Please turn with me to Romans 8 - starting at verse 18.  We are going on with our look at Romans 6-8 - and the choices we make in life.  Every day we’re confronted with a number of choices.

Behind every choice we make is one basic bottom line choice.  Which is what?   To turn towards God or to turn away from God.   God is gracious to us - in every circumstance of our lives - God gives us that choice of turning towards Him and His grace. 

I hope - as we’ve been going through what Paul writes here - that our understanding of just how incredible that choice really is - that our understanding and desire to make that choice is growing.  That we’re growing in our resolve to turn to towards God and to trust Him.

To get us started this morning we have some choices to help us think a bit about how we look at things in life.

Choice number 1 - are the lines parallel or not parallel?

Choice number 2 - does the elephant have 4 legs or 5?

Choice number 3 - is square B the same color as square A or a different color?

Choice number 4 - do the red lines bend or are they parallel?

Choice number 5 - is this a drawing of a spiral or concentric circles?

Choice number 6 - is up down or down up?

Choice number 7 - remember we’re thinking about how we see life - number 7 - is the glass half-empty or half-full?

(Cartoon)

What we’re coming to this morning is probably one of the most known and loved parts of Scripture.  Actually - all of chapter 8 is a high point of Scripture.  But these verses - starting here at verse 18 really touch the heart of where we live our lives - and especially the choice of what we focus on as we go through life.

Romans 8 - starting at verse 18:  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.

Let’s pause there.  Verse 18 is Paul’s main point for this section of chapter 8.   It’s a comparison - the sufferings of today compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us.  What we go through today verses what’s coming.  There’s no comparison between the two.

Grab that:  There is no comparison.  Say that with me, “There is no comparison.”

Paul knew suffering - knew more suffering than any one of us have gone through or ever will go through.  He was beaten - stoned - rejected - shipwrecked - chained - imprisoned - starved - hungry - naked - cold.  Paul isn’t writing a bunch of spiritual platitudes and wishful happy thoughts.  Paul knew suffering.  And Paul writes this:  There’s no comparison to what’s coming.

As horrible - as horrific - as the sufferings of today are - the crud and crisis and calamity and corruption of today - whatever the present suffering - no matter how intense or extreme - there is no comparison.  What’s coming is so far greater - so unimaginably better - so magnificently awesome - so beyond anything experienced in this life - that there is no way to even begin to put the two side by side - or anywhere near to each other to make a comparison between the two.

We need to see this also.  There’s no comparison in where all this glory is coming to.  What’s coming - what’s to be revealed - is revealed in us.  The NIV translation - believe it or not - the NIV is actually better here than the NASB.  Literally - the original Greek says that this glory will be revealed into us.  Not “to” us but “into” us.

We’re not going to be perched up in the noise-bleed section of some stadium watching all this way down on the field.  “Gee, I bet that’d be really interesting to watch if I could just get my binoculars to focus.”  What’s coming isn’t a spectator sport.  Its full on participation.

C.S. Lewis writes in The Weight of Glory: 

We want so much more… something the books on aesthetics take little notice of, but the poets and mythologies know about it.  We do not merely want to see beauty, though God knows that is bounty enough.  We want something else that can hardly be put into words… to become part of it.  That is why the poets tell us such lovely falsehoods.  They talk as if the west wind could really sweep into a human soul, but it can’t.  They tell us that the beauty born of a murmuring sound will pass into a human face, but it won’t, or at least not yet…  The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.  (1)

That’s where Paul is going in these verses - here in chapter 8.  The incomparable reality that’s coming - that God has given to each one of us who have turned to Him - who’ve trusted in Jesus as our Savior.  Not because we deserve it.  But because God is gracious.

Going on.  In verses 19 to 30 Paul is going to compare two perspectives of life.  First - in verses 19 to 25 is Our Present Suffering.   Say that with me, “Our present suffering.”

Verse 19:  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Paul begins with the suffering of creation.

Back in the Garden of Eden - when Adam disobeyed God - ate the forbidden fruit - when man fell - creation fell with him.  Because of man God curses the earth.  There’s an unbreakable connection between the decay of creation and man.

Years ago I was snorkeling on Kauai - warm clear tropical water - coral formations - tropical fish of tremendous variety and color.  Pure paradise.  I was taking it all in till a Pampers floated by.

Have you ever had that happen?  You’ve been in some absolutely gorgeous remote spot - enthralled by the experience - and there’s a beer can - some trash - laying there.

Let’s put the blame where it belongs.  People want to blame God for natural disasters - like God is impotent or something.  “How can I believe in a God who could let something like that happen.”

But let’s be honest.  Paul is.  The earth is scared and polluted and  damaged and depleted because of man.  The natural disasters and destruction we see around us are because of man.  Global warming - true or false - misses the point.  The planet’s been in decay - in slavery to corruption - as Paul puts it - since the fall of man.  This planet is dying because of us. 

You all know who this is?  Lance Armstrong.  2 weeks ago he was in Merced for what?  For the AMGEN Tour de California.   A number of us stood out there on G and Bear Creek waiting for Lance and the peloton to go by.  It seemed like every race official and camera guy on a motorcycled and every CHP and police car between here and Fresno went by.  There we were craning our necks to see Lance and the peloton go by.  Finally there they were - way off down through the trees on Bear Creek.  And then there they went and then that was it.

“Waits eagerly” has the idea of a person standing craning his neck to seek what’s coming.  Eager longing for what’s coming.

Paul writes that creation groans and suffers through the pains of childbirth.  What goes on in creation now is harsh.  But its not the end.  Labor - the process of giving birth - is pain with hope - expectation.  Creation strains forward eagerly expecting what is coming.

What’s coming is incomparably better than the groaning and suffering of today.  When the sons of God are revealed creation will be renewed. 

In verse 23 - Paul moves from creation to us - the suffering of God’s children - verse 23:  And not only this, but also we ourselves - we live in this creation and we’re groaning and suffering and waiting right along with creation - And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Suffering is not the same thing as pain.

Tony Dungy - in his book Quiet Strength” writes about his adopted son Jordan.  Jordan was diagnosed with congenital insensitivity to pain.  Tony Dungy writes:

Through Jordan, I realized that God allows us to feel pain for a reason:  to protect us.  God uses many things to show us what to avoid, and painful consequences often teach us lessons quickly.  For example, like most kids, Jordan loves cookies.  Warm cookies certainly aren’t bad for you, at least in moderation.  But they are harmful if they’re still in the oven.  Jordan would reach right in to pull out the piping hot cookie sheet with his bare hands.  Then he would begin to eat the cookies without ever realizing he was burning his hands and mouth in the process.  Even a trip to the emergency room didn’t help him to understand that he was injuring himself.  (2)

Suffering is not the same thing as pain.  Suffering is pain that seems without any benefit or point or purpose.

All kinds of things cause us suffering.  Little stupid things that happen to us during the day.  The reality of living in an imperfect world.

We suffer because we realize that we’re limited.  We realize that we fall short - we fail - continually.  “Why can’t I get beyond myself?”

We suffer because someone rejects our love - bails on a relationship - a marriage - wounds us deeply.  “How can I ever get past this?”

We suffer because of sickness - sickness that seems pointless - ongoing.    We ask, “Why him?”  “Why her?”  “Why me?”

We suffer because we come face to face with evil and wickedness - a world twisted by the maniacal deceptions of Satan.  Financial greed - corruption - it tears at us.  What’s immoral is considered normal.  We’re surrounded by the effects of abuse and drugs and porn and murder and gangs.  Its like living in a sewer.  “Why do I have to put up with all this?”

We suffer because we fail to find meaning in our lives.  We live with doubt and guilt and shame and brokenness.  So many people live with ongoing depression - looking for some kind of healing - loosing hope for any way out.  There are times when it just seems like there are no answers. 

We suffer in death.  Whether someone is old or young.  Somehow death never seems right.  We live to die.  What’s the purpose in that?

Whatever the origin of suffering - physically - emotionally - spiritually - every part of us suffers.  Suffering is much deeper than pain.  Paul sums up all this suffering by saying that we groan.

There were three Jewish mothers sitting on a park bench.  The first one gives this long sigh and says, “Oi.”  The second mother gives this long labored sigh and says, “Oi.”  The third mother turns to the other two and says, “I thought we weren’t going to talk about our kids.”

The word for groan - in Greek - “stenazo” - has the idea of a feeling that is so deep within us - so at the core of who we are - so wrapped around our hearts - that there are no words that could ever express the depth of that feeling.

Are we tracking together?  What we experience - living as a part of this creation - is way too often much deeper than pain - much deeper than words can express.

In verse 23 Paul writes that we groan because we have the first fruits of the Spirit - which is what we looked at last Sunday.  We’ve been adopted by God.  Which - in the Roman and Greek way of understanding things - adoption was much more than just a legal process of placing a child into a home.  An adopted child had the same rights - standing - relationship - as a natural born child.

We’re born once - physically.  Born into flesh and sin and the groaning and the suffering of this creation.  When we come to salvation in Jesus - the same Holy Spirit present at the conception of Jesus - the natural born Son of God - enters into us - producing fruit - giving us a new birth - a spiritual birth - as a son of God.

As God’s adopted children - we’re God’s children - able to come into His presence and to call Him “Abba.  Father.”  With all of the trust and intimacy and privilege of what that title implies.  With Jesus - we are heirs of the riches of the kingdom of God.  

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 - that one day the perishable will put on the imperishable - mortal will put on immortality.  We - God’s children - will live forever in the presence of God - our Father.   There’ll be no pain - no sorrow - no crying - no death.  Whatever is empty - unfilled - lacking within us now - God will take care of the stuff deep within us.

And grab this:  What’s coming isn’t just about being set free from aches and pains - but being set free to live life as God created life to be lived.  To live out God’s great purposes for us as His children.  Heaven isn’t about sitting on clouds and playing harps - waiting for bells to ring so angels can get their wings.  Getting to heaven is only the beginning of what God has in store for us.

God has promised us a future incomparable to what we see today - an unimaginable eternity with Him.

In verse 23 - the Greek word for “waiting eagerly” is a different word than the one in verse 19.  Now stick with me.  In verse 19 “waiting eagerly” had the idea of craning our necks to see what’s coming - which is what creation does - waiting to see the day when the sons of God are revealed. 

In verse 23 the word is “ekdekomai” - which has the idea of waiting eagerly to receive something that’s been promised to us.  What we wait for - what will be revealed in us.  Paul writes that we hope for what we do not see.  But what we know is coming - what our Father has promised to us - the fulfillment of what it means to be His child.

We groan - because we know - even though we have that promise - we live surrounded by corruption and decay - we even feel it and see it happening in us - and we know that this isn’t the way it will be.  We don’t want to settle for this world.  We want something infinitely greater that God is bringing to us.   We know that something incomparable is coming.

In verses 26 to 30 Paul focuses on Our Future Glory.  Say that with me, “Our Future Glory.”

Verse 26:  In the same way - meaning that - the Holy Spirit has made us to be God’s children - with the hope that we have because of what’s been done in us and what’s promised to us - as the Holy Spirit has done all that for us - the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

How many of you have been to Costco?  One of the great joys of going to Costco is the free samples.  Right?  Those helpful people standing behind the little tables handing out samples of products they’re hoping we’ll buy.  Little pieces of meat - potato chips - snacks - a new bar-b-que sauce - anchovy flavored ice cream.  Samples - to whet our appetite - to get us thinking about what we’d like to see coming later.

That’s what Paul is writing about here - the Holy Spirit giving us a foretaste of what’s coming.   

Notice two things.  First - the Spirit groans with our groaning.

There are times - dealing with the daily stuff of creation - suffering and groaning - that we realize our weakness.  Times when we don’t even know how to pray or what to pray.  We’re ready to throw in the towel.  We’re fed up.  We’ve reached the end of our rope.  We’ve tied a knot.  The knot is slipping.  We just can’t put into words what’s going on inside us.  Have you been there? 

When we’re groaning at the depth of who we are - unable to put our feelings into words - to pray to “Abba.  Father.” - the Spirit groans on the same level - intercedes for us - at the least - making sure that we know that our groaning is heard by our Father.

As one of God’s children we never groan alone.

Second - notice in verse 27 - that the Spirit does this - intercedes for us - groans with us - according to the will of God.

God knows we’re groaning.  God wants to hear the groanings of our hearts.  God - by the work of the Holy Spirit - is continually searching our hearts - continually aware of what we feel and experience and suffer.  God understands our hearts even if we don’t.

All of which is a tremendous encouragement for us as we pray.  Yes?  We don’t need to sweat the details or the vocabulary or get ourselves all cleaned up before we pray.  Just do it.

All of which is a foretaste of what’s coming.

When the Apostle John was given a revelation about what’s coming for God’s people - John saw and wrote about the dwelling place of God being with men.  God dwelling with His people.  God Himself amongst His people.  The idea there is intimacy - closeness - union.  (Revelation 21:1-3)

God Himself enables that intimacy the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior.  And God Himself maintains that closeness through all the stuff of our lives.  And God Himself will dwell with us in that union for eternity.

While our hearts are being crushed where’s God?  At the depths of our hearts - groaning right along with us.

Grab this:  The intimacy we experience with God now can’t even begin to compare with what’s coming.

Verse 28:  And we - who’s we?  Us - God’s children - we know that God causes - meaning God Himself is directly involved in this - God causes all things to work together for good - what does God cause?  All things to work together for good - some things?  All things - good or bad?  All things - prosperity and poverty - illness and health - life and death - suffering and groaning - even evil - all things.  Yes?  God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God - us - God’s children - to those who are called according to His purpose.  Who’s purpose?  God’s  And nothing can keep God from accomplishing what He purposes to do.

Hold onto that:  God causes all things - even the stuff we suffer through and groan under - all things to work together for good - for His children - according to what God has purposed.

Verse 29:  For - here’s God’s purpose - for - purpose statement - for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He - Jesus - would be the firstborn among many brethren - that’s all of us - the brethren and sistren.  Jesus was first because He rose from the dead.  We all - when we trust Jesus as our Savior - we all get adopted - and these - us - whom He - God -  predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

There are five words here in these verses that theologians love to get hung up on.  Because sometimes theologians miss the forest because of the trees.  But let’s grab the larger picture of God’s purpose here - what God is causing to take place.

First word:  “foreknew” - meaning that before even creation was created God knew you - knew all about you - loved you.  God was thinking about you even before He creating you.

Second word:  “predestined” - meaning that God has determined to make us to be like Jesus - to be His children.

Third word:  “called” - meaning that God chooses to invite us into a relationship with Him - to trust in Jesus as our Savior - to become His children.

Fourth word:  “justified” - meaning that when we respond to God’s invitation - God forgives our sin - cleanses us of sin - restores us to a right relationship with Him.

Fifth word:  “glorified” - meaning the result of what God has purposed to do in those whom He foreknew - to create in us the image of His Son - the very character of Jesus - and dwell with us forever in eternity.

Do you see the big picture of what Paul is getting at?  God is so absolutely committed to us - committed to be with us - committed to bring us through the depths of what we suffer and groan under - committed to bring us to that which has no comparison in the world in which we live today.   What God determines to do - what He has purposed before the creation of creation to do - in you - what God determines to do He will not fail to accomplish.

Which perspective would you rather have?

We often see ourselves as sufferers and groaners in a broken creation wondering if God really is paying attention.  That’s a pretty lousy place to be.  A view of the glass being half-empty.

When it comes down to it we really don’t know who God has created us to be.  But God does.  While we may not see it - yet - God sees in us the glory which is to be revealed in us - His children.  Its His purpose to make us to have the character of Jesus and to bring us to His incomparable future.

Which perspective will you choose?

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1. C.S. Lewis, The Weight Of Glory , quoted by Steve Zeisler in Eager Anticipation, Romans 8:18-27
2. Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength , page 181