‘groans For Our Future Glory' Series

ROM 8:18 – 27. ‘GROANS FOR OUR FUTURE GLORY’

DO YOU REMEMBER THE BIRTH OF YOUR CHILDREN? MANY OF US ARE JUST LIVING IN THE JOY OF POSSESSING THEM AS OUR OWN CHILDREN .THINK BACK, WHAT STOOD OUT? WASN’T IT THE EAGER EXPECTATION OF THEIR ARRIVAL INTO THE WORLD? (HOW WE PLANNED)

NOW THINK BACK TO THE PREGNANCY ITSELF? THERE WERE TIMES WHEN YOU WERE EMOTIONAL LOW, WITH MAJOR CHANGES TAKE PLACE IN YOUR BODY, PHYSICALLY SHATTERED WITH CARRYING A CHILD FULL TERM THE MOST STRENUOUS PERIOD WAS THE BIRTH OF THE CHILD ITSELF - AS YOUR WATERS BROKE THE ONSET OF CONTRACTIONS , ALL TYPES OF GROANS BEGIN TO BE EXPRESSED (THAT YOU CAN HEAR RIGHT DOWN THE CORRIDOR) DURING THAT PERIOD OF DANIELLE’S DELIVERY I THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO BREAK EVERY BONE IN MY HAND AS SHE CLUTCHED IT AS THE CONTRACTIONS GREW IN THEIR INTENSITY.

YET FINALLY THAT EAGER EXPECTATION, CAME TO FRUITION, THE BIRTHING PAINS SUBSIDED, THE GLORIOUS BIRTH OF A NEW BORN BABY. AT THE END OF IT ALL - ALL THE PAIN SEEMS TO HAVE PALED INTO INSIGNIFICANCE IT WASN’T WORTH COMPARING TO A NEW BORN CHILD IN YOUR POSSESSION.

IN THIS SECTION V18 PAUL WANTS US TO KNOW THAT OUR PRESENT SUFFERINGS ARE NOT WORTH COMPARING WHEN IT COMES TO OUR FUTURE GLORY. HE WANTS US TO KNOW THAT WE WILL GO THROUGH SUFFERING, AND OUR GROANS, ARE GROANS OF HOPE OF WHAT IS TO BE WILL LEAD US TO GLORY NOT ONLY A PLACE BUT ALSO (REVEALED IN US) WE WILL BE GLORIFIED!

HE PUTS IT LIKE THIS V18 CONSIDER OR RECKON – TERM FROM ACCOUNTANCY PUTS IN COLUMNS ADD UP AND COMPARES THE TOTAL IN THE SUFFERING COLUMN IN OUR PRESESNT TO THE TOAL IN THE GLORY COLUMN WHAT WILL BE REVEALED IN US AND THERE IS NO COMPARISON ONE FAR OUTWEIGHHS THE OTHER AND PAUL NEW WHAT IT WAS TO SUFFER 2COR11:23-28.

WHAT ARE OUR PRESENT SUFFERINGS V18?

V20 OUR SUFFERING OF EMPTINESS ( BECAUSE GOD IS NOT THERE ) A SENSE OF FUTILITY DESPAIR SEEN IN OUR WORLD TODAY - ESPECIALLY AT TIMES OF UNBELIEF - ART FROM VAN GOGH DAMIEN HURST – MUSIC – SEX PISTOLS - LITERATURE – DICKENS TO DAWKINS - DEFUNCT YOUTH CULTURE - TEENAGE PREGNANCY BINGE DRINKING - WE LIVE IN A DEFUNCT SOCIETY DEVOID OF GOD – A WORLD THAT STRUGGLES WITH DEPRESSION , DESPAIR AND DOUBT. AND CHRISTIAN PEOPLE ARE NOT IMMUNE FROM EMPTINESS SOME OF GREAT HEROES OF CHRISTIANITY SUFFERED FROM DEPRESSION AND AT TIMES WHEN GOD WAS DISTANT : JOHN BUNYAN - WILLIAM COOPER – LORD SHAFTSBURY -MANY MINISTERS AND MANY CHRISTIANS IN OUR CONGREGATIONS TODAY STILL SUFFER WITH DEPRESSION AND AN EMPTINESS .

V20 -21 . OUR FALLEN WORLD WITH THE CYCLE OF BIRTH – DISEASE – DECAY - AND DEATH THIS IS AN ONGOING CYCLE WE ALL FACE AGAIN CHRISTIANS ARE NOT IMMUNE WE FACE DISEASE DECAY AND DEATH AL DAY LONG AND SO DOES EVERYBODY WHO IS BORN.

V35 -36. OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST (CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION)

BOTH CHRISTIANS AND NO CHRISTIANS WILL SUFFER WITH THE FIRST TWO TYPES OF SUFFERING BUT ONLY CHRISTIANS WILL FACE THE LATTER BECAUSE WE ARE IDENTIFIED OURSELVES WITH CHRIST.

THERE IS NO DOUBT WHERE PAULS HEART WAS IN THE MIDST OF HIS EARTHLY LIFE 1COR 7:31 FOR THIS WORLD IN ITS PRESENT FORM IS PASSING AWAY. HE SAW THE PURPOSE OF HIS TROUBLES 2COR 4:17 FOR OUR LIGHT AND MOMENTARY TROUBLES ARE ACHIEVING FOR US AN ETERNAL GLORY THAT FAR OUTWEIGHS THEM ALL.

SO WITH THIS BACKDROP OF SUFFERING PAUL WANTS US TO KNOW THE TRANSITORY NATURE OF WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING AT THE PRESENT (LIKE PREGNANCY IT ONLY LASTS FOR A TIME ) HE WANTS US TO AWAKEN TO THE GROANS OF OUR FUTURE HOPE. A GLORIOUS HOPE THAT WILL BE REVEALED IN US V18 .

HE TELLS US HERE THAT OUR PRESENT SUFFERING IS NOT EVEN WORTH COMPARING TO THE GLORY THAT WILL BE REVEALED IN US . ALL OF WHICH IS CONFIRMED TO US WITH THREE GROANS OF FUTURE GLORY: THE GROAN OF CREATION V18 -22, THE GROAN OF THE BELIEVER V 23 – 25 AND THE GROAN OF THE SPIRIT V26 -27

1. THE CREATION GROANS V19 -22 ‘WE KNOW THE WHOLE CREATION HAS BEEN GROANING’

WE LIVE UPON AN AMAZING PLANET WHICH SUSTAINS OUR LIVES IT IS FILLED WITH WONDER AND BEAUTY THE ECO SYSTEM IS JUST SO GOVERNED FOR HUMAN LIFE TO FLOURISH – IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLANET WITH AMAZING SIGHTS CONSIDER THE GREAT BARRIER REEF, THE GRAND CANYON, MOUNT EVEREST. AND YET ON THE OTHER HAND WE SEE THIS SAME PLANET BRING DESTRUCTION AND DEATH.

YOU DONT NEED TO BE ENVIRONMENTALIST TO KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PLANET – - THEY TELL US WE NEED TO WAKE UP TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WE ARE HAVING ON THE PLANET WITH GLOBAL WARMING - THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEPLETING - THE ECO BALANCE IS SHIFTING WITH ITS EARTHQUAKES -- TSUNAMIS – DROUGHTS – HURRICANES INCREASING ETC.