The Groaning and the Glory

I am terrible at waiting… especially if I am excited!

When I go to the store and buy something I have been waiting for, I often have it open before I ever get to the car in the parking lot! Anyone else relate to this?

I remember when I finally paid off Laura’s wedding/engagement rings and I took them home from the store. I could not wait to propose! It had to happen the same weak or I as going to explode! After a 2 days I couldn’t stand it. We were at college. I asked Laura to go out to a nice dinner with me. She said she needed to study. I tried to persuade her, but she wouldn’t budge. So, I finally convinced her to go to the Student Center with me. I ordered a plate of french fries, got down an a knee and proposed. Her response? “Yes! But over french fries?” – and I remind her I did try multiple times to take her out to dinner. I suppose if I could have been more patient that might have been a bit more romantic 😁

I guess I kinda know what it is like to “eagerly wait” for something. At least I get the eager part, not necessarily the waiting part. lol.

What are some things you have waited for with eagerness and anticipation?

• the return of a deployed soldier
• Graduation season is upon us!
• a raise or promotion
• getting my driver’s license!
• Your kids growing up and leaving the house? lol

Sometimes, it is that eager anticipation that helps us to get through the tough times – like a deployment, or making it until retirement! Paul says that for the Christian, there is an even greater anticipation and ultimate joy – but we need to be patient. Let’s read about it:

Romans 8:18–25 CSB

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. ²³ Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

I. The Glory That Outweighs the Pain (v. 18)

Romans 8:18 CSB

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

• suffering now vs. glory later

“I consider” (reckon) this is that mental commitment and conviction. I have set my mind on the reality that the present sufferings are so insignificant that they are not worth comparing with the glory that is coming.

• Suffering is real, but it is not ultimate

Paul is not just talking about “suffering for Jesus”. That is something he does talk about. But in this passage he is talking about all kinds of suffering:

Our broken bodies. Cancer. M.S. Kidney failure. Broken relationships. Unfaithfulness. Disappointments. Frustrating medical problems with no clear diagnosis. Financial hardships. Lost jobs. Lost loved ones. Hunger. Loss. Abuse.

Suffering is real and it will hit or has hit every one of us. When Paul does the math he doesn’t say that suffering is not real or that it does not hurt. He knows it does!

He says that even as much as the pain of suffering is real, the joy of what is to come is SO MUCH MORE that you cannot even compare the two. It’s “not worth comparing” the two because they are so far apart.

It would be like racing against Formula 1 cars with a skateboard. There is no contest and you would be so far behind that no one would even bother keeping your time – or even sticking around to see if you actually finish the race.

• Glory is not compensation—it’s transformation

It’s not that our suffering is like a “rewards” program, like sky miles. You suffer and earn points and eventually you will get a little something as a reward.

It is more like, you suffer a little while and you get unfathomably more than you could ever imagine!

What we face NOW is insignificant compared to what we will have THEN.

• Our suffering is temporary. God’s glory is eternal.
• Our suffering is small. God’s glory is immense.

We will trade our corruptible bodies for incorruptible ones as Paul says in 1 Cor 15:42–54

The suffering we have is big to us, but minuscule in the light of what God has waiting for us. That is not minimizing our pain, it is understanding the enormity of the glory that awaits.

II. Creation Groans for Renewal (v. 19–22)

Romans 8:19–22 CSB

¹⁹ For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.

• Creation is personified as waiting eagerly

Paul gives the created world a personality – her personifies it. Just as I was eager to propose to Laura, all of creation eagerly waits for a day when it will be renewed in glory.

Romans 8:20 CSB

²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope

• It was subjected to frustration/futility because of sin

Creation has been frustrated. That which burst forth with life is now subject to decay. The heavens declare the glory of God, but the earth declares the condition of mankind.

Something is futile if it is not able to accomplish what is was designed to accomplish. When you dig up the ground and plant a garden and nothing grows, your efforts were futile. When you cut down a tree to protect your house, and the tree lands on the house, your efforts were futile.

Creation was designed to be at peace. Creation was designed to thrive and grow, not decay. The ground was supposed to give forth fruit, not thorns.

Creation is subject to “futility” – unable to be effective. It is not able to do what it was designed to do.

Romans 8:20 CSB

²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope

Man was given dominion over creation. When man sinned, creation also suffered.

Genesis 3:17-19

¹⁷ And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. ¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

“because of him who subjected it” – this is God. God sentenced the earth to futility because of Adam. It was in the garden that creation was cursed BY GOD, because of Adam.

Against its will – creation suffers from the sentence handed down upon its caretaker. It did nothing wrong, but suffers the consequences unwillingly.

NOTE: This is a tremendous reminder to those in leadership that the actions we take, the things we say and do, affect the things and people that we have dominion over. Do not take leadership lightly – whether at home, at church, at work, or in the community.

• Creation longs for liberation from decay

Romans 8:21 CSB

²¹ that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

All of creation, including humans, suffer from decay. All of it will be released from this- that is a promise of God. There WILL BE release. But, just as the curse came with mankind, the release also awaits a day when mankind will be released.

• The “labor pains” metaphor

In the meantime:

Romans 8:22 CSB

²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.

Paul uses birth pangs: a mixture of pain and hope, as the way to describe the scenario. I am always hesitant to talk about the pain of giving birth:

1. Because I am a GUY and most of you ladies will probably be thinking, “You don’t have ANY idea what it is really like!” And you would be right! [HOWEVER -> the illustration came from Paul, who was a guy!]
2. Because we always seem to have at LEAST 2 pregnant women in the church at any given time, and usually there is a first time mom – and I really don’t want to scare them them stories of 30 hrs in the delivery room, pushing for 6 hours and C-sections!

›     ask: how many of you had a baby with 30 minutes of labor or less?

Regardless of whether it was 30 minutes or 30 hours, the pain is a short time compared to the 9 months of pregnancy. And whatever the pain, that is momentary compared to the years and years of joy they bring to you!

The pain of this life is small compared to the joy that awaits, just like the pain of delivery is small and does not even come close to comparing with the blessing and joy of the life given by God.

III. Believers Groan for Redemption (v. 23)

Romans 8:23 CSB

²³ Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

As part of creation, even as those redeemed by Jesus, we too feel the same struggle and pain.

“whole creation” is all of creation. All that was created on days 3-6 is under the curse and is groaning with labor pains. Even those that have been given the Spirit of God and new birth into a living hope groan “we ourselves… also groan”. Because that which has been purchased for us has not yet been given to us completely. The HS is a down payment on that future. So we can experience a taste of what it will be like, but we will not experience it completely until all things are made new. (check out Isa 65:17-25)

• We feel the tension of the “already/not yet”

Creation eagerly waits (19) and we eagerly wait (23, 25). We feel the tension of what has been promised and what we experience. We know all will be made new. We know there will be no more sorrow or pain. We know there will be no more decay. But we know that we experience decay, pain and death in the present.

Our bodies still feel the effects of the fall

• We long for full adoption: resurrection and renewal

How long will we need to wait? I mean, you know I am not even remotely patient when I am eagerly anticipating something. I am anxious to get rid of this body. I am excited to live in a world without sin. WHEN will we and all of creation finally experience this glory? When will the redemption of creation, of humanity, or our flesh finally take place?

Romans 8:19 CSB

¹⁹ For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.

In verse 19 we are told that creation waits for God’s sons to be revealed because when the sons of God are revealed creation will be re-created. All things will be made new.

SO… when will God’s sons (and daughters) be revealed?

1 John 3:2 CSB

² Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is.

When Jesus returns. That is when all things will be made new. A new heaven and a new earth, new bodies, new government, new source of light to illuminate the world. [check out Revelation 21] That is when God’s sons will be revealed, because we will finally look like our daddy.

“revealed” = ἀποκάλυψις (apocalypse) is the idea of something covered that is uncovered, something that existed but that was hidden being made visible.

[NOTE: this is what the book of “revelation” (apocalypse) is about -> that which has been hidden, promised and hoped for finally being revealed. Apocalypse is not about a war, or the end of the world. It is actually about the revealing of a restored, brand new creation. It is a book about the final restoration of order, life and justice and not obliteration and desolation that many have made it out to be. Revelation is hope realized.]

When Christ is revealed, we will be restored. Our inheritance includes being restored to our former glory, no longer decaying or dying, and having new bodies.

Like all of creation, we have been living in a cursed world, full of futility. This is the condition of mankind according to the author of Ecclesiastes. “vanity, vanity” or “meaningless, meaningless” – a life that is NOT lived according to the purpose it was created for.

IV. Hope Shapes Our Waiting (v. 24–25)

However, when Christ returns, this will all be fixed. That is out hope. There will be a re-birth to use the birth pangs illustration.

Romans 8:24–25 CSB

²⁴ Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

• Hope is unseen, but certain
• Christian hope is not wishful thinking—it’s anchored promise
• We wait with patience, not passivity
• Suffering becomes bearable when glory becomes visible

This is the hope we have. Remember, the HOPE that Paul talks about is not wishful thinking, like I hope I get a pony for my birthday, or I hope for world peace, or perhaps you are hoping for this sermon to get over 😂

We do not hope for things that we already have.

Illus: eating a cookie and while eating it, talk about how you hope to have a cookie someday.

We hope for things we do not yet have. And the HOPE that Paul talks about is waiting for something that you KNOW is certain. It is something we have not seen but know is waiting for us that we are assured we will experience at some point.

Romans 8:25 CSB

²⁵ Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

So we wait with patience. (maybe)

Is the glory at the end of this path worth the trouble experienced along the way?

That is the question, isn’t it? If you believe it, then you persevere. If not, you grow weary and faint along the way.

There are days when it seems like we are living in a violent storm. The suffering of this life pounds on us like a pouring rain or hail. The noise of the struggles like thunder and lightning. We’re battling everything about life, and it just feels like a struggle. In those times, we understand suffering and pain and misery, and all the effects of the Fall, the effects of sin, the effects of broken Humanity, a broken creation.

There are other days where we might wake up and see the sunshine and crystal clear skies, like the the deep blue skies of a 20 below zero winter day in Upstate New York. We might just enjoy the warmth of the sunshine on a summer day, and on those days, it feels like everything is going well and everything is going right, and we understand the joy and peace that come from God.

Those seem like two separate worlds; like a dichotomy of two separate places. In reality, even on those stormy days, the sun is still shining. It’s just in a different position. It’s harder to see. But it still exists.

If you’ve ever been on an airplane and flown through a storm and gotten above the clouds and you see the storm below you and you see the sun just shining at you. You’re like, wow, this is crazy. You don’t see it from below, but once you’ve experienced it, you understand that above that storm, above those clouds, above that lightning and thunder and all the noise of the mess that’s going on below there is a beautiful sunshine and calm and peace.

I think what Paul is talking in Romans 8 about when he is talking about the suffering and the hope of the glory. We know that beyond the suffering and the storms of this life the glory exists,  the peace is there,  the calm is there,  the lack of pain is there,  the joy is there, the very presence of God is still there, even if we can’t see it and don’t feel its effects at the moment.

Paul is calling us to share in the suffering so we can also share in the glory. You don’t get to the glory unless you go through the suffering. You don’t get to that Sunshine unless you go through that storm. That’s what we’re called to as Christians.

Present suffering is temporary; future glory is certain.

Application:

• Lift your eyes from what hurts to what’s coming. This is one of the ways that we endure suffering. What we face right now may seem like a lot – but there is a whole lot better coming and it is significantly more glorious than you can imagine.
• Let hope fuel endurance. You can trust God. Above the storms of this life is the God who is above it all and who will call us to himself one day.
• Live as people who know the ending. This life is short, the next life is eternal. We know the end is far greater than the present – life with the end in mind.