Romans 8:18-27

Well, good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

All right. Our text for this morning is Romans chapter 8, verses 18 through 27.

Romans 8:18–27

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,

John 15:18

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.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

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,

1 Peter 1:10

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,

Isaiah 53:3

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.

Romans 8:18–27

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.

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

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

Genesis 3:17–19

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

Romans 8 · chapter mention

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

Romans 7 · chapter mention

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.