle we have daily on Highway 64 when we're trying to get to work on time. It's about all the battles we have, all the people we're wrestling against. It's about all those. That's a part of the suffering of this age. It's a part of having to figure out why is my soil washing away? Why is this all happening? It's a part of the futility this whole creation is under. Everybody follow me? He wants you to get this picture. The sufferings that you're going through right now are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed. So get this. If the Father has found it in himself to cause you to suffer or to allow you to suffer, get the picture. You're about to receive glory you never imagined before. You can't even compare the glory that's coming with that sufferings you're having now. There isn't a good comparison. You follow where I'm at? All that pain, all that hurt, everything that you're going through doesn't even compare to the glory that's coming for you. Now, let's get a picture of what that is. Paradoxical tension, number one. The role of suffering to the child of God. Suffering is a part of life. It's going to happen to everybody. But for us, that suffering is an indicator. If there's suffering out there, that means a delivery is coming. If there's something you're going through that's very painful, that means a delivery is coming. The redemption is coming. That's what the resurrection says to you. Without that resurrection, life is hopeless. You're just caught in the cycle of pain, pain, pain. Go to the doctors, get some more medicine. Go to the doctor, get some more medicine. Go to the doctor, get this, get some more treatment. Only to find out that the medicine was just as bad for you as the pain was. And on and on the cycle goes. You follow where I'm at? Those of you who suffer that way, glory is coming because of the resurrection. Further, paradox of attention number two, creation's futile corruption in the midst of beauty. I love to take a good walk, don't you? I tell you, I enjoy just going up to Pere Marquette and taking a walk along those trails up there. I'm a country boy. I'm from the Ozarks. Hills are a part of my life. One of my legs is shorter than the other. Those in the Ozarks, you walk on hills all the time, so you gotta walk like this, see? Walking all the time. Listen. The whole of creation is suffering. The whole of creation suffered Early on, when he said it used to be bringing forth beautiful good things for you, now it's going to bring forth thorns and thistles for you. That's what it's going to bring forth. It's going to be painful. Then when the flood comes, goodness people, do you understand all the things that broke up in that? Sometimes it's just good to go through the Rockies and look at all those peculiar rocks and realize, man, some of them are standing like this. There's striations of rocks that are standing like this. Something pretty violent upset something somewhere. And they're awesomely pretty. Man, that'll capture your attention. Being at Denali and looking at that whole park there. I've been to Colorado and seen big things. But Alaska, seeing Denali, it's like you can put all of Colorado in it somewhere along the way. It's huge! What an amazing thing. I love the creation that we have. But get the picture. This creation's in pain. This thing's pretty alright, but it's in pain. It would sure be glad to be delivered from the pain we brought it. And that's what he says. Look at these verses it says with this here. Verse 20. Or verse 19, For 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. That's not what it wanted. It's not the one that subjected it there. It was subjected to futility because of us. It says, "...but because of him who subjected it in hope." He's the one that put it there. "...because the creation itself also will 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 labors with birth pains together until now." Man, this whole creation. It's beautiful, yet it's corrupted. That's the paradox. And that's the tension we'd all live in. Now get the picture. Let her see the response of both. We also groan, look if you would please, at verse 23. And not only they, but we also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. We're groaning about it. I hear people groan about it all the time. Whether it's complaining, or whether it's found in the brokenness over relationships, whether it's complaining about their own sinfulness, How they'd like to get past this habit. What am I going to do? This just keeps happening. Whether it's a relationship. You can hear the groaning going on all the time. There are new relationships coming. There is a new world coming. And this resurrection is what guaranteed the whole thing. Everybody follow me? That resurrection is what guaranteed it all. So listen, my brothers and sisters who are children of God. Listen, you belong to God. You've been adopted into his family. And there is groaning that goes on us. But there is an end to the groaning. There is an end to the groaning. So even as we groan, we groan as those who have hope. We know there's pain. We also know that because of the resurrection, because of that Jesus that was seen by all those people, that Jesus who rose again from the dead, that Jesus, Is the one who just promised me, I will have an adoption one day, a completion of the whole thing. If you would consider the glory that's coming. So I'm going to have you write these. We've grown within ourselves through our suffering, yet we embrace it as a gift of God. And the proof of our identity with Him. I'm going to encourage people who go through chronic suffering, embrace that. It is a gift from God. I know that's a tough thing to say, but it is a gift from God. And as a gift from God, God wants us to learn something through it as we learn to embrace it and take it in and say, I know who you are and I know what's coming as a result of you. This suffering will end one day and there's a great glory that's going to make it dim in comparison. Creation groans and labors in earnest expectation of its delivery with us and the glory comes. Christ's sufferings led to his exaltation to the right hand of God and the inheritance of all things. We saw that in Philippians chapter 2 last week. Christ's sufferings and resurrection were the reconciliation of the whole of creation. Colossians chapter 1. It isn't just that he was dying for our sins. Listen, Christ so loved the cosmos. Not just loved people. Christ loved the cosmos. He loved everything that he had created. This stuff here he created and called very good. He loved it. And it has been plunged into corruption and into an evil and into all kinds of junk. Here with his crucifixion and resurrection, he's reconciling that. So that there is a new world coming. A new heavens and a new earth. Not like the old one. The corruption gone. Filled with new people who have been changed inside. They've been transformed from being just simply in flesh as a part of that old order to being in spirit, a part of a new thing. The resurrection did that for you. The resurrection did that for you. So we look at that resurrection. It's not just a good story to tell. No, it's true because he lives. I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know who holds the future. And life is worth living. Because he lives. That's what we look at. So the next time you are moaning and groaning a little bit, stop and say, Hallelujah! I know what this is. It hurts like the dickens. But I know what you are. This is all going to be transferred one day. The glory of God will be revealed in me. And when it is, all of that's gone. Yeah, I see the rot and the decay. I see the animals that lay along the roadside. I see the animals that fear us. I see the animals that are afraid of us. And I know one day ain't the way it's going to be. I can look at it. I can moan in myself. I can see creation moaning. I can hear it hurting. And I can know in that the glory of God is coming. And what he did, brothers and sisters, by that resurrection, by putting his spirit in us, here's what he's done. You are now, look at Romans chapter 8. Skip down with me, please, to verse 37. It says, yet in all these things, and he just described for us the tribulation, the distress, the persecution, the famine, the nakedness, the peril, the sword. Can I say the political messes that go on, the corruption that goes on with everything else, all of that. Yet through all of this, listen to how he says it. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. More than conquerors through him who loved us. We are Christ. We are glorified with Him, putting all the sufferings of this world now in a dim comparison to it. Hallelujah. Let's sing together. We are more than conquerors. Praise be. Would you come up here and lead us in that song? We are more than conquerors. We are glad to be singing that song together. Now listen, friend, here's the deal. If you are here without Christ today, don't leave here without Christ. There's no reason to. Christ is the one who has come to pay for all sin, for all hurt, for all that pain. He's paid for it all. There's no reason for you to walk away from here not having everlasting life. You have it. It's a gift to receive it. It's not turn over a new leaf and try harder. It's a gift. Receive it. Don't worry about what the future is going to be. Take care of this right now. And I promise you, you'll have a future. After you take care of that situation of your relationship to Him, You will have a future. But right now, if you've not trusted Christ, you're out of a relationship with him. You're still in flesh. If you'll trust Christ, you'll be in a relationship with him and become more than a conqueror. This is an opportunity, brothers and sisters, for us to celebrate life, to celebrate the goodness of everything that has come to us through this resurrection of Jesus Christ. So we're going to stand together and we sing, we're more than conquerors. I'm just going to ask that if you have not trusted Christ and you'd like to yet this day, I'll be glad to talk with you about that. Stand together with us, please. All right. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. There's no reason for us to live in fear or to live in disobedience. We have a bright, bold, wonderful future ahead of us. You're children of God. You're going to be inheriting it all. Now is boot camp. Now is the time for us to get used to doing things God's way instead of the old way. We know how to do things the old way. We don't have to be taught that. But to surrender to the new way, we're going to be learning new things all the time. Learning how to actually love one another. Learning how to be a community together. Learning how to share the good news of Jesus Christ so that others can be transformed too. It's cheating people not to share with them the great freedom that you have in Christ Jesus. Listen to the Lord in a word of prayer and be dismissed together, shall we? Father, it is in Jesus' name that we bow before you, so grateful for all that you are. What an awesome God you are to have provided that salvation. Nobody could have done that like you. You did everything in such a good, clean, and perfect way, and we give you glory and honor for that today. Thank you for everyone that's here today, Father. Thank you for the blessings that you have brought in their life. Now I ask, Father, in Jesus' name, that you bless each of us with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Father, please let no one leave from here without knowing they are in a relationship with the living God because of what Jesus did. Thank you for the resurrection today. Thank you for the glory of it all. In Jesus' name, bless this people. Build them up in courage, and Father, make them joyful in the Lord. For that, I'll give you praise in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you. We'll look to see you again this evening.