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.
THEY WILL CALL THESE NATURAL DISASTERS. THEY ARE NATURAL IN A SENSE THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN - YET THEY WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE. THEY ARE BIRTH PAINS AWAITING THE PLANETS OWN REDEMPTION V22 JESUS HIMSELF SPOKE OF THESE BIRTH PAINS IN MARK 13:8.
CREATIONS STANDS IN SOLIDARITY
V20 – 22 EVER SINCE THE FALL OF HUMANITY THIS CREATION HAS FALLEN ALSO THIS IS IT’ S CURRENT NATURAL CONDITION THE CONSEQUENCES OF ADAMS SIN. WHEN ADAM SINNED THIS V20 CREATION WAS SUBJECTED TO FRUSTRATION, NOT BY ITS OWN CHOICE, BUT BY THE WILL OF THE ONE WHO SUBJECTED IT. OF COURSE IT WAS GOD WHO SAID GEN 3:17 “CURSED IS THE GROUND BECAUSE OF YOU” AS A RESULT OF THIS CURSE, IT TOO FACES THE SAME CYCLE OF SUFFERING DECAY AND DEATH AS WE DO V21 A BONDAGE OF DECAY.
THIS PLANET IS NOT WHAT IT SHOULD BE - IT IS OUT OF JOINT - HELD IN BONDAGE - TRAPPED IN A CYCLE OF DECAY AND DEATH JUST LIKE EVERY HUMAN BEING. THIS CREATION IS ROTTEN AT ITS CORE, HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS WE HAVE AND YET THERE IS HOPE FOR IT V20 -21 AND THIS IS WHY THE CREATION GROANS AS IN CHILDBIRTH WITH THE EAGER EXPECTATION OF WHAT WILL BE V22 (HOPE)
GROANS OF DELIVERY
V19. AWAITS THE SONS OF GOD. (EAGERNESS)
CREATION IS AWAITING US V19 AT THE END OF THIS WORLD WHEN JESUS RETURNS 1THES 4:13-18 THERE WILL BE A RESURRECTION OF THE JUST AND THE UNJUST AND THERE WILL BE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. AND CREATION IS WAITING ON TENDER HOOKS -
• (LIKE SOMEBODY EAGERLY POPPING IT HEAD OUT OVER THE MASSES TO SEE THE CELEBRITIES)
CREATION IS WAITING FOR THAT DAY WHEN THE BELIEVER WILL BE LIKE CHRIST WITH NEW GLORIFIED BODIES PHIL 3:20 -21.READ THIS IS WHY CREATION IS GROANING BECAUSE AS MAN IS LIBERATED AND GLORIFIED SO WILL CREATION BE LIBERATED AND GLORIFIED .
V21- 22 AWAITS LIBERATION AND FREEDOM.
THERE WILL BE MAJOR ECO CHANGES TO THIS PLANET WHEN CHRIST RETURNS THIS EARTH WIL BE LIBERATED FROM ITS BONDAGE OF DECAY, THE BIBLE SAYS THEIR WILL BE A NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH - THIS PRESENT EARTH WILL BE DESTROYED BY FIRE AND EVERYTHING IN IT WILL BE LAID BARE 2PET3:10 . EVERYTHING WILL BE MADE NEW WITHOUT ANY TRACE OF CORRUPTION - THIS CREATION WILL FAR SURRPASS THE PRESENT CREATION - IT WILL SHINE FORTH WITH THE GLORY OF GOD. IT WILL BE LIBERATED AND GOD WILL DWELL UPON THIS NEW EARTH ONCE MORE.
2. THE BELIEVER GROANS V23 -25 V23 ‘NOT ONLY SO, BUT WE OURSELVES, WHO HAVE THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, GROAN INWARDLY AS WE WAIT EAGERLY FOR OUR ADOPTION AS SONS, THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODIES.
A. FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT : LIKE THE CREATION - BELIEVERS GROAN TO – FOR WHAT WILL BE - WE ARE AWAITING THE SAME DELIVERY, WE SHARE THE SAME HOPE, AS YET WE ARE NOT FULLY TRANSFORMED AND LIBERATED. WE HAVE AT THIS MOMENT THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, AS A RESULT WE GROAN INWARDLY LONGING FOR WHAT WILL BE, OUR FUTURE REDEMPTION BODY AND SOUL FROM THIS FALLEN BODY. THE FIRST FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS A GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE HARVEST FORE TASTE OF HEAVEN.
• HOW MANY OF US AS WE HAVE GONE ROUND THE SUPERMARKET AND YOU STOP AT ONE OF THESE FOOD TASTING BOOTHS AND YOU ARE OFFERED A TASTER - YOU ENJOY IT SO MUCH AND AS A RESULT YOU EAGERLY AWAIT GETTING ROUND TO ISLE 13 TO GRAB YOURSELF A FULL PACKET OF HEAVEN SCENT BISCUITS. YOU HAVE HAD A TASTER – YET YOU EAGERLY AWAIT SO MUCH MORE.
B. V 23 AWAITING OUR FULL ADOPTION.lAST WEEK I SPOKE ABOUT ROMAN ADOPTION AND THAT CHILD WOULD BE TREATED AS HIS OWN CHILD AND THAT WAS A PICTURE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US AS SONS /DAUGHTERS OF GOD WE ARE ADOPTED INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD.
THERE WAS A SECOND ADOPTION PROCESS IN ROMAN CULTURE OFTEN UNDERTAKEN, THIS PROCESS WAS UNDERTAKEN IN PUBLIC, THE CHILD WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE AUTHORITIES AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. BEFORE THEM ALL THE ORDINARY GARMENTS OF THE ADOPTED CHILD WERE TO BE TAKEN OFF BEFORE EVERYBODY , AND THE FATHER WHO WAS ADOPTING HIM PUT ON NEW GARMENTS THAT SUITED HIS NEW WAY OF LIFE IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS ‘TO BE WAITING FOR OUR ADOPTION’ V23 THERE IS COMING A TIME WHEN WE WILL BE FULLY ADOPTED INTO GODS FAMILY BEFORE THE SPECTATORS OF THE WORLD – JESUS WILL RETURN TO PUBLICLY OWN US AS HIS OWN AT THIS TIME THERE IS NOTHING EXTERNALLY - DISTINGUISHES US FROM THE NON BELIEVER, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WE HAVE WEAKNESS AND WE SUFFER IN THIS WORLD WE ARE BORN WE DIE - BUT WHEN THIS DAY COMES BEFORE A WATCHING WORLD WE SHALL BE DIFFERENT AND EVERYBODY WILL KNOW IT!
A. V23 AWAITING THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODIES WE GROAN ALSO BECAUSE WE ARE AWAITING THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODIES. THESE BODIES WHICH SIN - DEACY - FACE DISEASE AND DIE YET WHEN HE RETURNS HE WILL REDEEM OUR EARTHLY BODIES INTO NEW HEAVENLY BODY 1COR 15:35-44 READ.
OUR GOD WILL COME BEFORE ALL THE AUTHORITIES, POWERS AND DOMINIONS OF THIS WORLD EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM AND HE WILL PUBLICLY RAISE THE SAVED AND THE UN-SAVED BODIES AND CLOTH THE SAVED WITH NEW HEAVENLY BODIES AND OWN US AS HIS OWN.
B. V 24 FOR IN THIS HOPE WE WERE SAVED. THIS IS OUR CERTAIN HOPE THIS ISNT SOME WISHFUL THING IT WILL COME TO PASS ITS MORE THAN AN EACH WAY BET ATTHE BOOKIES THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY( MEN AND WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES HAVE PUT THEIR VERY LIVES ON IT!) PAUL WANTS US TO KNOW - THAT ALL THINGS WILL NOT GO ON FOREVER THE SAME - THERE IS COMING A TIME WHEN OUR SUFFERING WILL END AND IT WILL BE REPLACED WITH GLORY! THIS IS OUR CERTAIN HOPE. ROM 5:5 READ V25 WAIT PATIENTLY.
3. THE SPIRIT GROANS WITHIN V26- 27 V26.
.V15 HE CAUSE US TO CRY V15 ABBBA FATHER PRAYER INVOLVES THE TRINITY NOTICE WE PRAY TO THE FATHER THROUGH THE SON BY THE SPIRIT. SO TRUE CHRISTIAN PRAYER IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THE FATHER SON AND HOLY SPIRIT.
A. V26 HE HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS IN GENERAL I BELIEVE ONE OF THOSE WEAKNESSES HE IS REFERRING TO GIVE UP. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL ENABLE A BELIEVER TO PERSEVERE TO THE END. HE ENABLES US TO OVERCOME SET BACKS, TO PERSEVERE IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING HERE UPON EARTH – HE KEEPS US GOING TO THE END OF OUR DAYS. AS HE CALLS US TO FIX OUR EYES UPON JESUS
PERSONAL TRAINER WHO HELPS THE ATHLETE TO KEEP FIT, TO COMPETE, TO CONTINUE, TO FIX HIS EYES UPON THE END RESULT OF WINNING THE RACE DURING THE TRAINING THERE ARE MANY HOURS OF DOUBTS WHETHER YOUR UP TO IT, FACE INJURIES ALONG THE WAY WHICH JEOPARDIZE YOUR CAREER THEE ARE MANY SET BACKS BUT THE TRAINER ADVISES - HE ENCOURAGES YOU – HELPS AND GUIDES YOU HE REALLY BUILDS YOU UP SO THAT YOU WILL COME OUT VICTORIOUS AND WIN THE PRIZE.
B. IN PARTICULAR HERE HE HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS TO PRAYER V26B WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE OUGHT TO PRAY FOR – THAT’S COMFORTING TO KNOW ISN’T IT WHEN AT OUR PRAYER MEETING WHEN WE ASK ABOUT PRAYER SO OFTEN WE JUST LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER AND WE DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT WE OUGHT TO PRAY FOR DO WE?” BUT HE HELPS US WHEN WE KNUCKLE DOWN AND BEGIN TO PRAY AT TIME SWE CLOSE OUR EYES THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR PRAYERS.
HE INTERCEDES FOR US : V26 OUR WEAKNESS HERE IS NOT OUR PRAYERLESSNESS , BUT OUR HUMAN FALLENESS WHICH WE ALL SHARE IN ADAM WHICH BLINDS US EVEN AS BELIEVERS TO PRAY AS WE OUGHT - SO THE SPIRIT INTERCEDES - UTTERS OUR HEART LONGINGS - FOR GLORY OUR RESURRECTED BODIES, THE FULL ADOPTION THAT AWAITS , THE NEW HEAVENS THE NEW EARTH – THESE LONGINGS ARE PLANTED DEEP WITHIN OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS INTERCEDING BEFORE GOD.
C. SO THE HOLY SPIRIT INTERCEDES FOR US NOTICE: NOT OUR PRAYER FOR OTHERS BUT FOR US WITH GROANS WHICH CANNOT BE HUMANLY EXPRESSED ( THESE GROANS ARE ACTUALLY SIGHS OF THE SPIRIT, TO DEEP FOR WORDS TO EXPRESS - IT IS BETTER RENDERED WORDLESS THEY ARE UNEXPRESSED WORDS - THESE ARE THE LONGING OF OUR REDEMPTION THAT CREATION GROANS THE BELIEVER GROANS AND SPIRIT GROANS OVER. (THIS IS NOT TONGUES – AS THERE WERE THOSE WHO COULD INTERPRET AND UNDERSTAND TONGUES) THESE ARE WORDLESS GROANS EVEN UN-AUDIBLE GROANS
PHIL 1:21-23.FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST BUT TO DIE IS GAIN IF I AM TO GO ON LIVING IN THE BODY IT WILL MEAN FRUITFUL LABOUR FOR ME YET WHAT SHALL I CHOOSE? I DO NOT KNOW! I AM TORN BETWEEN THE TWO I DESIRE TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST WHICH IS BETTER BY FAR.
A. YET NOT MEANINGLESS V27. PRAYER WITH PURPOSE ACCORDANCE WITH THE WILL OF GOD. (GOD UNDERSTANDS)
YOU SEE WE OFTEN FAIL TO PRAY AS WE OUGHT AND SO THE THE SPIRIT ENABLE S US TO PRAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WILL OF THE FATHER. GOD HAS A GREAT PLAN FOR US AND OUR PRAYERS DONT ALWAYS MEET HIS PLAN . YET THE SPIRIT KNOWS EXACTLY THE WILL OF GOD FOR US . HIS PRAYERS HAVE PURPOSE AS THEY ARE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WILL OF GOD.V27 WE CAN REST IN CONFIDENCE THAT PRAYERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL BE ANSWERED. THIS IS COMFORTING TO KNOW BECAUSE IN 1JHN 5:14 THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE WE HAVE IN APPROACHING GOD: THAT IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARS US.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS CONTINUALLY GROANING ON OUR BEHALF AND GOD UNDERSTANDS THEY WILL COME TO FRUITION BECAUSE HIS GROANS ARE IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL TO BRING HIS GLORY TO BARE UPON THIS CREATION AND UPON HIS PEOPLE. THIS PRESENT SITUATION WE FIND OURSELVES IN WILL CHANGE; THE GROANS OF CREATION, THE GROANS OF THE BELIEVER AND THE OVERRIDING GROANS OF THE SPIRIT ON OUR BEHALF CONFIRM OUR FUTURE GLORY IS GUARANTEED.
