Christianity 101:
Our Anxious Longing
Romans 8:18-27
Englewood Baptist Church
Sunday morning, May 4, 2008
Read the scripture.
Today, as we recognize our graduates, I am reminded of the present sufferings these students have been facing. For four years, their lives have been filled with deadlines, book reviews, research papers, group projects, the nerve-racking delivery of speeches, the assignments that just keep coming and coming and coming like the drip from a toddler’s nose in December. It just won’t stop.
But what makes it all worthwhile is that platform hanging out there in eternity, that glorious stage, where a scroll of paper is passed like a baton, a thunderous applause follows, and freedom is found on the other side. Our seniors anxiously long for that moment of glory.
In many ways, all of us identify with the pilgrimage of a student. As Romans 8:17 states, we all have present sufferings that will one day run their course and fall into the river of glory. And this glory inadequately described by Paul, is simply an incomparable glory. What does that mean exactly? Glory is the Bible’s word that describes heaven’s dazzling magnificence. Glory is what’s waiting on that platform when we graduate from this earth. But if you look in the Bible for descriptions, you will be disappointed for God does not provide many details about all that is waiting on the other side of the river.
In fact, in Scripture, the most helpful descriptions of glory simply tell us what heaven will not have. There will no crying, no pain, no death, no mourning. Those things will not be there. Ok, but what is there? What is glory? The simple answer is this: You will have to wait and see.
Trading Spaces is back on TV. Did you notice? Yeah, Paige is back. Trading Spaces was perhaps the most watched program on Television for a few years—even Seinfeld couldn’t hang with this show. And the genius of the show is that it a 30 minute crescendo. It begins with a before picture of a hideously boring space—a bedroom with mismatched furniture, grotesque wallpaper, and carpet from the disco era. The space needs to be made new. And so these people trade houses, and completely remodel, and the climactic moment of the show, the part you just don’t want to miss, is the REVEAL. The moment you have been waiting for, when the people can open their eyes, and see the beauty of their new home. It’s supposed to be this exciting, thrilling moment where the prize is unveiled.
In a sense, that is what the New Testament teaches about heaven. God is keeping his hand over your eyes, but one day soon, you will see glory. And you won’t start crying like some of those women on Trading Spaces. No, Hilde didn’t design this space. There will be no disappointment in heaven. You will be overwhelmed by the weight of glory.
C.S. Lewis wrote an article by that title, “The Weight of Glory,” and this is what he says about the GREAT REVEAL that awaits us…
At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of the morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendors we see. But the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.
.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
What a vivid way of describing the waiting process that we find ourselves in. “The leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor” that glory awaits us—an incomparable glory.
And in this passage of Scripture, Paul describes the feeling of anxiousness that is building across the planet—a groaning for something we don’t even fully comprehend. All that we know is that it’s far better than what we see around us.
Now, there are three specific groanings that are taking place even now. I want to show you these in Scripture. There is the groaning of creation, the groaning of believers, and the groaning of the Holy Spirit. Before we dive into this, let’s address one question: what is a groaning?
A groaning is an audible expression of anguish due to physical, emotional, or spiritual pain.
The easiest way to think about groaning is to think about what your stomach does in church when you skip breakfast. Have you ever been in church when your stomach began to groan? It starts off just a little rumble. Then it begins to build and we try to do everything to stop it. We muffle the sound with our arms, as if that helps! We stick a piece of gum in our mouth. That doesn’t solve it. Your stomach keeps crying out louder and louder.
This is how Paul describes the coming of heaven to earth. There is a groaning that cannot be stopped and it is three-fold. Let me show this to you.
The Three Groans
1. The creation groans. (vv.19-22)
Look at v.19-22…
The creation is anxiously waiting. My Bible says that there is an “eager expectation.” My heart jumped when I read what that word means. That word for “eager expectation” literally means, “watching with an outstretched head.” It carries the idea of standing on your tiptoes with your eyes looking ahead with expectancy. So, the creation is like a 4-year old boy that runs to the window every day to see if the school bus has arrived to deliver his big brother, his playmate. The boy is watching with an outstretched head.
That is the way that the Bible describes the longing of creation. Creation here refers to the animals, the plants, the mountains, the seas, the rivers, the valleys….all of the created universe longs to be restored and revealed. Now, this idea of a rock or a dandelion crying out to God, that seems bizarre to our way of thinking. But, the ancient Jews had no problem with this personification of nature.
It was the Jewish prophet Isaiah that spoke these words of God…
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isa. 65:17)
“…the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (55:12).
Well, obviously hills don’t have mouths, and trees don’t have hands, but this is God’s way of saying that the created order longs to be restored. Let’s hit rewind and go back to the Curse in the Garden.
When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s command, not only mankind but the earth and rest of the world was cursed and corrupted. After the Fall, God said to Adam,
Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you…cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you…(Gen. 3:17–19)
Before the Fall, no weeds or poisonous plants, no thorns or thistles or anything else existed that could cause man misery or harm. But after the Fall, the creation was subjected to frustration. Because of man’s sin, no part of nature now exists as God intended it to be and as it originally was. Paul goes on to reveal that nature did not curse itself, but instead, the curse was executed by its Creator. God Himself subjected it to futility.
A few years ago, Lynley and I were lucky to travel to Maui. And when we were there, we rented a Jeep, we took the top off, and we traveled down that windy road to Hana. Some of you have made that trip. I remember looking out the side of that vehicle and gazing the white crests of the waves in the blue sea. I remember looking up at the fluorescent green trees that formed a canopy over the street. I remember stopping for lunch at a beach that had black sand and thinking, “Who knew there was such a thing?” I didn’t want to be the one taking pictures because I wanted to take still shots home in my mind. It was so breathtakingly beautiful.
And the Bible says that when God makes this earth new again, it will be incomparable. This “ordinary” world will become extraordinarily beautiful. And you won’t have to take a picture to remember, because you will be there forever.
When I read this part of Scripture, I stand in wonder. For nothing convinces me that God exists—nothing is more persuasive than vastness and breathtaking beauty of the ocean—consider the sheer size of it which the Bible says God holds in the hollow of his hand…
But not just the ocean. Watch the life cycle of the tree. Every year it goes to sleep and without any prompting or urging, the tree bursts forth into life again in the spring. The green of the leaves gives us a sense of renewal and hope—that someone out there has the power to bring dead people alive just like dead trees come to life.
Stand silently at the base of a snowcapped mountain, and you will want to say like David, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” Who can create such enormous magnificence as this?
Or gaze at the sun as it slowly rises over the morning waters. And you will think to yourself, “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for thee, Oh God.”
This world is telling of the glory of God. It is filled with splendor and loveliness. It is picturesque, but don’t waste all your film, God says, because there is a grand finale. What you see now is just a taste of what is coming. Verse 22 says that the earth is like a woman in childbirth. Have you ever seen a woman in childbirth? I have, and am about to see that again. I can testify…that woman cannot wait for that time to pass. That little sliver of time feels like an eternity. The same is true for this earth. Like a woman in labor, this created world longs for this time to be over. It groans.
Let’s move on. There is a second groaning.
2. The people of God groan. (vv.23-25)
Look at v.23-25…
You and I are groaning for something more. And the reason that we groan is not because everything on this earth is ugly, or because all the food on this planet is bland, or because there is no joy to be found on this evil planet. That’s not true. This earth isn’t all bad, it’s just that we have tasted something better.
I used to drink Folgers coffee. When I was a school teacher right out of college, me and Folgers spent about 30 minutes together in the car. And I was a big fan of Folgers. But then I ran into this little mermaid who made her own brew (Show Starbucks logo) and now, Folgers doesn’t seem all that great any more. I still drink it from time to time. My britches aren’t too big for a cup of Folgers, but it doesn’t compare to the glory of that mermaid woman. It is the nectar of God. It tastes much better.
And the Bible says that more we drink in of the Holy Spirit, the greater our appetite grows for what God is preparing . Now I am not a vocalist, but this is the way I grew up singing it…
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things on earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.
Yes! We have experienced a taste of the Divine. And the longer we walk with him, the more we develop an appetite for what awaits in him.
Do you remember the story in the Old Testament about the Promised Land and the Spies? Turn with me to Numbers 13. Just like you and I are groaning for a Promised Land, Moses and the nation of Israel had been promised a land called Canaan. And just like you and me, they had not crossed the river and entered into the land. And Moses is getting hungry. He is tired of eating bread and drinking water. He wants a taste of the fruit that hangs on the other side. So he sends some spies. Read with me. Numbers read vv.17-20; 23-25; 26-27
And can you imagine how good a plump, juicy grape must have tasted after living on crackers for years? Moses tastes the firstfruit. And I would bet that this was a life-changing moment. From that moment on, that every time he wanted to turn back to Egypt, every time he got tire of leading a stubborn people, his mind remembered the incomparable taste of that fruit. His stomach groaned for it.
The reason that you and I are so unsatisfied on this earth is because every now and then, God gives you a taste of the Holy Spirit and we want more. To the young pastor, Titus, Paul says,
…we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I know your life is hard. Worldly passions buffet you like the waves of a sea. Money is always a source of stress. Your children sometimes disappoint you. Your parents are growing weak and feeble. Your childhood dreams are not coming true. But don’t go back to Egypt. With an outstretched head, you keep looking for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great savior, Jesus. The best is yet to come.
And I want you to notice in v.23 that Paul looks forward to the redemption of our bodies. He goes on to say that we hope for something we do not have. The New Testament calls these bodies of ours “tents.” Well, what do you know about a tent? You know that the more you use a tent, the more it gets worn out. It begins with a little hole on floor by the door, then a leak comes from the ceiling, then a pole is lost and then you have to use duct tape to keep it together. Eventually, you have to throw it away and get a new one. Paul must have had some serious arthritis problems because he spoke so often about the redemption of his body. He longed to have a new body to match his new soul. He couldn’t see it, but he waited patiently.
In a sleepy little cemetery in Alabama, there is a tombstone of a man named Solomon Peas. True story. This is what his headstone reads:
Here lies Solomon Peas
Under the lilies and under the trees
Peas is not here, only the pod
Peas has shelled out and gone home to God
(Tombstone caption in Wetumpka, Alabama)
And some of you older folks can testify, the longer you live in that tent, the more you long for the redemption of your bodies.
Now, there is one more groaning described here by Paul.
3. The Holy Spirit groans. (vv.26-30)
Look at these verses…
Does your spouse or roommate make weird noises when they sleep? Come on, be honest. There have been times when Lynley has said to me, “Who were talking to last night?” And I’ll say, “What do you mean?” And she’ll say, “You were making all these weird noises in your sleep. It was bizarre. It sounded like you were talking to somebody.” And I’ll say, “I don’t have any idea what you are talking about, woman.”
Well, Scripture says that the Holy Spirit is making noises for you, and you are not even aware of it. Well, what is he saying? He is offering up prayers for you. The Holy Spirit is speaking on your behalf.
Now the issue at hand is prayer. Because you and I live in these bodies, on this earth, we have certain weaknesses. There are a few obstacles to our prayer lives.
•Physical weakness: How many times have you been praying and you suddenly drift off to sleep? We have a real problem with that. In fact, I can testify that every single Sunday morning, no matter how strong the sermon is, a few of you are studying the back of your eyelids. Don’t think I don’t see that. I’m sympathetic. I’ve been there. We all get a little sleepy once in a while. On the most eventful night in history, Jesus couldn’t get his disciples to stay awake. Stay alert and pray, he told them, but they just couldn’t do it. They were physically weak and it affected their ability to pray well.
•Perspective weakness: You and I have no idea what to pray for sometimes. Jesus said that if we ask for anything in accordance with his will, we will receive. Sounds simple enough. We don’t know what he wants us to ask for. We see through a glass dimly. If there was an enormous painting just before me, 100 feet by 100 feet, I am limited by my position. I’m too close. It’s only when I back up that I get a better perspective. Well, the Bible teaches that God has foreknowledge. He can see the end from the beginning and he has perfect perspective and because the Holy Spirit and God are one, the Holy Spirit has perfect perspective. And this should give you great comfort—when you don’t know how to pray, just admit it! And ask that the Holy Spirit intercede for us.
Many times we are not even aware that spiritual needs exist. And the Spirit prays on our behalf. Let me give you an example.
Jesus told Peter, “Behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).
Well, Peter had no idea that Satan was hot on his trail. Peter was just thinking about what he was going to eat for lunch. He had no idea that he was in the middle of the greatest spiritual battle of his life. Fortunately, though, somebody was looking out for him. Jesus was interceding for Peter. An intercessor is someone who pleads your case, someone who rushes to your defense.
Now there is a great deal of mystery here, but the Holy Spirit is your helper. He has got your back.
One of the most fascinating things in the world to watch is a blind man crossing the street while holding on to nothing but a dog that looks bored out of his mind. That blind man has no idea that a bus is rounding the corner or that a curb is fast approaching. However, he is not in danger because he has a faithful guide. That dog is looking out for him.
Aren’t you glad that God didn’t assign a dog this task? The Spirit of God goes before you, to make sure that you arrive in GLORY. Keep an outstretched head. It’s coming.
If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you! John 14:15-17 (The Message)
The Spirit is in you and groans on your behalf.
