Well, good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 8.
All right. Our text for this morning is Romans chapter 8, verses 18 through 27.
Before we set our minds on today's text, and do bear with me for a moment,
I want us to first take a look back at verses 16 and 17,
and consider particularly the phrase in the last half of verse 17.
There Paul writes,
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
Now, here is the phrase that we need to be clear about before proceeding further in the chapter.
Provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
Now, last week we altogether neglected that half of that verse and spent little to no time on it at all.
But here Paul says that if we are children of God, we are co-heirs bound for glory, and we will suffer.
Now, the Christian ought not be surprised by this,
although we live in an age that often teaches contrary to it.
Beloved, we are followers of Jesus Christ.
We walk the path that He walked.
Jesus states the matter plainly in John chapter 15, verse 18 and following,
where He said,
If the world hates you,
know that it has hated me before it hated you.
And you may want to qualify that.
He said,
If the world hates you,
but He goes on,
If you were of the world,
the world would love you as its own,
but because you are not of the world,
but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word I said to you,
A servant is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me,
they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word,
they will also keep yours.
Paul says it this way in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12.
Indeed,
all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
Jesus came to suffer that we might be saved and then to be glorified.
Peter tells us in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 10 and 11,
concerning this salvation.
The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and inquired carefully,
inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating
when he predicted the sufferings of Christ
and the subsequent glories.
Christ came to suffer that we might be saved and to be glorified.
John Murray once said,
There is no sharing in Christ's glory unless there is sharing in his sufferings.
Sufferings and then glory was the order appointed for Christ himself.
It could not be otherwise in terms of his messianic undertaking and design.
The same order applies to those who are heirs with him.
End quote.
Provided we suffer with him,
most certainly includes persecution.
But I also think it includes all of the unpleasantry of living in a fallen world.
We are on the heels of Paul's expressed anguish over his battle with his flesh.
We experience the same,
longing to be finally delivered from these bodies.
If you don't experience that,
if you don't desire to be fully set free from sin in your life,
I just wonder if perhaps you're a Christian at all.
Christians have the spirit of Christ and desire to live like Christ.
We are daily bombarded with the tragedy of others' sin.
This world is in an absolutely desperate state.
We will see in today's text that all of the creation exists under the curse.
So, every ache and pain,
every sniffle, cough and fever,
every life lost too soon,
every weed pulled from a garden,
every day that's too cold or day that's too hot,
we also suffer these things.
Living in a place that's not as it should be.
I believe that Christians ought to be all at once the saddest people on earth,
for we see the brokenness of it.
I find as I grow in Christlikeness,
I am sadder about the state of the place in which I live,
but also, at the same time,
we should be the happiest people on earth.
For we have a promise,
made by the one who can keep that promise,
that it will all one day be made right.
So, I hope as you mature in Christ,
both your sadness for the state of the world
and your happiness for the surety of the promise grow together.
So, it's that suffering as well.
It's the persecution to be sure and clear,
but it's everything that comes with living in a world
in such desperate brokenness.
The prophet Isaiah says of this promise keeper,
one, the Lord Jesus Christ,
in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 3 and 4,
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And as one from whom men hide their faces,
he was despised and we esteemed him not.
Certainly, there's persecution seen there.
Verse 4,
Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
Yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God and afflicted.
Jesus suffered.
He suffered rejection.
He suffered bodily.
He suffered the cursed creation.
But he was glorified.
May we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
So now, with all of this in mind,
there's this tension built there in which we live.
Let's read and study today's text.
So Romans chapter 8, verse 18 through 27.
Before I read it, I'd like to remind you, beloved,
that this is God's word to us.
It was written for his glory and for our good.
And so we would all do well to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and to obey its commands.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory
that is to be revealed to us.
For the creation waits with eager longing
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 will be set free
from its bondage to corruption
and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation
has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
And not only the creation,
but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons,
the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
we wait for it with patience.
Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For we do not know what to pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
with groanings too deep for words.
And he who searches hearts
knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
according to the will of God.
Now, he begins, right,
again doing this for,
building an argument for,
I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory
that is to be revealed to us.
Many commentators,
I've got just a stack of commentaries on Romans,
and many of them suggest that in verse 18,
Paul places the suffering of this present time
on one side of a scale,
and the glory that is to be revealed to us
on the other side of the scale,
to find that that scale tips dramatically
for the latter.
And their point stands.
They're not wrong in saying it,
but I want to suggest that even further,
even higher than that,
that what Paul is stating
is that it isn't even worth the effort
of going through the exercise.
He's saying so clearly
you need not set these things on a scale.
The glory that is to be revealed to us
so vastly outweighs
the sufferings of this present time
that they are not worth comparing.
Don't take any of our time
to even consider which one
has more weightiness.
The weight of glory
is much, much heavier.
This word glory means
splendor and honor.
God deserves glory.
God is glorious,
and he bestows glory on his people.
It is the bright hope that awaits us
as we walk the din of this world.
John MacArthur,
in his commentary on this text,
says,
As followers of Christ,
our sufferings come from men.
Whereas our glory comes from God.
Our suffering is earthly,
whereas our glory is heavenly.
Our suffering is short,
whereas our glory is forever.
Our suffering is trivial,
whereas our glory is limitless.
Our suffering is in our mortal
and corrupted bodies,
whereas our glory will be
in our perfected
and imperishable bodies.
End quote.
And so,
we await this future state.
The price is small,
and the reward is grand.
But it doesn't always feel that way,
does it?
We so long to see its fruition
that our days often feel incredibly long.
We join with John
as he records the words of Jesus
in Revelation chapter 22 and verse 20.
Surely I am coming soon.
And we reply with him,
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.
If you are a Christ follower
and you have not had one of those days,
they are coming.
You would just be happy
for the Lord to part the skies
and come back now.
And we are not the only ones
awaiting this glorious day
of our glorification.
Note with me,
in today's text,
a uniting word.
In verse 22,
you see the word groaning.
In verse 23,
groan.
And in verse 26,
groanings.
All the same root Greek word.
Which brings us to our simple outline
for the rest of our time together.
Number one,
the creation groans for glory.
Number two,
Christians groan for glory.
And number three,
the Spirit groans for glory.
So firstly,
in verses 19 through 22,
the creation groans for glory.
Let me read it again
so it's fresh in our minds.
For the creation,
this is verse 19,
waits with eager longing
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
would be set free
from its bondage to corruption
and obtain the freedom
of the glory
of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation
has been groaning together
in the pains of childbirth
until now.
God is the only thing
not created.
Therefore,
we must think for a moment
about what created things
Paul is referring to.
He does not mean
the heavenly host,
for they are not
part of the curse.
Neither does he mean
the fallen angels,
for they do not desire good
and their condemnation
is final.
He isn't referring
to Christ followers
as he will mention them
separately
in the following verses.
And he can't be referring
to unbelievers
because they also
do not desire good.
So,
what's left over?
Paul here is speaking
of the non-rational part
of God's creation.
Plants and animals,
soil and seas.
What we would look out
and perhaps call nature.
And what Paul does with it
is he personifies it,
which is a practice
that's not foreign
to the scripture.
We see it
waiting eagerly,
longing for something
to come to pass,
groaning in the pains
of childbirth.
And he's simply
giving us a picture
of what the whole world
is desiring to see
come to be.
So again,
this personification
of nature happens
and let me just show you
one other example
from Isaiah 55
and verse 12
where Isaiah writes,
for you shall go out
in joy and be led forth
in peace.
The mountains
and the hills
before you
shall break forth
into singing
and all the trees
of the field
shall clap their hands.
And if your mind
just broke into song
then you are
of my generation.
So,
this personified nature,
Paul says,
waits with eager longing
for our glorification.
And the idea
of waiting
with eager longing
in Greek
is like a person
standing on their tiptoes
leaning forward
with great expectation.
This is the picture
that we have here.
Leaning forward
for this arrival
of some long-awaited
wonderful event.
This is what this
eager longing
looks like
in the Greek.
The creation
awaits this event.
Our glory,
the revealing
of the sons of God
because it was
subjected
to futility.
Right?
And Paul,
it's clear
it didn't choose
the futility.
Right?
God subjected it
to futility.
Right?
And we can read
about when this
happens in
Genesis chapter 3
verse 17
through 19
as it's tied up
in Adam's
curse.
God there says
to Adam,
because you have
listened to the voice
of your wife
and have eaten
of the tree
of which I commanded you.
You shall not eat of it.
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
and you shall eat
the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
till you return
to the ground
for out of it
you were taken
for you are dust
and to dust
you shall return.
Right?
The creation itself.
Right?
It was plentiful.
It was paradise
before the fall.
Right?
The creation worked
exactly as the creation
was meant to work.
But because of the sin of man
it was subjected to
this futility
that we presently live in.
And to be clear
we have remnants
of God's wonderful
created work.
Right?
We live in a particularly
beautiful place
to stand in awe
of our creator
God.
If you begin to get down
into the mess of it
it's messy out there.
It's not functioning
quite like
it was designed
to function.
Paul says that
that creation
desires the day
when all things
will be made new.
Now I want to read to you
a quote
from Martin Lloyd-Jones.
Interestingly
out of MacArthur's
commentary on this
because I couldn't find it
in the Lloyd-Jones
commentary.
I looked and looked
and looked
and I said
I think MacArthur
quoted him.
So this is MacArthur
quoting Lloyd-Jones
and he muses
I think
rather insightfully
about this idea
of the creation
groaning
and longing
for this to happen.
So listen to this
quote
I wonder
whether the phenomenon
of the spring
supplies us
with a part answer.
Nature
every year
as it were
makes an effort
to renew itself
to produce
something permanent.
it has come out
of the death
and the darkness
of all that is
so true
of the winter.
In the spring
it seems to be
trying to produce
a perfect creation
to be going through
some kind of birth pangs
year by year
but unfortunately
it does not succeed
for spring
leads only to summer
whereas summer
leads to autumn
and autumn
to winter.
Poor old nature
tries every year
to defeat the vanity
the principle
of death
and decay
and disintegration
that is in it
but it cannot do so.
It fails
every time.
It still goes on
trying as if it
feels things
should be different
and better
but it never succeeds.
So it goes on
groaning
and travailing
in pain
together
until now.
It has been doing so
for a very long time
but nature
still repeats
the effort
annually.
Maybe
now the seasons
will serve us
in that way
to think about
how nature
itself
is awaiting
our glory.
Now Paul doesn't
detail for us
how creation
itself will be
set free
from its bondage
to corruption
and obtain
the freedom
of the glory
of the children
of God
and we get
some clues
to that
in other places
in the New Testament
but he doesn't do so
because this really
isn't his
driving point.
His point
is that
even the creation
awaits
the same
restoration
that we
await.
We are in good
company
because the creation
groans
for our glory.
So secondly
Christians
groan
for glory
and we see this
in verse 23,
24
and 25.
There Paul says
and not only
the creation
but we ourselves
who have the first
fruits of the spirit
groan inwardly
as we wait eagerly
for adoption
as sons
the redemption
of our bodies.
For in this hope
we were saved.
Now hope that is seen
is not hope
for who hopes
for what he sees?
But if we hope
for what we do not see
we wait for it
with patience.
Christians
groan
for glory.
Those who have
the first fruits
of the spirit
which
I take to mean
that the ongoing
work of the spirit
to lead believers
in holiness
is but a shadow
of the greater reality
that waits us.
So hear me again.
If you don't have
a longing
in your heart
to turn from
the things of the world
and turn to the things
of God
which waxes
and wanes
it's never perfect
it doesn't maintain
a certain dial
and never gets dialed down
and never gets dialed up
but generally speaking
if you don't desire
to put off
the old self
and put on
the new
you may not
have the spirit.
This is the work
the primary work
of the spirit
in your life
is to lead you
in holiness.
And if you're concerned
about that this morning
my call to you
is simply to
repent
and believe.
Turn from your sin
and place your faith
in Christ.
That the gift
of the spirit
might be given to you
that you would want
to walk
in his ways.
Our conviction
of sin
seeing the ravages
of sin
in the lives
of others
our recognition
that the whole
of the world
is under
the curse
is evidence
that we have become
spiritually sensitive
to the state
of things
so we also
along with
the creation
we groan.
when you see
another tragedy
and it is difficult
to avoid
isn't it?
The tragedy
itself
is tragic
but the greater
thing
is that the whole
world
is under
this
curse
and it should
cause us
such grief
and then such
desire
to go
and preach
the good news
of Jesus Christ
as he's
building his
kingdom
even
now.
So we groan
when we see
these things
and I recognize
that I have
yet to carefully
define this word
that ties
our text
together
although
I think you
likely
get the idea.
This is one of those
places that the
Greek word
you read it
and you go
oh yeah
that's really
what I had in mind
when I thought
of groaning.
But groaning
means to
vocally indicate
pain
or discomfort
or displeasure
and is used
in Greek
almost always
in reference
to
inarticulate
vocalization.
So it's not
a careful
argument
that you feel
pain
or discomfort
or displeasure
it's a
noise
that communicates
that very thing.
We have
all groaned
about something
in our lives.
But here
in verse 23
Paul says
that we groan
inwardly
to be sure
we probably
also groan
outwardly
but here
he's talking
about
an inward
growing
and I think
he means to
tie this
to this idea
of it being
of the first
fruits of the
spirit
that inside
of us
we are
discontented
with the state
of the world
in which we live
and with
ourselves.
I think he's
referring to that
feeling of angst
we often feel
as Christians.
It is a groaning
that I hope
that you have
experienced
a spirit
wrought
emotion
that this
world is
not as
it should
be
and perhaps
the realization
that you are
part of the
problem
and I hope
that it is
accomplished
accompanied
excuse me
by a spirit
wrought
eagerness
for adoption
as sons
the redemption
of our bodies.
Last week
we saw in
Romans chapter
8 and
verse 15
there Paul
says
for you
did not
receive the
spirit of
slavery
to fall
back
into fear
but you
have
received
the spirit
of adoption
as sons
by whom
we cry
Abba
Father.
So in
verse 15
we have
the statement
of an
accomplished
work.
You have
received
the spirit
of adoption
as sons.
You have
been
adopted.
Here in
verse 23
we see the
eager expectation
of the task
being
accomplished.
So an
accomplished
task
that we're
desiring
to see
be accomplished.
The already
and the
not yet
and this
is the gap
in which
we live.
We have
been adopted
and yet
the full
realization
awaits us.
Paul clarifies
this with the
phrase
the redemption
of our
bodies.
We're
awaiting
this
adoption
of
sons,
the
redemption
of our
bodies.
Bodies
is a
reference
to all
of our
fallen
humanness
that remains
with us.
We
experience
the
weightiness
of this
each and
every day.
This is
where Paul
finds himself
leading into
this argument.
You may
recall
Romans
chapter 7
in verse
24
after he's
talked about
this wrestling
to do the
thing that he
desires to do
and yet not
doing the
thing that he
desires to
do.
He says
in verse
24,
Wretched
man that
I am,
who will
deliver me
from this
body of
death?
He says
who?
Jesus
Christ
our Lord.
Romans
8.1
There is
therefore
now no
condemnation
for those
who are
in Christ
Jesus.
Praise
be to
God
for his
saving
work in
our
lives
because
we're
not
perfect.
Set
free
from the
power of
sin and
yet we
still
sin.
Desiring
not to
sin,
yet we
still
sin.
Wretched
man that
I am,
praise be
to God
that Christ
will
deliver me,
has,
and will
finish
the work.
And so
we ebb
and we
flow in
our
Christian
experience
and perhaps
you have
at times
wondered
as you
took stock
of your
life,
am I
a Christian
at all?
Perhaps
you felt
like giving
up and
not following
Christ
any longer
and I
hope
that he's
kept you,
that he's
held you
because you
are his,
that when
you feel
like you're
faltering,
you recognize
that he
never
will.
Another
quotation
for you,
this is
Thomas Watson
who's a
Puritan
pastor.
If my
memory serves
me well,
it should
because it
only happened
this week,
the kids
coloring sheets
has a little
drawing of
Thomas Watson
on the back
of it
this morning.
Not by
plan at
all.
He once
said this,
quote,
the godly
may act
faintly
in religion.
The pulse
of their
affections
may beat
low.
The exercise
of grace
may be
hindered
as when
the course
of water
is stopped.
Instead
of grace
working in
the godly,
corruption
may work.
Instead
of patience,
murmuring.
Instead
of heavenliness,
earthliness.
Thus
lively and
vigorous may
corruption be
in the
regenerate.
They may
fall into
enormous
sins,
but
through
their grace
may be
drawn low,
though their
grace may
be drawn
low,
it is not
drawn dry.
Though grace
may be
abated,
it is not
abolished.
Grace
may suffer
an eclipse,
not a
dissolution.
A believer
may fall
from some
degrees of
grace,
but not
from the
state
of grace.
grace.
So we
feel this
already
and the
not yet.
Wretched
man that
I am,
who will
deliver me
from this
body of
death?
Listen to
King David
say similar
things in
Psalm 38.
I'm going to
kind of jump
through the
text.
This is
verse 4,
verse 9 and
10,
verse 17 and
18,
and verse
21 and
22.
But listen to
what he
says.
My
iniquities
have gone
over my
head like
a heavy
burden.
They are
too heavy
for me.
O Lord,
all my
longing is
before you.
My
sighing is
not hidden
from you.
My heart
throbs.
My strength
fails me.
And the
light of my
eyes, it
has also
gone from
me.
I am
ready to
fall, and
my pain
is ever
before me.
I confess
my iniquity.
I am
sorry for
my sin.
Do not
forsake
me, O
Lord.
O my
God, be
not far
from me.
Make
haste to
help me,
O
Lord,
my
salvation.
Do you
hear the
groaning
inwardly as
we wait
eagerly for
adoption of
sons, the
redemption of
our bodies
in these
texts?
us.
Notice
that Paul
places
emphasis on
our full
and final
deliverance
from our
fallen
humanness.
It is
certainly good
to long
for all
things to
be made
new, but
he is
pressing
us being
made
new.
This
will matter
greatly as
his argument
proceeds in
the coming
verses.
Mankind
is the
crowning of
God's
creation.
God
is
doing.
We are
made in
his image
and meant
to be
propagators
of his
glory.
We are
meant to
spread his
image and
glory
everywhere.
Notice in
verse 21
that the
creation
itself will
be set
free from
its bondage
to corruption
and obtain
the freedom
of the
glory of
the children
of God.
We are
the most
important
redemptive
thing that
God is
doing.
It affects
all the
other
things.
Now what
does all
of this
mean
for us?
Praise
God that
Paul tells
us.
We have
no need
to look
elsewhere
in the
text.
We don't
have to
philosophize
about it
at all.
He tells
us right
here in
the text
verse 24
and 25.
He says
for in
this
hope
we were
saved.
What
hope?
What hope
is he
talking
about?
He's
talking
about
the
hope
of
glory.
It's
in the
hope of
glory,
the very
reason
that we
were
saved.
And then
he goes
on to
say now,
hope that
is seen
is not
hope.
For who
hopes for
what he
sees?
Which is a
rhetorical
question.
Of course,
if the
thing is
already
here,
you have
no hope
that it
will
arrive.
It
has
already
!
a
wife.
Remember,
we're
waiting
with
eager
expectation
for
our
glory
to
arrive.
But then
he says
in verse
25,
but if
we hope
for what
we do
not
see,
we wait
for it
with
patience.
Patient
hope.
What do
we do
with all
of this?
As we
live in
this
in-between
time,
having
been
delivered
from our
sin,
been
saved,
having
been
adopted,
and yet
awaiting
the full
culmination
of all
of the
promises
of God
for us.
Patient
hope.
Does
patient
hope
characterize
your
Christian
walk?
It
doesn't
always
characterize
mine,
to be
sure.
I
see a
lot
of
Christians
who
do
not
have
patient
hope.
They're
in
turmoil,
and they're
anxious,
unsure
of what
the
future
holds.
Avoiding
at every
turn
suffering
in this
life.
We've
got to
encounter
everything
that we
encounter
with
patient
hope.
Paul in
just a bit
is going
to tell
us,
because we
know
that for
those who
love God,
all things
work for
our
good.
We've
got to
be able
to settle
into these
great
truths,
to
rehearse
them
in
our
minds
over
and
over,
to
speak
these
truths
to
one
another,
that our
eyes
would be
set
heavenward,
beyond
this
life that
is but
a
vapor,
and to
the
eternity
of
glory
that
awaits
us.
For I
consider
that the
present
sufferings
of this
time are
not even
worth
comparing
with the
glory
that is
to be
revealed
to us.
we will
suffer
in
this
life.
But because
of these
sure
promises
of
Christ,
we wait
patiently
because
we wait
hopefully.
Now I
have a
third
point.
And there's
too much in
this third
point to
cram it
into this
morning.
I'm
looking at
the time
as we
speak.
So I'm
going to
hang on
to my
third
point.
The
Spirit
groans
for
glory.
And we'll
add it to
next week
or set it
aside by
itself.
And we'll
end off
with this
idea.
The
Christ
follower,
the one
who has
the first
fruits of
the Spirit
groans
along with
creation
patiently
with hope.
Let's pray
together.