+ John A. Steltenphol +

April 29, 1939 — July 21, 2024

John 14:1–6 NKJV

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

From Groans to Oohs and Aahs

Amidst a Groaning Creation, We Are Wide-Eyed, on Tiptoe, Full of Expectation, Waiting for Our Future Glory—the Oohs, Aahs, and Ahas of God.

Goal: That hearers, motivated by the Holy Spirit, amidst groaning and suffering, would eagerly await the hope we have in Christ and the glory awaiting us.

Romans 8:18–19 NASB95

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 to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

Let us pray: These are Thy Word, O Lord. Help us and sanctify us in the truth. Thy Word is truth. Amen.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our risen and present Lord; to you dear Josie, Jim, Jill, along with family and friends:

Listen, do you hear it? Creation is groaning as it is waiting. You can’t miss it. All creation is screaming, groaning, crying out as it waits to be restored and made new.

Earthquakes shake. Hurricane winds blow. Tsunami waves crash. Volcanoes explode. Fires, droughts, and floods add to its groans. All of this is creation groaning. Listen! Can you hear it?.

And the groans of humanity join the cacophony of sounds we hear. Illnesses, suffering, poverty, and hunger pains fill the air. The fabric of our society is torn, including the foundation of the family structure breaking apart. Listen! Humanity is groaning.

Our groans are surrounded by glory—the oohs, aahs, and ahas of God.

God’s Word today breaks into the midst of our groaning with words only the Holy Spirit can speak for us.

St. Paul assesses the situation, having heard the same groans we hear. John heard the same groans too as he clung to St. Paul words of comfort comparing our suffering to the future God has waiting for us. And the comfort John clung to is found in our text: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Think of this future glory as “aha”, because it is going to outweigh all the groaning and suffering we experience today.

Romans chapter eight is the heart of the book of Romans. Its 39 verses sets forth the future glory of the children of God. The chapter begins with the assurance that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and ends with the promise that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God. Yet, in between, our groaning is given meaning through the Holy Spirit. Because of this we can run full speed into the experiences of life knowing that our groaning has its meaning, and its meaning is discovered in Christ Jesus our Lord; John’s Savior and Lord.

Creation groans and waits wide-eyed, on tiptoe, in expectation.

So, why is creation groaning? Well, creation has been in the process of decay ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden. Not only was the serpent cursed and promised a fatal ending, but creation was broken as well. Adam and Eve not only pointed fingers at each other, but they also devised a takeover plan that ended in disaster for them, all creation, and us. Now they found themselves separated from and at odds with God, each other, and creation, with no plan or resources. So they all groan in sounds too harsh to hear.

Your Dad and Husband understood this all too well, because he lived it. All though he enjoyed a full life as a Barber, and loved the outdoors of hunting and sailing, the last few years were filled with physical pain and confusion. This physical pain and confusion reminds us of what God said in the Garden of Eden, when creation was cursed: “thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you” (Gen 3:18).

Yet John’s groaning, along with all of creation now, are waiting wide-eyed, on tiptoe, in expectation to be restored.

St. Paul introduces the first hint that amidst the groans and expectation, some “oohs” and “aahs” might be on the horizon. Hope enters the picture. Paul uses the word hope six times in the text. God’s last word for the Christian will not be judgment, but hope; a relief for our groaning. Our groaning, after all, is not out of despair, but is a response to suffering. It reminds us that Hope is on the way.

This hope is the promise of our resurrection, the firstfruits of the Spirit. Through our Lord’s death and resurrection, we and all creation now hold onto our promised new birth. In this hope we are saved. Salvation is not in doubt; it’s just waiting wide-eyed, on tiptoe, full of expectation for its completion.

John has been looking forward to this for sometime, and now his waiting is over. He is now seeing something far greater than he could have ever imagined.

The Spirit groans for us, empowering us to wait for the coming glory.

What a relief! John’s groans, along with our groans are given meaning as the Spirit fills their sounds with words spoken on our behalf to our heavenly Father. You see, our groanings become prayers, and the Holy Spirit delivers them to our Creator. Not only that, the Holy Spirit intercedes with requests that are consistent with the will of God. The Holy Spirit becomes the link between our heart and the heart of God. The Holy Spirit not only convinces us of our sinfulness to bring us to repentance but, through the door opened by Christ’s reconciling death on the cross, also speaks for us to the Father, who embraces us again as his children, offering us new birth.

The Holy Spirit motivates us through our groaning, that we might have a hunger for a deeper relationship with God. This is John’s desire for all you his grandchildren.

The Holy Spirit empowers us with a desire for God’s grace and mercy. As we hear the preached Word of God, the Holy Spirit ignites faith in our heart.

The Holy Spirit also helps us carry our burdens in this moment, especially in our grief, by assuring us of God-promised glory that we will one day enjoy.

The Holy Spirit calls us to focus on the hope we have and the glory awaiting us, the full adoption as the children of God. By the Spirit,

Amidst a Groaning Creation, We Are Wide-Eyed, on Tiptoe, Full of Expectation, Waiting for Our Future Glory—the Oohs, Aahs, and Ahas of God.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This chapter is the heart of the Book of Romans and finishes the doctrinal portion of the book. It sets forth the future glory of the children of God. The chapter begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation from God. In between, our groaning is given meaning through the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is highlighted. This chapter is right in the middle of the great three “therefores”: Rom 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith”; 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation”; and 12:1, “Therefore, . . . by the mercies of God.” This text is the heart of Romans and our hope in Christ.