Union Gospel
9/20/2025
Last Week: Waiting on the Lord
Galatians 6:9, “Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up.”
The emphasis from out text are rooted in:
2.
Doing Good
3.
God’s Proper Time
4.
Reap A harvest
5.
Do not Give Up
Today Sermon Title: "Wait for
it Patiently"
Text: Romans 8:24–25 (NIV)
“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.
Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet
have, we wait for it patiently.”
Introduction
We live in a world that wants everything now. Instant coffee.
Same-day delivery. High-speed internet. But the life of faith is not a sprint —
it’s a journey. And one of the most precious gifts God gives us along
this journey is hope — not a flimsy, wishful thinking, but a confident
expectation in the promises of God.
Paul reminds us in Romans 8:24–25 that hope and patience are
central to our Christian Walk. Today, we’ll look at three main points:
1.
You cannot hope for what you already have.
2.
We hope for what we do not yet have.
3.
We wait for it patiently.
Let’s explore what it means to live a life of patiently hopeful
waiting, that is anchored in faith.
1. You Cannot Hope for What You
Already Have
“But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already
have?” (Romans 8:24b)
Explanation:
Hope, by definition, is directed toward something not yet seen, not yet
possessed. If you already have it, you no longer hope for it — you experience
it. Paul is pointing out the forward-looking nature of Christian hope.
Biblical Reference:
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen.”
Sione 11:11 “After he had said this, he went on
to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
Sione 11: 38-44 Jesus Raises Lazarus From the
Dead
38 Jesus,
once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid
across the entrance. 39 “Take away the
stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister
of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four
days.”
40 Then
Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the
glory of God?”
41 So they
took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I
thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that
you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing
here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he
had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The
dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a
cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the
grave clothes and let him go.”
Jesus is waiting on us to move the stone, that is what we can do. God has
empowered us to move many stones, so he do miracles in our lives. But some of us
are asking God to do what he already given and call us to do.
- We often do not realize
what we already have or are incapable of seeing what is in front of us.
- ‘Oku ‘iai hotau
taleniti ‘oku ta’engaue’i, koe ‘uhinga ia ‘oku ‘ikai ngaue ai ‘a Sisu ‘i he
‘etau mo’ui
If we can’t roll the stone, he can’t raise the dead. If we can’t maximize
that which he already empowered us to do, he can heal us. We can hope that He
can perform miracle in our lives but we have to do our part—roll the stone. My
brothers/Sisters, we have to continuously ask God’s direction so we can move
the stone.
Faith and hope are siblings. Hope looks ahead and faith holds onto what
cannot be seen. If we could see everything God promised, we wouldn’t need faith
or hope — but it is in the unseen that our hope becomes real.
Illustration:
Imagine a child waiting for their birthday. They don’t hope for a cake that’s
already in front of them — they hope for the surprise, the gifts, the
celebration that is coming. Once it arrives, hope gives way to joy. In
the same way, our hope is not in the things of this world but in the glory
that is yet to be revealed (Romans 8:18).
2. We Hope for What We Do Not Yet Have
“But if we hope for what we do not yet have...” (Romans 8:25a)
Explanation:
This speaks to the already-but-not-yet tension of the Christian life. We
are already saved, but we have not yet fully received all that
salvation entails — the resurrection of our bodies, the renewal of all
creation, the full presence of God with us.
Biblical Reference:
Philippians 3:20-21 – “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly
await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ...”
We are citizens of heaven — that’s our identity — but we’re still waiting
for the full experience of that citizenship. We hope for the transformation,
for the day when God makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Illustration:
Think of an engaged couple. They are committed, they wear the ring, they plan
for the future — but they’re still waiting for the wedding day. Their lives are
full of expectation and longing.
Much of the same way, we “wait patiently”
1. We
don’t become weary
2. We
continue Doing Good
3. We
understand God’s Proper Time
4. Anticipate
a harvest
5. Do not
Give Up
We live actively in holy anticipation of what is yet to come — the
wedding feast of the Lamb.
3. We Wait for It Patiently
“...we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25b)
Explanation:
Hope requires patience — not passive waiting, but active, trusting
perseverance. God’s timing is not our timing. The world may mock our
waiting, but our patience is rooted in the character of God — who is faithful
to His promises.
Biblical Reference:
Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles...”
1. Waiting is not
weakness — it is strength.
2. Waiting is not
spectator – it is actively participation
3. Waiting is not
passive – it is active
4. Waiting is not waste
of time – it is preparation
5. Waiting is not
nothing –it is something
6. Waiting is not
mistrust – it is trust
7. Waiting is not
silence – it is listening
8. Waiting is not
impatience – it is Patiently Waiting
It means trusting God enough to rest in His timing, to continue walking
when the road seems long, to persevere when the promise feels far off, fix our
eyes on God when the road filled with challenges.
Illustration:
A farmer plants seeds in spring, knowing the harvest won’t come until fall. He
doesn’t panic. He doesn’t dig up the seeds to check on them. He waits.
Why? Because he trusts the process — and more importantly, he trusts the one
who created the seasons. So must we trust in the seasonal work of God in
our lives.
Genesis 1:14-18 & 8:22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a
season…”
We are in a Season and each season has its own purpose
Conclusion: Living in Hopeful Patience
Paul reminds us that hope is not about wishful thinking, but about
confident expectation in God’s promises.
- We don’t hope
for what we already have — because hope looks forward.
- We hope for
what we do not yet have — because our full redemption is still
ahead.
- And we wait
patiently — because we know God is faithful.
Final Biblical Charge:
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as
you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit.”
Let us be a people marked by Patiently Hopeful waiting — eyes
fixed on the future, hearts grounded in the present, and faith anchored in the
eternal promises of God.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, help us to live with eyes fixed not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. Strengthen our hope. Teach us to wait with patience. Remind us
that though the fulfillment is not yet, Your promises are sure. We thank You
for the gift of salvation, and we trust in the full redemption still to come.
In Jesus’ name, and God’s People says, Amen.
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