Groaning: A Pathway to Hope and Glory
Summary
In today's gathering, we explored the profound reality of groaning in our world and in our lives, recognizing it as a sign of hope and a precursor to glory. Life is filled with groaning, from the natural disasters that shake our world to the personal struggles that shake our hearts. Yet, these groans are not meaningless. They are akin to the pains of childbirth, signaling that something new and glorious is being born. This perspective offers us a sense of purpose and hope amid our struggles.
We are reminded that our groaning is not a faithless act but a faithful one. When we bring our complaints and cries to God, we are knocking on the right door, believing that He is present and active. Our groans, along with those of creation and the Spirit, are part of a divine symphony that anticipates the redemption and renewal of all things. As we navigate the tension between suffering and glory, we are called to live as a kingdom colony, a community that reflects God's light and love in the world.
The passage from Romans 8:17-28 reveals that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed. Creation itself waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God, longing for liberation from its bondage to decay. We, too, groan inwardly as we await the redemption of our bodies, a hope that is unseen but certain. The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, aligning our hearts with God's will.
In this journey, we are encouraged to actively participate in God's redemptive work. Our hope is not passive; it propels us to engage with the world around us, bringing healing and renewal. We are called to be responsible stewards of creation, recognizing that our actions have eternal significance. As we live in this tension, we are assured that our groaning is not in vain. It is a sign that glory is on the way, and we are part of God's unfolding plan to make all things new.
Key Takeaways:
1. Groaning as Hopeful Anticipation: Our groaning is not a sign of despair but a hopeful anticipation of the glory to come. It reflects our deep longing for something more, a recognition that this world is not as it should be. In Christ, our suffering is not meaningless; it is part of God's redemptive plan. [07:01]
2. Faithful Complaints: Bringing our complaints and cries to God is an act of faith, not faithlessness. It shows our belief in His presence and power to act. When we knock on heaven's door with our groans, we are engaging in a faithful dialogue with God, trusting that He hears and responds. [10:59]
3. Creation's Groaning and Our Role: Creation groans for the revealing of the sons of God, longing for liberation from decay. As God's children, we are called to participate in this renewal, living as a kingdom colony that reflects His light and love. Our actions have eternal significance in God's redemptive plan. [15:42]
4. The Spirit's Intercession: The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, aligning our hearts with God's will. Even when we don't know how to pray, the Spirit translates our deepest longings into prayers that align with God's purposes. This assures us that we are not alone in our struggles. [18:50]
5. Active Hope and Eternal Glory: Our hope is active, propelling us to engage with the world and bring healing and renewal. We are called to be responsible stewards of creation, recognizing that our actions have eternal significance. The glory that awaits us is certain, and our present struggles are temporary in light of the eternal weight of glory. [25:20]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction to Groaning
- [02:15] - Groaning as Childbirth
- [04:00] - Faithful Complaints
- [06:45] - Creation's Groaning
- [09:30] - Our Role in Renewal
- [12:00] - The Spirit's Intercession
- [14:30] - Active Hope
- [17:00] - Eternal Glory
- [19:30] - Living as a Kingdom Colony
- [22:00] - Practical Applications
- [24:30] - Closing Prayer and Reflection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Romans 8:17-28
Observation Questions:
1. What does Romans 8:17-28 say about the relationship between present sufferings and future glory? How does this passage describe the anticipation of creation? [10:59]
2. According to the sermon, how is groaning compared to childbirth, and what does this analogy signify about our current struggles? [07:01]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of the Spirit in our groaning and prayers? What assurance does this provide to believers? [18:50]
4. What are the three voices of groaning mentioned in the sermon, and how do they contribute to the anticipation of God's redemption? [15:42]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of groaning as a hopeful anticipation challenge or affirm your understanding of suffering in the Christian life? [07:01]
2. In what ways does bringing our complaints to God demonstrate faith rather than faithlessness, according to the sermon? [10:59]
3. How does the sermon suggest that believers can actively participate in God's redemptive work in the world? What does it mean to live as a "kingdom colony"? [25:20]
4. How does the Spirit's intercession with groanings too deep for words impact our understanding of prayer and God's will? [18:50]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent personal struggle. How can viewing it as part of God's redemptive plan change your perspective and response? [07:01]
2. When was the last time you brought a complaint or cry to God? How did it affect your faith, and how might you approach it differently after hearing this sermon? [10:59]
3. Identify one area in your life where you feel a sense of groaning or longing for change. How can you actively engage with this area to bring about healing or renewal? [25:20]
4. The sermon encourages us to be responsible stewards of creation. What is one practical step you can take this week to care for the environment or your community? [15:42]
5. How can you incorporate the Spirit's intercession into your prayer life, especially when words fail you? What might this look like in your daily routine? [18:50]
6. Consider a situation where you feel overwhelmed by suffering or uncertainty. How can the assurance of future glory and the Spirit's presence provide comfort and hope? [25:20]
7. What is one action you can take this week to reflect God's light and love in your community, living as a "kingdom colony"? How can you involve others in this effort? [25:20]
Devotional
Day 1: Groaning as a Sign of Hopeful Anticipation
In the midst of life's challenges, groaning is not a sign of despair but a hopeful anticipation of the glory to come. It reflects a deep longing for something more, acknowledging that the world is not as it should be. This groaning is akin to the pains of childbirth, signaling that something new and glorious is being born. In Christ, our suffering is not meaningless; it is part of God's redemptive plan. As we groan, we are reminded that our struggles are temporary and that glory is on the way. [07:01]
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel a deep longing for change? How can you view this longing as a hopeful anticipation of God's work in your life?
Day 2: Faithful Complaints as Acts of Trust
Bringing our complaints and cries to God is an act of faith, not faithlessness. It shows our belief in His presence and power to act. When we knock on heaven's door with our groans, we are engaging in a faithful dialogue with God, trusting that He hears and responds. This act of bringing our struggles to God is a testament to our trust in His ability to bring about change and renewal in our lives. [10:59]
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." (Psalm 62:8, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a specific struggle you are facing right now. How can you bring this to God in prayer, trusting in His presence and power to act?
Day 3: Creation's Groaning and Our Role in Renewal
Creation groans for the revealing of the sons of God, longing for liberation from decay. As God's children, we are called to participate in this renewal, living as a kingdom colony that reflects His light and love. Our actions have eternal significance in God's redemptive plan. We are invited to be responsible stewards of creation, recognizing that our efforts contribute to the unfolding of God's kingdom on earth. [15:42]
"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." (Romans 8:19, ESV)
Reflection: What is one practical step you can take this week to care for creation and reflect God's love and light in the world?
Day 4: The Spirit's Intercession in Our Weakness
The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, aligning our hearts with God's will. Even when we don't know how to pray, the Spirit translates our deepest longings into prayers that align with God's purposes. This assures us that we are not alone in our struggles and that God is actively working in and through us, even in our moments of weakness. [18:50]
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26, ESV)
Reflection: In what area of your life do you feel weak or unsure? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to intercede and guide you in this area?
Day 5: Active Hope and the Promise of Eternal Glory
Our hope is active, propelling us to engage with the world and bring healing and renewal. We are called to be responsible stewards of creation, recognizing that our actions have eternal significance. The glory that awaits us is certain, and our present struggles are temporary in light of the eternal weight of glory. This active hope encourages us to live with purpose and intentionality, knowing that we are part of God's unfolding plan to make all things new. [25:20]
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16, ESV)
Reflection: What is one way you can actively engage in bringing healing and renewal to your community this week, knowing that your actions have eternal significance?
Quotes
"born in the groaning is the picture we're meant to pick up and when we're we're banging on the door of heaven to open and we're we talked about this just like come on come on what is going on come on we sometimes think it's a it's a faithless gesture we might say to a friend maybe well -meaning like oh you know don't don't don't bother god and don't complain don't don't bother him i mean this is just life and it's like no i i go all sorts of other places to complain i go to my food and my drink and my shopping and my recreation to come you know to escape from all this suffering and if you're banging on the door of heaven today you're banging on the right door that's not faithless that's faithful because you believe god is there and he is going to do something and so you're praying in the right place if if you're there" [00:01:33] (55 seconds)
"there are lots of cracks and pain and in in what we're going through uh even in in creation it's it's a it's a difficult thing but we looked about how last week about how we've been adopted into god's family and and to be adopted into the family means to follow the family pathway and jesus's pathway is to suffer and go through suffering to glory but how do you possibly endure it when it seems overwhelming when it just is like this is just too much that the diagnosis or or the loss or the loss of" [00:02:32] (38 seconds)
"This is part of a, there's a larger philosophical conversation that C .S. Lewis brings up and some others about, like, you were meant for something more, you can tell. Why? Because you're not settling for what you have. You're meant for something more." [00:06:28] (15 seconds)
"You know, if you just, you know, if you just get beaten and you say, thank you, sir, may I have another? I mean, because this is just all my life is, is just taking constant beatings and like, appreciate it, you know, I'm just playing my role. Then maybe there's nothing more out there for you. But if you have in your mind, this is not the way it's supposed to be." [00:06:40] (18 seconds)
"Then, groaning is like this, that's not the way it's supposed to be, but I'm trusting in the servant of the suffering and I'm going to, there's going to be something here. Something's going to count. This is going to make sense. There's something there. Maybe in this lifetime, though, guarantees I cannot make. So here's the passage. It's Romans 8, 17 through 28." [00:07:08] (23 seconds)
"For I consider, we looked at this last week because it kind of caps the last section and leads us to this new section. I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." [00:07:32] (14 seconds)
"the sons of God. For creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that creation would be set free. Now, this revelation of the sons of God is really kind of interesting." [00:07:52] (16 seconds)
"You may know that John talked about that in his letters, I think it's 1 John 4, he said, Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God. If you go into the Old Testament and you start looking around, you're like, well, the sons of God are all gathered around the throne and they're divine beings and there's a spiritual family and they do his bidding and some of them didn't." [00:08:08] (25 seconds)
"So they were cast out. But the sons of God, it's like a spiritual family, but then God said, I want to have a human family as well. And so he starts in the Garden of Eden and makes a human family. We think it causes the jealousy that's like, well, who are these dirt bags? You know, what are these dust creatures? Well, why do you love them? And we see the fall taking place in the Garden of Eden and we see the spiritual beings actually taking down God's human project and causing it to begin this decay toward animalism and whatever. When we were talking a couple weeks ago about some of the stuff in village or maybe even the situation in Haiti, like what is going on? Why would people want to like stamp down something that's good? Like why would you, what would benefit what would benefit" [00:08:33] (53 seconds)
"One of the thoughts that came out was, well, the enemy, Satan, minions, fallen spiritual family, they can't poke God in the eye. They don't have the stature. They don't have the reach." [00:09:30] (14 seconds)
"But what they can do is degrade you into being somehow less than human because his desire was a human family, and so we're just going to degrade them as much as possible, and that will put it in his eye and just show him your image on earth that was supposed to be set up to represent you to the world isn't doing a very good job of that now, is it?" [00:09:35] (21 seconds)
"But then Christ comes, and he's the true human, the new human, the new Adam, and he comes to set us up and put us upright and help us be righteous people. We've been looking at this in Romans 8." [00:09:45] (11 seconds)
"He's the just and the justifier. He makes us right and aligns us with the Father so that we can kind of stand upright and help other people stand upright and help us be imagers again." [00:09:50] (10 seconds)
"It's little by little, right? And, you know, step by step and some falling back, but we're becoming more and more like the Father because we're doing that. But behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called sons of God. The ones that we're going to, oh, judge angels and be created a little lower than the angels, says Psalm 8, but then we're going to be, in the future, we're going to be the reconstituted divine counsel of God, ruling and reigning with him in new creation." [00:09:55] (29 seconds)
"but this is where we're at. We're living in this time and now the earth is like when are these sons of God going to be revealed because we've been under really poor management." [00:10:52] (10 seconds)
"We've just been under really, really poor management. It reminds me of my wedding day almost 29 years ago because when I got married there was a sign that was put on the back of our Volvo as we drove away and it said under new management. Right? Because left to myself I mean you guys know you can imagine you can just imagine left to my own devices but God's given me a wife and a bride and the mother of my children and we're able to like see how oh that's actually a lot better, right? Creation groans in its futility awaiting for the revealing of like when is this new council going to be brought together?" [00:10:55] (44 seconds)
"Creation was subjected to futility not willingly but because of him they've subjected it in hope that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. So we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now." [00:11:51] (23 seconds)
"When are we going to get true humans, real humans, the ones that are fully connected to God like Jesus was and yet fully here on earth. They're seated with Christ in the heavenlies but they still have one foot on the earth to walk it out." [00:12:50] (13 seconds)
"We can't do this on our own. It's only going to be by the blood, right, that justifies us, that purifies us, that aligns us with the Father so we can be righteous and rightly related before God. And if that happens, then what could happen then? I mean, what could happen if creation could start to see its new stewards and be like, oh, I like that." [00:12:54] (18 seconds)
"I remember when Adam kind of walked with the wild animals, and I remember when Noah kind of had all the wild animals, and I remember Daniel, he was in the pit with the wild animals, and they all seemed to be kind of subdued. I remember when Jesus was alone in the wilderness with the wild animals, and creation kind of settled down for a minute. I wonder when the new true humans are going to come and settle things down a little bit. Well, it's going to fully and finally come in the new day, right, in the new creation. But right now, it's supposed to be practicing. Don't touch every wild dog. I'm not suggesting that, although I've had some success." [00:13:50] (33 seconds)
"And not only creation, remember we said there are three different groaning people, persons in here. We've got we ourselves groan, who have the first fruits of the Spirit. We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. We're going to take care of our bodies. We're going to take care of our bodies. Thank you." [00:14:51] (18 seconds)
"Well, you just said we were adopted. That's why we can call him Abba Father. Yeah, we're adopted, we're being adopted, and we will be adopted. We're in that space. We're in that thing. And when's it going to be fully and finally? When's the revelation of the sons of God? Well, maybe it's back to John when he says, we'll be like him when we see him, for we'll see him face to face. And then the redemption of our bodies, that's when it's going to take place. The new creation. Jesus is the first fruits of the new creation. He's the first one out of the tomb, and now we're going to be the full complement of the resurrected new creation people. This is really good stuff." [00:15:50] (46 seconds)
"Now, hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Woo -hoo! We wait for it with patience. Hope, you know, like, I hope I get the thing that's in my hands, like it's already in your hands. You don't hope for what you have. You hope for what God is promising you. And likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don't know what to pray." [00:16:51] (28 seconds)
"We don't know how we ought to pray. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings. Now, the Spirit's groaning with words too deep for words. A groaning is just, we don't even understand it. And he who searches the heart knows what is..." [00:17:50] (16 seconds)
"You're not going to get it perfect. You're not going to get it always right. And even your prayers, you're not even going to know what to pray for but just say, Spirit, just, you know, you know. Here it is. Ah, it hurts. I'm breaking apart. And I want to go over here and resolve this tension with whatever. Substance abuse. I want to take the edge off with fantasy." [00:18:51] (20 seconds)
"I want to take the edge off with, you know, entertainment or education or fitness. I mean, all the things we talked about last week. I just want to take the edge off. I just can't. I'm shaking and departing. He's like, no, bring it here. Bring it here. Bring it close. Bring it close. Bring it close. That's it. That's that trembling. That's that quaking that I experienced all throughout creation. And I'm seeing it in you and you're being honest about it. Good for you. So I'm going to walk you through it. Right?" [00:19:50] (23 seconds)