← ArchiveWhen in RomansWhen in Romans: Not Worth Comparing (Romans 8:18-28)DateMarch 17, 2024Speaker—TextRomans 8:18–28Passages in this sermonRomans 84:01Romans 8:184:39Romans 1812:00TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30*music*0:50Welcome to the church that gathers here at Bethel. I see new faces or new-ish refurbished faces. And for everyone watching online, we've been practicing our Hebrew. We want you to know that we are thankful God has brought you to this place. Because the gathered worship scene is the last place where Satan wants you to be. So we know that you are here or you are listening because the Holy Spirit is drawing you to the glory of God. So, my non-new, non-refurbished people, let's give them a big hallelujah and let them know how thankful we are God has brought them here.1:19Hallelujah! That's right. Praise be the name of our Lord. So, fun fact, as we jump into the book of Romans again today. The average person sighs approximately once every five minutes. Now, for you wise guys, you're probably thinking, "Well, when you preach, I sigh more than that."1:45Okay? I'll give you. I'll give you that natural bit of phenomenon. But the average person sighs once every five minutes. That's 12 sighs per hour and 192 per day. That's why you are awake. And psychologists would say that there is actually a proper technique to sigh.2:08And it's this way. We're going to practice this shortly. So, you breathe in with your nose. Not yet. Breathe in with your nose halfway. And then you breathe in again. And then exhale with your mouth. So, on the count of three, we're going to practice.2:36So, breathe in halfway with your nose. Breathe in the other half with your nose. And then exhale with your mouth. Ready? One, two, three.2:54Do you feel better? So, that's it. Sighing typically expresses relief or agreement. And there's another portion to the sighing. And that is what we call groaning. Groaning is the same physical manifestations, except it expresses feelings of discontent, not content. It's bitterness or frustration or difficulty. And if you've ever felt either of those emotions, right?3:23Sighing is relief or agreement. Groaning is discomfort. You are not alone. And maybe you've felt that way spiritually. Maybe physically. I had someone who walked in today and said, hey, pastor, please tell me today is the day where you read the verse, all things work together for the good of those who love God and are calling to his purpose. That's our way of saying, I've groaned a lot this week.3:48Please tell me there is something that God has for me that will relieve my bitter soul. Well, Romans 8 says a lot about groaning. And if you've ever felt the sighing or the groaning of life, you are not alone. What if I told you that humanity is not the only thing in creation that groans? We will see that today in Romans chapter 8.4:17So if you will turn with me to Romans 8. I'll be reading from verse 18 through 28 as we continue our journey in the book of Romans. For those of you who sigh in the next five minutes, that is natural. Do not feel guilty. Romans 8:18. The message today is called not worth comparing. Not worth comparing.4:46Romans 8:18. Hear the word of the Lord. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God's sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it.5:11In the hope that creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay to the glorious freedom of God's children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning. Has been groaning together with labor pains into now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the spirit as first fruits. We also groan within ourselves.5:37Eagerly awaiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies as Pastor James has already reminded us today in our time of corporate prayer. Now, in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is not hope. Because who hopes for what he sees? Now, if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. In the same way, the spirit also helps us in our weakness because we do not know what to pray for as we should.6:04But the spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the spirit because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.6:29Not worth comparing. Let me pray. Father, we today come into your midst and some of us are sighing. Some are groaning.6:58Some are groaning. Lord, no matter where we are or who we are or where we came from, we believe that the present sufferings of today are not worth comparing to the future glory that will be revealed in your son, Jesus Christ. Today, Father, we wait. Today, Father, we wait. Today, Father, we wait. We wait with eager expectation, believing that there is not a single promise in your word that is null or void.7:26Believing that the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover the vilest of sinner in our midst. Believing that your Holy Spirit intercedes for us even when we do not have the words. So, Lord, we simply say thank you today. Amidst our sighs and our groanings, may you meet us in our need.7:54And may your glory invade our lives once again. Father, this is our prayer. May we not be hearers only of your word, but may we be doers of your word. We ask in Christ's name. Amen. And amen. If you've ever felt the deep dissatisfaction that your world is irreconcilably broken, you are not alone.8:20In fact, the Apostle Paul says, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing." Why would he say this? Well, Paul would write this verse because at some point in his life, he has experienced suffering himself.8:43And the Bible is not ignorant or silent on the fact that you and I will suffer. This word is a generic suffering. Meaning that there are some in our midst today or some who are watching online, you will suffer because of your love for Jesus Christ. Because you have verbally proclaimed that Jesus is your Savior, there will be an open hostility to your faith by the world.9:10And the Bible says if that happens, blessed are you who are persecuted for the Lord's sake. Consider yourself blessed. But the truth is that we will also suffer because we live in a fallen world. There are people in our midst who have faced death, cancer, diagnosis, wayward child.9:35You have walked in here today with the heaviness of the groanings of life. Not because of what you have done necessarily, but because we live in a fallen world. And the Christian worldview is not ignorant of the fact that the world today is not what it should be. And so we groan.10:01We suffer the pain of the curse of sin and depravity. And for the Christian, suffering is not an isolated event. If you are in Christ today, you must weigh the suffering, the pain of arthritis, the pain of the weather change, the difficulty of life. We must weigh that with the weight of glory that will one day be revealed in Jesus Christ.10:27So for the person of faith, here's what the Bible gives us today. That one day the weight of our current suffering will not compare to the weight of the glory of God in our lives. God's glory, and the word actually in Hebrew means weightiness. God is so weighty that one day the weight of God's glory will make every pain that we have in life fly away as if it doesn't even exist.10:54Now, I'm honest with you, right? That doesn't help you today. Because the pain still exists and the suffering still exists. But the reminder that we do not suffer in vain. That your suffering has a purpose and the purpose is to mold you into the image of Jesus Christ. That we can take a sigh of relief.11:22The Bible asks us to bring back to center our lives even in the midst of the most difficult times. If you are walking through seasons of heartache, I want you to know that not all groans are created equal. Because there will be a day in your life that the present suffering, no matter how great the suffering, it will not compare to the glory to be revealed in your life through Jesus Christ.11:46I long for that day. I long for the day of Romans 18. And when that day happens, I believe we're going to get to heaven and say, God, I knew it was true. Today, I believe with hope. But one day I will believe in sight. This is the hope that we long for.12:15But not all groanings are created equal. And so first we see, because we live in a fallen world, the groaning of creation. The first sigh is this groaning of nature. Now we see right here in verse 22. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together. Creation in this passage, scholars call this non-human creation or sub-human creation.12:42Which I find a really odd word. Like what is sub-human? Life forms, right? It's not a life form. Sub-human is a fancy word for nature. Sometimes scholars, we overcomplicate things. To be sub-human is to simply be natural. And the Bible says that nature is groaning. See, God's creation is never lifeless or static.13:10And if you find this odd to the Jewish person, this would not be odd at all that nature would have human characteristics. Psalms actually says that the rivers clap their hands. Probably slow clap to God. And the mountains shout for joy. Jesus himself reminds us that if we fail to give him praise, that the rocks will cry out in your place.13:34In my place. So, nature is not quiet. And it is not lifeless. And now, nature is groaning together a deep sigh of distress because it is not what it should be. Look at what nature is doing. Verse 21. Creation itself will be set free from the bondage to decay to the glorious freedom of God's children.14:00For we know that the whole creation has been groaning with labor pains until now. Why? Because verse 20 says it has been subjected into futility. So, creation is frustrated at you and at me. Because when sin entered the world, creation could not be what God designed it to be.14:25So, if you've ever been frustrated at someone, you're not alone because the mountains are frustrated with you and me. The clover that is populating my yard right now, I look at it and say, "How did you get there?" And the clover is like, "You made me this way." Creation is frustrated with the curse that is brought upon it because of the depravity of fallen man.14:52So, you and I are not alone. So, if you've ever felt God, this is not the way it should be. The rivers are like, "You're telling me." It's your fault. You look in the mirror. Creation is not lifeless. The sigh of creation is the sigh of anticipation. It is longing for the day it will be set free.15:19And the Bible says it this way, "Creation eagerly waits with anticipation." This word means to strain the neck or to stand on tiptoes. It's as if the mountains are looking for something. So, I ask in the word, "What does creation know that we don't?" What is creation longing for that we might not know?15:43Now, this is not a new phenomenon. The Roman poet Virgil, who lived around 770 BC, once prophesied about something like this. And the Roman Church would have known this prophecy. The Roman poet prophesied that a regent would appear on the scene of human history And would restore the world's lost golden age.16:08At a time which nature would produce plentiful without any human endeavor. And the blight of human impiety would no longer pollute the earth. Now, Virgil thought that it would be Caesar or Caesar Augustus that would bring the fulfillment of what the mountains were longing for. But let me just say this: Creation is not looking for Caesar.16:36It's looking for Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Virgil was partially right. Creation is longing for something, but they are longing for something more than a man. Jesus of Nazareth. And one day, when Jesus fully returns, everything will be made right. So if you hear a groaning today... Vroom!17:05Vroom! The first groaning is creation. Longing. Longing for the day. Straining its neck for when the Son of Man will return with His glory. But that's not the only groaning, because all groanings are not created equal. We have the groaning of the Christian. Verse 23. Not only that, Paul says... He's like, can you believe this? The rocks are crying out. Creation is longing for the redemption that the futility will no longer be here.17:34They were longing for the day that it will be set free. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits. We also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now in this hope we are saved, but hope that is seen as not hope. Because hope? Who hopes for what he sees?18:03For what we do not see. We eagerly wait for it with patience. Creation is not alone. Christians, we groan. We long for something. If you have ever been frustrated at the world you see. That is a holy frustration. And you are actually groaning and saying, God, will you make everything right?18:31Come back soon. We groan, but not all groans are created equal. The sigh of the redeemed is not a sigh of anxiety. The groan is saying, our world has never been like this before. What are we going to do? No. The groan of the Christian is, God, I am not content because I am an alien in a foreign world. But Lord, I believe in you. God, I am not okay with the thorns of the flesh.19:00I am not okay with the difficulty of man. But Lord, I believe that your grace is sufficient. It's a frustration, but it's a frustration that has something attached. And the Bible calls it hope. Hope. So if you groan today, because of the Spirit, you groan with hope. Verse 24. Now in this hope, we are saved.19:29But hope, and some of you are like me. You say, God, I have hope, but if I see things, it would really help me out. I am a concrete thinker, which means if I can't see it concretely, I cannot think. And my wife will ditto that. And I have given that to my son. If he asks me what time it is, and I say, it's about 8 o'clock, he'll say, no, you lied to me. It's not 8. Like, what is wrong with you?20:00And my wife's like, what is, he's your son. Some of us need to see things, right? But for those of you who are frustrated because you cannot see, Paul says, well, that which is seen is not hope, Pastor. Because there is a dependency that we must have on God himself. Because who hopes for what he sees?20:28Now, if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience. You see, the groanies of the Christian sound different. Because we groan with hope. Now, what is this hope? First, we hope with eager expectation. Eagerness. Right? We are eager in a way where we don't lose our patience.20:54We're looking forward. There's an expectancy in our life saying, Lord Jesus, please come quickly. Father, may your promises be fulfilled. That's the eagerness. But we don't simply wait eagerly because some of you are in the eager boat like I am, right? I want it and I want it now. I don't see anything wrong with that position, by the way.21:24But we groan with eager hope and patience. There's a waiting portion to the spiritual existence, is there not? So here's the danger. We shouldn't be so eager that we grow frustrated. And we should not be so patient that we grow lazy.21:51So some of us, we're like, you know what? The Lord Jesus is coming back. God, you have it. I'm just going to sit back and watch the world burn. No, there are people going to hell today in our lives. And as Charles Spurgeon said, if they walk the road to destruction, may they have to step over our dead bodies. We cannot be so patient that we become lazy.22:18You need to have some eagerness in your life. And for the overly eager, you can't be so eager that you try to push yourself outside the will of God. You cannot fast forward the return of Jesus Christ. May we wait with eager expectation and patience that God is who he says he is and he will do what he says he will do. But there is a third voice in this beautiful heavenly trio.22:48Creation groans. Humanity groans. And then we have right here in verse 26. In the same way, Paul says, the spirit helps us in our weakness because we do not know what we should pray for as we should. Has anyone ever struggled with actually knowing what to pray? I think sometimes we simply don't pray because we just don't know.23:17Paul says, you're not alone. And God doesn't say, figure it out. Good luck. He gives you his spirit. The spirit of the living God tabernacles within us. When we don't know what to pray, the spirit prays for us. Let that sink in. When we don't know what to say, the spirit says, Josh, I got you. That's why my father through the blood of Jesus sent me for this reason.23:46But the spirit himself intercedes for us, verse 26, with unspoken groanings. Now, there are times I believe that a spirit groans at me. Lord, you put me in this person. We gave him your word. Your word is holy. It is a lamp into his feet and he won't obey.24:15There are times the Holy Spirit groans at us. But praise be to God that there are some times that the Holy Spirit groans for us. Where we say, God, I don't have the words. The Holy Spirit says, Josh, you don't have to. I'll groan on your behalf. Father, help him. Father, he needs you. Father, in his weakness, your strength is made perfect. Lord, remember your promise. This is the groaning of the spirit in us.24:45And I cannot think of a more beautiful word than to know that the Holy Spirit is living in me. You see, the spirit of God is heaven here and now. The spirit of God, as the Bible says, is the first fruits. It's the down payment. When we give our life to Christ, heaven is promised, but we have to wait.25:12But as we wait, the Holy Spirit is here to remind us that what God has promised is coming to pass today. It is the first fruits. And the Holy Spirit is living in us because he is for us. Look at verse 26. In the same way, the spirit also helps us in our weakness because we do not know what to pray for as we should.25:34But the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. He intercedes for us. He intercedes for you. The groanings of the spirit are your help. The spirit is your help. Why?26:03Why? Because of our current condition, we are weakened physically. Some of you woke up today and you are in physical pain because it's about to get cold tonight. My left knee, I don't have to turn on the TV to watch the news. I know when it's going to rain. My left knee reminds me, Josh, it's going to rain tomorrow. It just tells me. I have a weather radar right here in my left knee. Some of you, it's your back. It's a reminder that we are physically weakened individuals because of the fall.26:32But we also are weakened intellectually. We have mental difficulties with understanding the glory of God because we are finite individuals. No one here is perfect intellectually. We also know that we are fallen spiritually. That's our sanctification. But praise be to God that Christians do not groan in isolation.27:00The Holy Spirit is our help. He is our help. Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians. He said, concerning this, I pleaded with God. Which means I groaned in myself with the Lord three times that it would leave me, this thorn. But God said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is perfected in weakness.27:23My grace is sufficient. The Holy Spirit is your help. And not only is the Holy Spirit for you and the remedy for your weakness, he also intercedes for us in these groanings. Now why prayer? Because I believe the way that we pray expresses our desires. The way you pray expresses your wants. Expresses your longings and expresses your resources.27:53God, I need this. And so there's a part of prayer that the Holy Spirit works in us because he is for us. Now, how can the Spirit help us in prayer? In the same way the Spirit helps in our weakness because we do not know what to pray for as we should. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And he who searches the heart knows the mind of the Spirit because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.28:18Firstly, the Spirit teaches you how to pray. So if you're here today, you say, Pastor, I don't know how to pray. If you have given your life to Jesus Christ by faith, the Holy Spirit teaches you. And there is no better teacher in the world than the Holy Spirit. Let the Spirit of the living God be your guide. The Spirit teaches us how to pray.28:47The Holy Spirit also translates your prayer to the Lord. What if I told you that God doesn't speak English? Doesn't speak Spanish primarily. God's heart language is the Spirit. To pray to God means that we must pray in the Spirit and through the Spirit. Which means no matter the language used, we must pray in the Spirit.29:15And even if you use no language, the Holy Spirit can speak with inexpressible groanings. If you are groaning today, the Holy Spirit can translate those groanings to God in a way that he hears and he helps. The Holy Spirit teaches you how to pray. He translates your prayer to the Lord. He also presents our request according to, the Bible says, according to the will of God.29:45When you and I pray, yes, when we pray for things that are not best for us. And I would venture to think that many of us have prayed things, now looking back, that we pray things that were not best in our lives. When we pray those things, the Holy Spirit says, Josh, silence, I got you. And the Holy Spirit presents my broken prayer to God that meets the will of the Lord.30:14The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to what? According to the will of the God. So the Holy Spirit takes your groanings and he makes them glorious. So if you have been frustrated and say, God, I can't pray, there's no reason for any child of God not to pray. Because the Holy Spirit is your help.30:44He is your strength. He teaches us how to pray. He intercedes for us and he makes our groanings into the glorious will of the Father. And in all of this, the three part groanings, Paul then says in verse 28. For we know. So the work of the Holy Spirit does not stop in verse 27. Continues. For we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to his purpose.31:13So what is remarkable, I think, in the Bible is that despite all the groanings of creation subjected to futility, despite of all the groanings of humanity, despite all the groanings of the Holy Spirit, all the bondage of decay, that all things still work together for the good of those who love God. And this is quite amazing that futility, futility, groaning, groaning, sighing, but even in spite of that,31:46God will work together all things out for good for those that love him. So there's a necessary limitation here. Suffering in our lives at this present time will never make sense or have purpose unless heaven is in view. The Bible says all things work together for good, period.32:15No, it's not what it says. All things work together for the good of those who what? Love God. Because when we suffer without Jesus Christ, suffering will never make sense unless heaven is in view. There is a limitation, there is a qualifier here. And maybe today you read this and you think, well, it is impossible, Pastor, for me to see anything good.32:40So I would ask you what the Bible asks you today. Is it possible that you cannot see any good because you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Maybe you read this verse and you say, I don't see anything good. Nothing is working together for anything at all that could ever be remotely considered good. Is that because you stopped the verse too soon?33:08Because until you love God, you will never see God's work in your life. And so I invite you this second half of the verse to come to Jesus today. How do you love God? Well, the Bible describes our sin as we are dead in our sins, in our trespasses. Which means dead people can't live again on their own.33:35The Bible says that while we were still sinners, means God didn't wait on you to get your act together. He didn't wait on you to come to church and look nice. While I was still a sinner, Christ Jesus died for us. The Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. We don't call on God like this, God, I'm here. You need me. No, we call the call of the penitent sinner. God, I am not worthy to call upon you, but you say your son died for me.34:04I believe it to be true. God, I believe that the blood of your son washes me clean. God, forgive me. And the echo from heaven to the prayer of the penitent sinner is always, I thought you would never ask. Of course I will forgive you. That is why my son died. He died on the cross, as Colossians says. He nails our sin to the cross and he wipes it clean.34:33Would you call out to God today? If you want to come talk to someone, you can come to myself or a pastor at the end of the service. You don't have to wait right now. You can come to the altar and just cry out to God. You don't have to run to man. You run to Jesus and say, Jesus, save me. Because until you know Christ, all things will not work together for good because you cannot hear that verse until you see heaven.34:55Would you cry out to God? Well, today is the day of your salvation. Maybe you hear this and you are a person of faith and you say, well, pastor, if you knew what I went through, you would not call that good. But hear the word of God. Notice the Bible does not say that Yahweh will work all things out according to what you think is best.35:22The Bible never says that he will work all things out together to make you the most comfortable. No. All things work together for the good. Who's good? It is the Father's glory. Good is conformity to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Let me read this verse again in this way.35:49We know that all things work together to make you look more like Jesus. For all who love God and are called according to his purposes. I don't know about you, but this gives me hope. That one day when I see God face to face, I will look the way that he wanted me to.36:12There's going to be some scars along the way. There's going to be some groanings. But Christian, you do not groan alone. The Holy Spirit is your help. May we see with eyes of clarity today. Church, not all groanings and sighs are created equal.36:41Paul says in verse 18, I consider the present sufferings. Anyone read that the same? If you're suffering today, I just want you to know that God is groaning with you. Creation waits. The Bible says we also groan within ourselves.37:04The Bible says we also groan within ourselves.37:19But something changes in verse 26. The Spirit intercedes for us. For we know that all things work together for the good. And the Spirit will perfect us into the image of Jesus Christ.37:53I don't know about you, but all groans are not created equal. If you are here today living in your sin, the right response to your groan is to run to Jesus. Groan to Jesus. Sigh to Jesus. Because on the cross, he groaned for our sake. On the cross, he said, Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do.38:23He said on the cross. It is finished. But he also said to all who will hear. Today you will be with me in paradise. To all who are weary, run to Jesus. To all who are tired, run.38:51To all who groan, run again. And find that one day. The present sufferings of your life are not worth comparing. To the future glory revealed in us through Jesus Christ. His only begotten. Father. Thank you.← Previous in When in RomansWhen in Romans: God Did (Romans 8:1-11)Next in When in Romans →When in Romans: Unfailing Word: Trusting God’s Faithfulness (Romans 9:1-6)More sermons on Romans →
