From Groaning to Glory

Romans 8:18-31

Romans 8:18–31 NKJV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits 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; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Paul has just been talking about how we have been set free from bondage and recieved adoption into the family of God. He has told us we are to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. He had declared that the same Spirit who raised Christ Jesus from the dead now lives in us and by that same Spirit we are called the sons of God, crying, “Abba, Father.”

All sounds great but now he talks about difficult things, he talks about suffering. Nobody likes to talk about suffering. He ends verse 17 by stating, “If we indeed suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Groaning of suffering

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Suffering in the Greek carries the idea of not only physical pain but all forms of affliction that comes from existing in a fallen world. Paul’s expression of suffering here is directly related to the redemptive suffering of Christ.

Philippians 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”

Philippians 3:11 “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Light temporary affliction, eternal weight of glory

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,”

Our suffering does not begin to compare to the eternal glory that is promised us.

The glory promised us is not something new to humanity. It was placed on Adam in the garden.

Psalm 8:1–9 “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”

Psalm 8:5 “For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

Glory - “kabod” Hebrew - weight, giving the idea of authority.

Angels - “Elohim” - a little lower than himself

The Bible talks about God’s glory and how He is crowned in glory and honor in heaven. When God created earth, he placed man in the garden and intended for earth to operate the same way heaven operates. He placed Adam in charge of it. Mankind was to govern the earth the way God governs heaven, so to do that, God clothed him in glory and honor. Adam was clothed in the same thing God is clothed in.

God does his great works by speaking. The earth was never meant to me moved by the work of Adam’s hands but by his words. When Adam spoke, his words had the backing and weight of heaven behind them. God told Adam, whatever you call it, that is what it will be. Man was created to have dominion over all of the earth, to be in charge of the earth.

The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. God is in ownership of the earth but he gave control of the earth to man.

Adam was clothed in glory. When he sinned, the Bible says they knew they were naked. They had lost the glory. The perfect creation of God was now subjected to futility. The earth has been in chaos ever since Adam gave up the glory.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Everything Adam lost, Jesus came to restore.

Romans 8:19–20 “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits 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;”

Earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tsunamis - all point to the fall of man. It does not point to God being in control. It points to the world being in chaos and subject to futility. It does not know when to stop raining, so we have floods. The wind does not know how hard to blow so we have tornados and hurricanes.

Romans 8:21 “because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

2. Groaning of creation

Romans 8:22 “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

Look around - wars, floods, famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados.

A hurricane actually reached NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. We never had tornados when i was growing up.

Birth pangs get stronger and closer together as you get closer to delivery. The worse we see things get, it should cause us to look up and rejoice, knowing delivery is coming soon.

The happiest place in the hospital is the labor and delivery. The angriest place may be in the same place but once delivery happens, all the pain and anguish is forgotten and replaced with joy.

Look up for your redemption draws nigh.

3. Groaning of God’s children

Romans 8:23–25 “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

Just like the Kingdom is an already but not yet Kingdom, our adoption and redemption is already settled but we will not see the fullness of it until the return of Christ when everything is put back into order.

So, we groan in ourselves with this hope. Hope is not imagination or wishful thinking. Our hope is grounded in a firm promise, a guarantee of our salvation. The Holy Spirit is our firstfruits of the promise.

First fruits of harvest promise there is more to come.

4. Groaning of the Spirit Romans 8:26–27 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Without the glory of God, without heaven backing up what we speak, we are weak. The Holy Spirit intercedes in our weakness with unspeakable groanings.

When we do not know what the pray, when we do not know what to speak, The Holy Spirit prays and speaks on our behalf.

We do not always know the will of God. But the Spirit knows the perfect will of God. So, when you pray in the Spirit, you can be confident that you are praying according to the will of God.

When you are distressed or suffering, or in hardship, that is when you need to pray in the Spirit even more.

“I go into my prayer closet not knowing the will of God. Everything seems to be going wrong around me and I do not know what to do. So, I go and I pray in the Spirit who knows all things and prays according to the will of God. I can then come out and get up knowing the will of God and knowing

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

We can now walk confidently knowing that God will work it out for our good according to His purpose.

4. Getting the glory back

Romans 8:29–30 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Conformed to the image of His Son - how did Jesus operate when he was on Earth?

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus went around speaking to things and told us to do the same. He came to restore all that was lost in the garden and while he was here, he demonstrated how those who are His should operate.

Those who witnessed Him, witnessed His glory. Everything He spoke was backed up by heaven.

He never said to pray over the mountain or even pray about the mountain. He said speak to the mountain.

He saw a fig tree that had no fruit and He spoke a word and cursed the tree and it died. (Fig leaves in the garden, man’s attempt to fix what only God can fix). He spoke to the lame man at the pool and said pick up your bed and walk. He spoke to the paralytic they lowered through the roof. He said your friends’ faith has made you well. Get up and walk.

He spoke to a tomb that held a man who had been dead for 4 days. He cried out Lazarus come forth and Lazarus walked out of the tomb.

When the disciples were in a storm, they woke Jesus up and he said, “Oh ye of little faith.” then he spoke to the wind and sea and rebuked it, said, “Peace be still.” And it stopped.

The disciples said, “What kind of man is this that the wind and seas obey him?” It was a man walking in glory.

The Bible tells us in Acts that the works Jesus did, he did as a man anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inside of us, his number one job is to conform us into the image of the Son.

We say that He is conforming us to the image of Jesus and we just think about being more loving and how we treat people. That is part of it but it also means bringing us to the place where we walk in the glory and authority of heaven on earth.

Jesus said we are to pray like this, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How can the Kingdom operate on earth as it is in heaven? The Kingdom operates through people who have the glory of God on their lives.

How do we get that glory? Through intimacy with the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. The closer we get to Him, the more He makes us like Christ.

When we walk in the Spirit, we can then say,

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

No person, no thing, no demon from hell can stop a child of God who is clothed in glory and honor, who operates in the authority of heaven.

IT IS TIME TO GET YOUR GLORY BACK