Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction- Romans 8:17b- 23

Last week we considered the responsibility, the benefits, and the future inheritance awaiting us as children of God.

In the final portion of verse 17 we were introduced to the idea of suffering and future glory.

It is this idea that will be presented in greater detail in the passage before us this evening.

We are introduced here to the idea that we are presently in a state of anticipation as we await what shall be.

This passage begins with a comparison of...

Present Suffering and Future Glory (Vs.

18)

There are many who would consider the suffering that the apostle Paul endured during the course of a life in service to the Lord and wonder if it was all worth it.

Many would surmise that surely some of this suffering could have been avoided had Paul only been willing to choose a less dangerous path or had he been a little less passionate in his proclamation of the gospel and the Word of God.

Yet Paul was not at all interested in avoiding suffering for he was far too interested in following the will of God.

This was because Paul’s estimation of the suffering he endured during his years of ministry was very different than the estimation of most.

Paul considered suffering from an eternal perspective and came to the conclusion that any suffering that he might face in this life was entirely insignificant when compared to the glory that will one day be revealed in us.

This estimation was based on the fact that the suffering he experienced was only temporary while the glory that would be his with Christ would be eternal.

It was also based on the fact that the depth of the suffering was not to be compared with the heights of the glory that would be his in Christ.

The believer is essentially guaranteed to suffer.

If we live for Christ and follow the will of God, we will experience suffering.

The only way that we shall avoid suffering is through compromising with the world and ceasing to follow the will of God.

Yet when we take an eternal perspective as Paul did we will not view suffering as something to be avoided but rather as a necessary part of the Christian life which, in comparison with the glory that shall be ours someday, is not so significant.

We must always keep in mind that our suffering for Christ is not in vain but will one day result in our sharing in His glory.

The next several verses draw another present and future comparison between...

Present Groaning and Future Redemption (Vs.

19-23)

In these verses the creation is personified and is eagerly anticipating a future event.

The creation is said to be awaiting the “manifestation of the sons of God” or that time when the sons of God shall be finally and fully revealed.

From the time of the rebellion of man against God in the garden of Eden the creation has been cursed, existing in a state that is less than what God originally intended.

The creation was “made subject” through God’s sovereignty it was placed into this cursed state of vanity or futility.

The creation did not choose willingly as mankind did to enter into this state but was made so by God as it exists in subjection to Him.

Yet the creation is not without hope in this state of corruption and decay for it will one day be liberated alongside the children of God.

The whole of creation from the moment that God placed the curse upon it is pictured as yearning for redemption from that time until the present.

It is not only the creation which groans but we ourselves also “groan within ourselves” in anticipation of the day when our redemption will finally be complete.

We have already the guarantee of this future redemption which God has placed within us, the Spirit of God which is the earnest of our inheritance.

This provides for us a sense of what shall be though we cannot yet fully comprehend what we shall be.

Illustration- the groaning of the believer is evidence of a spiritual reality just as hunger is the evidence that food is out there and thirst is the evidence that water is there.

The longing of the believer for this spiritual reality is the very evidence of its existence.

Even the lost man longs for satisfaction but finds it just beyond his reach for nothing will satisfy the deepest longing of our souls but God Himself!

One day the curse of sin shall be removed, the creation shall be restored, and we shall live as God intended in the midst of creation restored to the state which God always intended it to be.

It is sad but true that many believers are far too comfortable in their present state and rather than anticipating the coming redemption they are anxious about it.

This world is not our home and we should not be behaving as though it is!

There should be a longing for the day when our redemption is complete!

We enjoy a liberty now through our relationship with Christ and yet we are still limited by the flesh and the world which hinders us from experiencing the fulness of the liberty that we have in Christ.

One day we will know the full measure of this liberty when we can live to the fullest degree the way that God intends for us to live in a world that is exactly as God intends for it to be!

Conclusion

We often view suffering as something to be avoided at all costs and we often fail to see it from an eternal perspective.

We may marvel at the suffering which believers endure and it often seems those most mightily used of God are called upon to endure the most severe suffering.

Yet in the light of the glory that shall be revealed in us we will one day see that the suffering, no matter how great it may be, that we endure in this life was quite insignificant.

We also groan even now longing for the time when our redemption will finally be complete.

This may seem to be a negative but is actually a positive for the believer as it is the evidence that he is no longer fit for this world and awaits a world to come and a spiritual body which he shall inhabit there.

One day at some point in the future we will know what it is to live in a body not given to corruption, decay, or sinful appetites.

We will know what it is to live in a world free from the curse of sin and which is exactly as God alway intended it to be.