Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Text: Rom. 8:18-30
Introduction
1. Video: Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2
2. When this song came out back in the late 80’s I heard a lot of Christians complain. They said, “If the members of U2 are Christians, how can they say they haven’t found what they’re looking for?” Well my question to them is “have you found what you’re looking for?”
3. You see my answer to that question is if a global pandemic and racial riots is what you’re looking for then I beg to be excused!
4. I think what U2 had in mind when they wrote that song was exactly what Paul is talking about here in Romans 8. Yes, we have found Jesus and he has promised us abundant life here and now, but what he has planned for us if far better than anything we are experiencing right now.
5. In this section (8:18-30) Paul speaks of the full experience of God’s glory that awaits believers beyond this life, the ultimate goal of becoming like Christ, and the Spirit’s role in bringing that about. (Mohrlang, Volume 14: Romans and Galatians, 134).
6. Paul tells us about…
a. Suffering To Glory
b. Groaning Of Creation
c. Groaning Of The Christian
d. Groaning Of The Spirit
e. Foreknowledge To Glory
7. Let’s stand together as we read Rom. 8:18-30.
Proposition: God has given us the hope of sharing in his glory even though we may have struggles in this life.
Transition: First, Paul tells us about…
I. Suffering To Glory (18).
A. Nothing Compared To The Glory
1. After telling us about the necessity of sharing in Christ's sufferings in order to participate in his glory, Paul now illustrates why this is so important.
2. In v. 18 Paul says, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”
a. Paul is not merely giving a personal opinion but a "firm conviction reached by a rational thought on the basis of the Gospel" (Cranfield 1975: 408).
b. While suffering is something that all believers must deal with, they are present sufferings, which are only temporary.
c. Paul is not the only NT writer that expresses this idea. Peter says,
d. 1 Peter 1:6 (NLT2)
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.
e. Then in chapter 5 Peter says,
f. 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT2)
10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
g. And in the Revelation, John writes,
h. Revelation 2:10 (NLT2)
10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
i. And Paul, in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians says,
j. 2 Corinthians 4:17(NLT2)
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
3. The trials we face are only for this present age, and even they are only for a short period of time. Paul says that they are nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
a. This continues the idea of already/not yet idea of the letter.
b. We are God's children, but we do not see him face to face yet.
c. We are already his heirs, but we have not received our full inheritance.
d. We have already been glorified but we have not yet received the full glory we have been promised.
e. In the not yet time of this life we have to struggle in the middle of suffering and sacrifice.
f. But Paul gives us a divine guarantee: the glory he will reveal to us later.
g. This means that God is preparing a glorious future for us.
h. And we need to fix our eyes not on this life but the glory that is to come.
B. Fix Your Eyes
1. Illustration: What Does Hope Do For Mankind?
Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest.
Hope motivates when discouragement comes.
Hope energizes when the body is tired.
Hope sweetens while bitterness bites.
Hope sings when all melodies are gone.
Hope believes when evidence is eliminated.
Hope listens for answers when no one is talking.
Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping.
Hope endures hardship when no on is caring.
Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing.
Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking.
Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging.
Hope dares to give when no one is sharing.
Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.
- John Maxwell from Think on These Things –
2. We need to fix our eyes on our future glory and not our present sufferings.
a. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT2)
18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
b. It has been well established that 2020 has not been barrel of laughs!
c. We have suffered through a global pandemic that has taken over 792,000, caused many others to suffer, and disrupted the lives of everyone around the world.
d. We have suffered through race riots that have caused death, violence and destruction, as well as a social divide on a national and local level.
e. And that’s just the new events on the block. We still have children being sold into sexual slavery, millions of babies murdered through abortion, and don’t even get me started on politics.
f. But Scripture tells us not to be obsessed with these things (not to say we should ignore them), but that we should fix our eyes on the glory to come.
g. God has prepared for us a place with no more sickness, pain, sorrow or tears.
h. He has prepared for us a place that is so incredible, so awesome it’s splendor, and so magnificent in it’s beauty that the streets are paved with gold.
i. It is a place in which we will rule with Christ and we will help him judge the 12 tribes of Israel.
j. So, lift up your heads, beloved, because there is a glory that is coming for us, and Jesus is coming to take us there at any moment!
Transition: Next, Paul brings us back to our present reality. He talks about the 3 groanings, beginning with…
II. Groaning Of Creation (19-22).
A. All Creation Is Waiting
1. Paul takes his thesis from verse 18 and first applies it to creation to show that the future glory is for more than just believers. All of God's creation will be transformed, beginning with this world and will include especially God's own people.
2. In v. 19 Paul says, “For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.”
a. The waiting eagerly with which creation longs literally means "stretching the head," or "straining the neck" to see what's coming.
b. While there's no sense of anxiety here, there is a sense of anticipation for the final transformation to happen.
c. It's interesting the thing that creation is waiting for is for God to reveal those who his children, and so the focus in on the glory of God's people.
d. We are already the children of God, but the final disclosure of that glorious reality is in the future.
e. It’s a spiritual reality now, but it will be a visible reality later.
3. Then in vv. 20-21 Paul tells us, “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.”
a. Creation has not been able to realize it's God-given potential because it has been under God's curse because of Adam's sin.
b. Creation also cannot fulfill its purpose for which God made it.
c. Notice that this was God's curse and that creation was subjected to it against its will.
d. God is the main actor in this scene. However, it is true that Adam's sin was the cause of the curse, and it was the serpent who led them into sin.
e. But it was God who proclaimed the curse and carried out the punishment.
f. Yet even with the curse, creation with eager hope looks forward to the day when it will join God's children is glorious freedom from death and decay.
g. Hope is a major theme of this section as it appears in this verse, 3 times in v. 24, and again in v. 25.
h. Here it refers to the future expectation of v. 19.
i. There is no uncertainty in Biblical hope, for it is based on the sovereignty of an almighty God who is at work in our world.
j. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT2)
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
k. If our hope is in God we can be certain it will happen! The hope that Paul is talking about here is that the effects of the curse will one day be reversed.
l. Revelation 22:1-2 (NLT2)
1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
m. This is what the Garden of Eden would have become if Adam and Eve had not sinned, and we have the confident hope this is what heaven will be for eternity!
n. Another thing we should notice here is this great expectation is tied to the freedom of God's people. All creation is awaiting the day when we will be glorified in heaven.
4. Paul goes on to say in v. 22, “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
a. Whenever Paul uses the term "we know" he is referring to a general teaching that is known among the churches.
b. This teaching is the groaning of creation which "groans together" and refers to the continuous nature of this pain to the present day.
c. Groaning is another key word in this section and refers to the cry of agony that accompanies the pain of decay.
d. But it is a positive agony of frustration, for Paul goes on to use a metaphor that relates to the pain of childbirth.
e. This is the pain of birth, not death and signifies the new life to come.
f. Creation participates in the living hope of God's children who know that their present groaning is a sign, not just of better things but of final glory and joy.
B. New Heaven And New Earth
1. Illustration: The people of God are not merely to mark time, waiting for God to step in and set right all that is wrong. Rather, they are to model the new heaven and new earth, and by so doing awaken longings for what God will someday bring to pass. — Phillip Yancy
2. We should cherish and appreciate the magnificence of our earth, but we should look forward in hope for something better.
a. Revelation 21:1-2 (NLT2)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
b. I have walked on both the Alps and the Rockies, and my breath was taken away as I did so.
c. I have looked out over the railing of a ship at night and beheld the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean.
d. I have been on an airplane and seen the sun rise over Europe.
e. I have been to New Mexico and seen the ruins of an ancient city.
f. But I know that almighty God, in all his majesty and power, will one day create a new earth that will far surpass anything we have ever seen.
g. It will be an earth that will never decay or fade.
h. It will be an earth where all of its inhabitants will live in harmony and peace.
i. It will be an earth in which there will be no governments for which to argue about because Christ will reign in all his glory.
j. And like the present earth I am looking forward will expectant hope for that day to come!
Transition: The next groaning is the…
III. Groaning Of The Christian (23-25).
A. Believers Also Groan
1. Since Paul consistently tied the emancipation of creation to the future display of his children's glory, it is natural for his to turn to the similar groaning is anticipation on the part of his children.
2. In v. 23 he says, “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
a. Here the groaning is an inward nonverbal sighing within ourselves rather than a verbal groaning among ourselves.
b. If creation experiences the frustration of fixed limitations, how much more will we as the ones who brought about this state of affairs.
c. This is even more true because we now have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. God has given us the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of future glory.
d. If our life in the Spirit is just a foretaste of the future, how great is the future going to be?
e. The Spirit's work in us is both a present reality and a "deposit guaranteeing our inheritance." That's what Paul say in...
f. Ephesians 1:14 (NLT2)
14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
g. But this presence of the Spirit in our lives makes it even more difficult to deal with our current struggles, for we know what awaits us and we long for that time.
h. So, we wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised."
i. If creation looks forward to that day, how much more do we who have the Holy Spirit look forward to it? So this already not yet tension continues.
j. So, we have this first installment with the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but we do not yet have that full reality; the release of our suffering and the fullness of glory we will share with Christ.
k. We have already been adopted as God’s children, but the complete reality hasn’t been totally realized yet. We yearn for eternal transformation of our finite bodies.
3. In vv. 24-25 Paul clarifies this already not yet idea. He says, “We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.
25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)”
a. If we share in the groaning of creation, how much more do we share in its hope, especially since we were given this hope when we were saved.
b. Our past salvation experience began a life of hope in our eternal redemption, so our present life in the Spirit should be even more centered on this future hope.
c. By definition, hope is not a present reality, so Paul is preparing us for the in between time before it is realized.
d. So, while we groan during the troubles of this life, we do so in expectant hope. But Paul needs to remind us that hope deals with something that hasn't happened yet. If we can see and feel it now, it's not hope.
e. As a result, Paul tells us, "But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently."
f. In the middle of our earthly troubles, we must often carry a terrible load of sorrow.
g. Even though we know the final result of everything and the glory that awaits us, the difficulties of our present reality are almost more than we can take.
h. It is one thing to know deep inside that it is worth it to wait for what is to come, but it is still hard to deal with the death of a loved one or go through a devastating illness.
i. But that is when the Lord is closer to us than ever when we can go even deeper in sharing in his sufferings and the glory that goes with it.
j. So, hope triumphs over despair, for not only is the Spirit of Christ near us in our present troubles, but he also guarantees our eventual victory!
B. Guarantee What Is To Come
1. Illustration: The early church father Crysostom wrote, “Hope is feeling confidence in the things to come…The name of patience belongs to hard work and to much endurance. But even this he grants to the one who hopes in order to comfort the weary soul” (Crysostom, Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture NT, vol. 6, 221).
2. Our hope in what awaits us is confirmed by the Holy Spirit living inside of us.
a. 2 Corinthians 5:5 (NLT2)
5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
b. We have troubles in this life, but we have a guarantee.
c. We will have sorrow in this life, but we have a guarantee.
d. We will have problem with temptation in this life, but we have a guarantee.
e. That guarantee is the Holy Spirit living inside of us.
f. He will guide us and direct us.
g. He will teach us.
h. He will comfort us.
i. He will defend us.
j. He will lead us in the path of glory.
k. He is the paraklatos, our counselor, and because of him we have this great hope of glory!
Transition: And this leads us into the next groaning, the…
IV. Groaning Of The Spirit (26-28).
A. Groanings That Cannot Be Expressed
1. As the Spirit gives us hope, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness.
2. In v. 26, Paul writes, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”
a. The verb helps is important here, it is used in the Greek version of the OT (called the Septuigent) to show how the seventy elders appointed to serve as judges over Israel were to "come to the aide of" or "share in the burden" of responsibility with Moses.
b. So, this means more than the Spirit helping us as we struggle in our troubles, the Spirit also shoulders our burden along with us.
c. Paul gives one specific instance of this weakness: For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."
d. We don't know what God wants us to pray because we don't know what God's will is in the particular circumstance.
e. That's when the Holy Spirit steps up and prays for us and through us.
f. The question that this brings up is what does Paul mean when he says the Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed with words?
g. Some believe that this phrase refers to "inexpressible words," but still others, like Gordon Fee, who is an Assemblies of God minister, believe it should be interpreted "without words."
h. The groanings are not understandable to the human mind, because they are not expressed in intelligible words.
i. Now, in some of Paul's other writings, he has this to say about praying in tongues.
j. 1 Corinthians 14:2 (NLT2)
2 For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.
k. 1 Corinthians 14:14 (NLT2)
14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.
l. So, not only in Fee's opinion, but also in your Pastor's opinion, I believe that Paul is talking about praying in tongues here!
m. But Pastor, what if I haven't received that gift yet? Ask for it! Pray every day for the Holy Spirit to give you that gift because it is incredibly powerful and beneficial for you.
3. Paul then goes on to show why this is so important. In v. 27 he says, “And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”
a. The Father is described as the one who knows all hearts, referring to Him not just as the who judges our inner most thoughts, but also as the one who knows our deepest needs and hears our heartfelt groanings.
b. And if God knows our hearts, how much more he knows the mind of the Spirit, that is, the intention and meaning of the Spirit's petitions for us.
c. That is because the Spirit intercedes for the believers in accordance with God's will. God knows the Spirit prays in keeping with his will.
d. This is how we know that God's will is going to be accomplished, for the Spirit's intercession reinforces our prayers.
e. This takes the pressure off of asking for the wrong thing.
4. Look at what Paul says next, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
a. This is one of the most popular verses in all of the NT. However, it is also often misinterpreted.
b. Paul begins with the now familiar and we know, pointing to the common knowledge of a key truth.
c. This is not only a traditional early church teaching but something they experience on a regular basis.
d. We do not know how to pray. But as we struggle in prayer in the middle of our difficulties, the Spirit is groaning in prayer deeper than we are able and does know the will of God.
e. Therefore, God hears our prayers along with the Spirit's prayers, and so he acts upon them. As a result, the entire situation turns out for our best.
f. You will notice that God causes everything to work out for our good. Does that mean that everything in our life is going to be good and everything is going to go our way?
1) No! There are going to be difficulties in our lives, we have already established that fact, but God is going to take even our struggles and cause them to work out for our benefit.
2) In fact, God is even going to take our mistakes and cause them to turn around to our favor. You see when we make mistakes, or difficulties happen in our lives, God uses them to teach us and make us better.
3) Anyone who believes that bad things don't happen to people of faith are reading a different Bible than we do, because that is not what Scripture teaches.
4) However, the Bible does teach that God uses difficulties to teach us and cause us to grow in our faith because of them.
5) Good here does not mean we will always get what we want; it means we will get what we need.
B. Pray In The Holy Spirit
2. Let the Holy Spirit pray in you, through you and for you!
a. Ephesians 6:18 (NLT2)
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
b. Pray in the Spirit when you don’t know what to pray.
c. Pray in the Spirit when you don’t know what to do.
d. Pray in the Spirit when you don’t know where to go.
e. Pray in the Spirit when you don’t know how to do something.
f. If you have not yet been given the ability to pray in the Spirit, ask for it.
g. If you’ve asked for it and still haven’t received it keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking.
h. Above all, don’t be afraid of it. It is a precious gift from a loving and caring God.
Transition: All these groanings lead us to…
V. Foreknowledge To Glory (29-30).
A. Gave Them His Glory
1. Paul now moves from the groaning to the reward of our groaning, his glory.
2. In v. 29 he writes, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
a. What does it mean that God knew his people in advance? It means that God knew beforehand who would accept him and who wouldn't.
b. Paul most certainly is referring to believers here, because believers are the topic at hand. But that does not mean that God determines their decisions beforehand.
c. Therefore, it is better to think of this as an emphasis on a faith decision and interpret it as God knowledge of who would and wouldn't respond in faith to his call.
d. You see, justification in Paul is always by faith, and therefore the completion of this chain of blessings applies only when we have faith.
e. So, it means that on the basis of divine knowledge beforehand of each person’s faith decision, God chooses those who turn to Christ to be his children.
f. Furthermore, the whole reason that God calls and chooses us is so that we can become like Jesus.
g. Paul is thinking not only of our final glorification but of our growing progressively more like Christ in suffering and obedience.
h. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT2)
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
i. Humanity was created in the image of God, but because of Adam and Eve's sin that image was lost.
j. However, Christ through his death on the cross has restored that image, and in him we are conformed once more to it. In this progressive conformity to his image we become the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
3. Then Paul moves from foreknowledge to glory in v. 30 where he writes, “And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”
a. As a result of having chosen us, God has also called us to come to him.
b. It is definitely an elected call, but it is not a irresistible call.
c. God calls us to salvation, but we must respond in faith. And those he calls he also gives a right standing before him.
d. But there is a balance here between God and humans in this call. It is God who makes us right, but it is the one who believes that is made right.
e. And because of being made right, God also gives us glory. Again, there is an introductory sense, because the final glory we will enjoy in eternity with Christ has already begun in that we have been adopted as God's children and joint heirs with Christ.
f. So, it is a process that is already but not yet, but we have the Holy Spirit as our guarantee that it will one day be ours.
B. Called You To His Eternal Glory
1. Illustration: C.S. Lewis wrote the book, "The Screwtape Letters". In the book, "Screwtape" is the Devil and his demon is "Wormwood". This is what the Devil says to the demon about Christianity: "Wormwood, the church is fertile field if you keep them bickering over details, structure, money, property, personal hurts and misunderstandings. One thing you must prevent, don't ever let Christians look up and see the banner of victory flying, because you'll lose them -- never let them see the glory of God."
2. Don’t focus on the groanings of this life; focus on the glory of God.
a. 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT2)
10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
b. The devil doesn’t want you to see the glory.
c. He wants you to see the groanings.
d. He wants you to see the troubles.
e. He wants you to see the difficulties.
f. He wants you to see the disagreements.
g. He wants you to see a worldwide pandemic.
h. He wants you to see racial divide.
i. He wants you to see a church divided.
j. But he’s not the one in control! God is in control.
k. All we have to do is look up and see the glory.
l. All we have to do is read and stand on his promises.
m. All we have to do is to give God the glory!
Conclusion
1. Paul tells us about…
a. Suffering To Glory
b. Groaning Of Creation
c. Groaning Of The Christian
d. Groaning Of The Spirit
e. Foreknowledge To Glory
2. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER…
a. DON’T FOCUS ON YOUR PAST OR EVEN THE PRESENT, FOCUS ON YOUR FUTURE.
b. DON’T FOCUS ON THE CREATION, FOCUS ON THE CREATOR.
c. DON’T FOCUS ON YOUR PROBLEMS, FOCUS ON THE PROBLEM SOLVER.
d. PRAY AT ALL TIMES IN THE SPIRIT.
e. FOCUS ON THE GLORY!
