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Romans 8:18-27 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Well, good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 8.
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All right. Our text for this morning is Romans chapter 8, verses 18 through 27.
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Before we set our minds on today's text, and do bear with me for a moment,
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I want us to first take a look back at verses 16 and 17,
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and consider particularly the phrase in the last half of verse 17.
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There Paul writes,
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The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
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And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
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Now, here is the phrase that we need to be clear about before proceeding further in the chapter.
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Provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
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Now, last week we altogether neglected that half of that verse and spent little to no time on it at all.
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But here Paul says that if we are children of God, we are co-heirs bound for glory, and we will suffer.
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Now, the Christian ought not be surprised by this,
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although we live in an age that often teaches contrary to it.
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Beloved, we are followers of Jesus Christ.
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We walk the path that He walked.
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Jesus states the matter plainly in John chapter 15, verse 18 and following,
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where He said,
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If the world hates you,
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know that it has hated me before it hated you.
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And you may want to qualify that.
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He said,
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If the world hates you,
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but He goes on,
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If you were of the world,
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the world would love you as its own,
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but because you are not of the world,
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but I chose you out of the world,
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therefore the world hates you.
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Remember the word I said to you,
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A servant is not greater than his master.
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If they persecuted me,
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they will also persecute you.
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If they kept my word,
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they will also keep yours.
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Paul says it this way in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12.
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Indeed,
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all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus
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will be persecuted.
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Jesus came to suffer that we might be saved and then to be glorified.
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Peter tells us in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 10 and 11,
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concerning this salvation.
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The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
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searched and inquired carefully,
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inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating
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when he predicted the sufferings of Christ
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and the subsequent glories.
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Christ came to suffer that we might be saved and to be glorified.
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John Murray once said,
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There is no sharing in Christ's glory unless there is sharing in his sufferings.
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Sufferings and then glory was the order appointed for Christ himself.
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It could not be otherwise in terms of his messianic undertaking and design.
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The same order applies to those who are heirs with him.
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End quote.
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Provided we suffer with him,
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most certainly includes persecution.
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But I also think it includes all of the unpleasantry of living in a fallen world.
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We are on the heels of Paul's expressed anguish over his battle with his flesh.
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We experience the same,
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longing to be finally delivered from these bodies.
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If you don't experience that,
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if you don't desire to be fully set free from sin in your life,
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I just wonder if perhaps you're a Christian at all.
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Christians have the spirit of Christ and desire to live like Christ.
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We are daily bombarded with the tragedy of others' sin.
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This world is in an absolutely desperate state.
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We will see in today's text that all of the creation exists under the curse.
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So, every ache and pain,
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every sniffle, cough and fever,
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every life lost too soon,
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every weed pulled from a garden,
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every day that's too cold or day that's too hot,
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we also suffer these things.
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Living in a place that's not as it should be.
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I believe that Christians ought to be all at once the saddest people on earth,
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for we see the brokenness of it.
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I find as I grow in Christlikeness,
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I am sadder about the state of the place in which I live,
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but also, at the same time,
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we should be the happiest people on earth.
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For we have a promise,
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made by the one who can keep that promise,
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that it will all one day be made right.
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So, I hope as you mature in Christ,
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both your sadness for the state of the world
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and your happiness for the surety of the promise grow together.
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So, it's that suffering as well.
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It's the persecution to be sure and clear,
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but it's everything that comes with living in a world
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in such desperate brokenness.
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The prophet Isaiah says of this promise keeper,
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one, the Lord Jesus Christ,
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in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 3 and 4,
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He was despised and rejected by men,
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a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
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And as one from whom men hide their faces,
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he was despised and we esteemed him not.
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Certainly, there's persecution seen there.
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Verse 4,
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Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
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Yet we esteemed him stricken,
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smitten by God and afflicted.
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Jesus suffered.
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He suffered rejection.
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He suffered bodily.
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He suffered the cursed creation.
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But he was glorified.
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May we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
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So now, with all of this in mind,
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there's this tension built there in which we live.
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Let's read and study today's text.
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So Romans chapter 8, verse 18 through 27.
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Before I read it, I'd like to remind you, beloved,
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that this is God's word to us.
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It was written for his glory and for our good.
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And so we would all do well to listen to it
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in order to believe its promises
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and to obey its commands.
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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
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are not worth comparing with the glory
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that is to be revealed to us.
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For the creation waits with eager longing
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for the revealing of the sons of God.
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For the creation was subjected to futility,
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not willingly, but because of him who subjected it,
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in hope that the creation itself will be set free
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from its bondage to corruption
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and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
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For we know that the whole creation
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has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
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And not only the creation,
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but we ourselves,
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who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
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groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons,
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the redemption of our bodies.
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For in this hope we were saved.
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Now hope that is seen is not hope.
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For who hopes for what he sees?
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But if we hope for what we do not see,
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we wait for it with patience.
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Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
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For we do not know what to pray for as we ought,
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but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
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with groanings too deep for words.
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And he who searches hearts
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knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
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because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
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according to the will of God.
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Now, he begins, right,
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again doing this for,
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building an argument for,
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I consider that the sufferings of this present time
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are not worth comparing with the glory
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that is to be revealed to us.
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Many commentators,
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I've got just a stack of commentaries on Romans,
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and many of them suggest that in verse 18,
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Paul places the suffering of this present time
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on one side of a scale,
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and the glory that is to be revealed to us
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on the other side of the scale,
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to find that that scale tips dramatically
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for the latter.
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And their point stands.
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They're not wrong in saying it,
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but I want to suggest that even further,
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even higher than that,
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that what Paul is stating
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is that it isn't even worth the effort
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of going through the exercise.
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He's saying so clearly
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you need not set these things on a scale.
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The glory that is to be revealed to us
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so vastly outweighs
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the sufferings of this present time
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that they are not worth comparing.
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Don't take any of our time
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to even consider which one
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has more weightiness.
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The weight of glory
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is much, much heavier.
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This word glory means
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splendor and honor.
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God deserves glory.
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God is glorious,
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and he bestows glory on his people.
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It is the bright hope that awaits us
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as we walk the din of this world.
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John MacArthur,
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in his commentary on this text,
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says,
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As followers of Christ,
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our sufferings come from men.
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Whereas our glory comes from God.
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Our suffering is earthly,
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whereas our glory is heavenly.
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Our suffering is short,
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whereas our glory is forever.
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Our suffering is trivial,
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whereas our glory is limitless.
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Our suffering is in our mortal
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and corrupted bodies,
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whereas our glory will be
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in our perfected
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and imperishable bodies.
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End quote.
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And so,
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we await this future state.
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The price is small,
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and the reward is grand.
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But it doesn't always feel that way,
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does it?
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We so long to see its fruition
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that our days often feel incredibly long.
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We join with John
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as he records the words of Jesus
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in Revelation chapter 22 and verse 20.
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Surely I am coming soon.
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And we reply with him,
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Amen.
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Come, Lord Jesus.
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If you are a Christ follower
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and you have not had one of those days,
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they are coming.
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You would just be happy
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for the Lord to part the skies
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and come back now.
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And we are not the only ones
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awaiting this glorious day
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of our glorification.
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Note with me,
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in today's text,
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a uniting word.
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In verse 22,
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you see the word groaning.
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In verse 23,
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groan.
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And in verse 26,
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groanings.
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All the same root Greek word.
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Which brings us to our simple outline
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for the rest of our time together.
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Number one,
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the creation groans for glory.
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Number two,
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Christians groan for glory.
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And number three,
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the Spirit groans for glory.
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So firstly,
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in verses 19 through 22,
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the creation groans for glory.
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Let me read it again
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so it's fresh in our minds.
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For the creation,
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this is verse 19,
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waits with eager longing
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for the revealing
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of the sons of God.
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For the creation was subjected
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to futility,
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not willingly,
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but because of him
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who subjected it,
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in hope that the creation itself
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would be set free
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from its bondage to corruption
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and obtain the freedom
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of the glory
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of the children of God.
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For we know that the whole creation
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has been groaning together
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in the pains of childbirth
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until now.
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God is the only thing
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not created.
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Therefore,
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we must think for a moment
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about what created things
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Paul is referring to.
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He does not mean
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the heavenly host,
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for they are not
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part of the curse.
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Neither does he mean
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the fallen angels,
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for they do not desire good
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and their condemnation
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is final.
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He isn't referring
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to Christ followers
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as he will mention them
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separately
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in the following verses.
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And he can't be referring
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to unbelievers
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because they also
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do not desire good.
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So,
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what's left over?
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Paul here is speaking
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of the non-rational part
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of God's creation.
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Plants and animals,
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soil and seas.
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What we would look out
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and perhaps call nature.
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And what Paul does with it
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is he personifies it,
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which is a practice
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that's not foreign
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to the scripture.
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We see it
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waiting eagerly,
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longing for something
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to come to pass,
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groaning in the pains
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of childbirth.
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And he's simply
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giving us a picture
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of what the whole world
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is desiring to see
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come to be.
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So again,
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this personification
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of nature happens
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and let me just show you
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one other example
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from Isaiah 55
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and verse 12
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where Isaiah writes,
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for you shall go out
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in joy and be led forth
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in peace.
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The mountains
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and the hills
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before you
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shall break forth
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into singing
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and all the trees
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of the field
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shall clap their hands.
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And if your mind
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just broke into song
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then you are
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of my generation.
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So,
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this personified nature,
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Paul says,
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waits with eager longing
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for our glorification.
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And the idea
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of waiting
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with eager longing
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in Greek
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is like a person
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standing on their tiptoes
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leaning forward
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with great expectation.
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This is the picture
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that we have here.
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Leaning forward
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for this arrival
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of some long-awaited
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wonderful event.
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This is what this
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eager longing
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looks like
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in the Greek.
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The creation
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awaits this event.
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Our glory,
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the revealing
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of the sons of God
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because it was
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subjected
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to futility.
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Right?
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And Paul,
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it's clear
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it didn't choose
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the futility.
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Right?
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God subjected it
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to futility.
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Right?
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And we can read
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about when this
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happens in
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Genesis chapter 3
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verse 17
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through 19
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as it's tied up
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in Adam's
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curse.
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God there says
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to Adam,
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because you have
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listened to the voice
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of your wife
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and have eaten
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of the tree
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of which I commanded you.
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You shall not eat of it.
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Cursed is the ground
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because of you.
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In pain you shall eat of it
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all the days
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of your life.
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Thorns and thistles
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it shall bring forth
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for you
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and you shall eat
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the plants of the field.
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By the sweat of your face
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you shall eat bread
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till you return
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to the ground
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for out of it
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you were taken
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for you are dust
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and to dust
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you shall return.
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Right?
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The creation itself.
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Right?
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It was plentiful.
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It was paradise
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before the fall.
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Right?
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The creation worked
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exactly as the creation
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was meant to work.
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But because of the sin of man
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it was subjected to
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this futility
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that we presently live in.
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And to be clear
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we have remnants
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of God's wonderful
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created work.
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Right?
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We live in a particularly
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beautiful place
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to stand in awe
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of our creator
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God.
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If you begin to get down
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into the mess of it
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it's messy out there.
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It's not functioning
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quite like
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it was designed
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to function.
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Paul says that
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that creation
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desires the day
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when all things
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will be made new.
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Now I want to read to you
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a quote
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from Martin Lloyd-Jones.
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Interestingly
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out of MacArthur's
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commentary on this
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because I couldn't find it
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in the Lloyd-Jones
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commentary.
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I looked and looked
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and looked
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and I said
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I think MacArthur
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quoted him.
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So this is MacArthur
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quoting Lloyd-Jones
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and he muses
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I think
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rather insightfully
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about this idea
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of the creation
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groaning
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and longing
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for this to happen.
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So listen to this
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quote
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I wonder
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whether the phenomenon
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of the spring
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supplies us
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with a part answer.
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Nature
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every year
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as it were
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makes an effort
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to renew itself
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to produce
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something permanent.
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it has come out
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of the death
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and the darkness
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of all that is
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so true
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of the winter.
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In the spring
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it seems to be
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trying to produce
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a perfect creation
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to be going through
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some kind of birth pangs
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year by year
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but unfortunately
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it does not succeed
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for spring
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leads only to summer
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whereas summer
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leads to autumn
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and autumn
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to winter.
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Poor old nature
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tries every year
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to defeat the vanity
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the principle
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of death
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and decay
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and disintegration
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that is in it
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but it cannot do so.
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It fails
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every time.
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It still goes on
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trying as if it
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feels things
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should be different
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and better
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but it never succeeds.
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So it goes on
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groaning
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and travailing
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in pain
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together
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until now.
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It has been doing so
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for a very long time
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but nature
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still repeats
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the effort
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annually.
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Maybe
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now the seasons
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will serve us
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in that way
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to think about
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how nature
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itself
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is awaiting
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our glory.
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Now Paul doesn't
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detail for us
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how creation
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itself will be
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set free
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from its bondage
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to corruption
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and obtain
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the freedom
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of the glory
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of the children
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of God
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and we get
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some clues
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to that
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in other places
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in the New Testament
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but he doesn't do so
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because this really
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isn't his
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driving point.
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His point
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is that
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even the creation
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awaits
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the same
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restoration
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that we
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await.
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We are in good
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company
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because the creation
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groans
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for our glory.
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So secondly
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Christians
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groan
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for glory
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and we see this
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in verse 23,
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24
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and 25.
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There Paul says
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and not only
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the creation
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but we ourselves
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who have the first
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fruits of the spirit
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groan inwardly
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as we wait eagerly
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for adoption
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as sons
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the redemption
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of our bodies.
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For in this hope
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we were saved.
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Now hope that is seen
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is not hope
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for who hopes
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for what he sees?
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But if we hope
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for what we do not see
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we wait for it
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with patience.
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Christians
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groan
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for glory.
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Those who have
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the first fruits
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of the spirit
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which
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I take to mean
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that the ongoing
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work of the spirit
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to lead believers
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in holiness
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is but a shadow
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of the greater reality
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that waits us.
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So hear me again.
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If you don't have
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a longing
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in your heart
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to turn from
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the things of the world
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and turn to the things
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of God
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which waxes
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and wanes
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it's never perfect
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it doesn't maintain
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a certain dial
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and never gets dialed down
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and never gets dialed up
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but generally speaking
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if you don't desire
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to put off
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the old self
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and put on
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the new
20:59
you may not
21:01
have the spirit.
21:02
This is the work
21:02
the primary work
21:03
of the spirit
21:04
in your life
21:05
is to lead you
21:06
in holiness.
21:09
And if you're concerned
21:10
about that this morning
21:11
my call to you
21:13
is simply to
21:13
repent
21:14
and believe.
21:16
Turn from your sin
21:17
and place your faith
21:18
in Christ.
21:19
That the gift
21:20
of the spirit
21:20
might be given to you
21:21
that you would want
21:22
to walk
21:23
in his ways.
21:26
Our conviction
21:26
of sin
21:27
seeing the ravages
21:30
of sin
21:30
in the lives
21:30
of others
21:31
our recognition
21:33
that the whole
21:34
of the world
21:34
is under
21:35
the curse
21:36
is evidence
21:38
that we have become
21:39
spiritually sensitive
21:40
to the state
21:41
of things
21:41
so we also
21:44
along with
21:44
the creation
21:46
we groan.
21:47
when you see
21:49
another tragedy
21:50
and it is difficult
21:51
to avoid
21:52
isn't it?
21:54
The tragedy
21:55
itself
21:56
is tragic
21:57
but the greater
21:58
thing
21:58
is that the whole
22:00
world
22:00
is under
22:01
this
22:02
curse
22:03
and it should
22:04
cause us
22:04
such grief
22:05
and then such
22:06
desire
22:07
to go
22:07
and preach
22:08
the good news
22:09
of Jesus Christ
22:11
as he's
22:12
building his
22:12
kingdom
22:13
even
22:13
now.
22:16
So we groan
22:17
when we see
22:17
these things
22:18
and I recognize
22:19
that I have
22:20
yet to carefully
22:21
define this word
22:22
that ties
22:23
our text
22:23
together
22:24
although
22:25
I think you
22:27
likely
22:27
get the idea.
22:29
This is one of those
22:30
places that the
22:30
Greek word
22:31
you read it
22:32
and you go
22:32
oh yeah
22:33
that's really
22:34
what I had in mind
22:35
when I thought
22:36
of groaning.
22:38
But groaning
22:39
means to
22:40
vocally indicate
22:41
pain
22:42
or discomfort
22:43
or displeasure
22:44
and is used
22:46
in Greek
22:46
almost always
22:48
in reference
22:49
to
22:49
inarticulate
22:50
vocalization.
22:52
So it's not
22:53
a careful
22:54
argument
22:54
that you feel
22:55
pain
22:56
or discomfort
22:57
or displeasure
22:58
it's a
22:59
noise
22:59
that communicates
23:01
that very thing.
23:02
We have
23:03
all groaned
23:04
about something
23:05
in our lives.
23:07
But here
23:07
in verse 23
23:08
Paul says
23:09
that we groan
23:10
inwardly
23:11
to be sure
23:12
we probably
23:13
also groan
23:14
outwardly
23:14
but here
23:15
he's talking
23:15
about
23:16
an inward
23:17
growing
23:18
and I think
23:18
he means to
23:19
tie this
23:19
to this idea
23:20
of it being
23:20
of the first
23:21
fruits of the
23:21
spirit
23:22
that inside
23:23
of us
23:23
we are
23:24
discontented
23:26
with the state
23:27
of the world
23:28
in which we live
23:29
and with
23:30
ourselves.
23:31
I think he's
23:32
referring to that
23:33
feeling of angst
23:34
we often feel
23:35
as Christians.
23:38
It is a groaning
23:39
that I hope
23:40
that you have
23:41
experienced
23:42
a spirit
23:42
wrought
23:43
emotion
23:43
that this
23:45
world is
23:45
not as
23:46
it should
23:47
be
23:48
and perhaps
23:49
the realization
23:50
that you are
23:50
part of the
23:52
problem
23:52
and I hope
23:53
that it is
23:54
accomplished
23:55
accompanied
23:57
excuse me
23:57
by a spirit
23:58
wrought
23:58
eagerness
23:59
for adoption
24:01
as sons
24:02
the redemption
24:03
of our bodies.
24:06
Last week
24:07
we saw in
24:08
Romans chapter
24:08
8 and
24:09
verse 15
24:10
there Paul
24:11
says
24:12
for you
24:12
did not
24:12
receive the
24:13
spirit of
24:13
slavery
24:13
to fall
24:14
back
24:14
into fear
24:14
but you
24:15
have
24:16
received
24:17
the spirit
24:18
of adoption
24:18
as sons
24:19
by whom
24:20
we cry
24:21
Abba
24:21
Father.
24:23
So in
24:24
verse 15
24:24
we have
24:25
the statement
24:26
of an
24:27
accomplished
24:27
work.
24:29
You have
24:29
received
24:30
the spirit
24:30
of adoption
24:31
as sons.
24:32
You have
24:32
been
24:33
adopted.
24:35
Here in
24:35
verse 23
24:36
we see the
24:37
eager expectation
24:38
of the task
24:39
being
24:40
accomplished.
24:42
So an
24:42
accomplished
24:42
task
24:43
that we're
24:43
desiring
24:44
to see
24:45
be accomplished.
24:47
The already
24:48
and the
24:48
not yet
24:50
and this
24:50
is the gap
24:51
in which
24:52
we live.
24:54
We have
24:55
been adopted
24:56
and yet
24:57
the full
24:58
realization
24:59
awaits us.
25:02
Paul clarifies
25:03
this with the
25:03
phrase
25:04
the redemption
25:05
of our
25:06
bodies.
25:07
We're
25:07
awaiting
25:07
this
25:08
adoption
25:08
of
25:09
sons,
25:09
the
25:09
redemption
25:10
of our
25:11
bodies.
25:13
Bodies
25:13
is a
25:14
reference
25:14
to all
25:15
of our
25:16
fallen
25:16
humanness
25:17
that remains
25:18
with us.
25:20
We
25:20
experience
25:21
the
25:22
weightiness
25:23
of this
25:24
each and
25:25
every day.
25:26
This is
25:26
where Paul
25:27
finds himself
25:28
leading into
25:30
this argument.
25:30
You may
25:32
recall
25:32
Romans
25:33
chapter 7
25:34
in verse
25:34
24
25:35
after he's
25:36
talked about
25:36
this wrestling
25:37
to do the
25:38
thing that he
25:38
desires to do
25:39
and yet not
25:39
doing the
25:40
thing that he
25:40
desires to
25:40
do.
25:41
He says
25:41
in verse
25:41
24,
25:42
Wretched
25:42
man that
25:43
I am,
25:44
who will
25:45
deliver me
25:45
from this
25:46
body of
25:47
death?
25:48
He says
25:48
who?
25:49
Jesus
25:50
Christ
25:50
our Lord.
25:51
Romans
25:51
8.1
25:51
There is
25:52
therefore
25:52
now no
25:52
condemnation
25:53
for those
25:53
who are
25:54
in Christ
25:55
Jesus.
25:56
Praise
25:57
be to
25:57
God
25:57
for his
25:58
saving
25:58
work in
25:59
our
25:59
lives
25:59
because
26:00
we're
26:02
not
26:02
perfect.
26:05
Set
26:06
free
26:06
from the
26:06
power of
26:06
sin and
26:07
yet we
26:08
still
26:09
sin.
26:11
Desiring
26:12
not to
26:12
sin,
26:13
yet we
26:14
still
26:15
sin.
26:17
Wretched
26:17
man that
26:17
I am,
26:18
praise be
26:19
to God
26:20
that Christ
26:21
will
26:22
deliver me,
26:23
has,
26:23
and will
26:24
finish
26:24
the work.
26:27
And so
26:28
we ebb
26:28
and we
26:28
flow in
26:30
our
26:30
Christian
26:31
experience
26:31
and perhaps
26:32
you have
26:32
at times
26:33
wondered
26:34
as you
26:35
took stock
26:35
of your
26:36
life,
26:36
am I
26:37
a Christian
26:37
at all?
26:40
Perhaps
26:40
you felt
26:41
like giving
26:41
up and
26:42
not following
26:43
Christ
26:43
any longer
26:45
and I
26:46
hope
26:46
that he's
26:48
kept you,
26:48
that he's
26:49
held you
26:49
because you
26:50
are his,
26:52
that when
26:52
you feel
26:53
like you're
26:53
faltering,
26:54
you recognize
26:55
that he
26:55
never
26:56
will.
27:00
Another
27:00
quotation
27:01
for you,
27:02
this is
27:02
Thomas Watson
27:03
who's a
27:03
Puritan
27:03
pastor.
27:06
If my
27:06
memory serves
27:07
me well,
27:08
it should
27:09
because it
27:09
only happened
27:09
this week,
27:10
the kids
27:11
coloring sheets
27:11
has a little
27:12
drawing of
27:12
Thomas Watson
27:13
on the back
27:14
of it
27:14
this morning.
27:15
Not by
27:16
plan at
27:16
all.
27:17
He once
27:18
said this,
27:19
quote,
27:20
the godly
27:21
may act
27:22
faintly
27:22
in religion.
27:24
The pulse
27:25
of their
27:25
affections
27:26
may beat
27:26
low.
27:28
The exercise
27:28
of grace
27:29
may be
27:30
hindered
27:30
as when
27:31
the course
27:31
of water
27:32
is stopped.
27:34
Instead
27:34
of grace
27:35
working in
27:36
the godly,
27:37
corruption
27:37
may work.
27:38
Instead
27:39
of patience,
27:40
murmuring.
27:41
Instead
27:41
of heavenliness,
27:43
earthliness.
27:44
Thus
27:45
lively and
27:45
vigorous may
27:46
corruption be
27:47
in the
27:47
regenerate.
27:48
They may
27:48
fall into
27:49
enormous
27:50
sins,
27:52
but
27:52
through
27:54
their grace
27:54
may be
27:55
drawn low,
27:56
though their
27:56
grace may
27:57
be drawn
27:57
low,
27:57
it is not
27:58
drawn dry.
28:00
Though grace
28:01
may be
28:01
abated,
28:02
it is not
28:03
abolished.
28:05
Grace
28:05
may suffer
28:06
an eclipse,
28:07
not a
28:08
dissolution.
28:09
A believer
28:10
may fall
28:10
from some
28:11
degrees of
28:12
grace,
28:12
but not
28:13
from the
28:14
state
28:15
of grace.
28:16
grace.
28:18
So we
28:18
feel this
28:19
already
28:20
and the
28:21
not yet.
28:24
Wretched
28:24
man that
28:25
I am,
28:26
who will
28:26
deliver me
28:26
from this
28:28
body of
28:28
death?
28:29
Listen to
28:30
King David
28:30
say similar
28:32
things in
28:33
Psalm 38.
28:34
I'm going to
28:34
kind of jump
28:35
through the
28:35
text.
28:36
This is
28:36
verse 4,
28:37
verse 9 and
28:37
10,
28:38
verse 17 and
28:38
18,
28:39
and verse
28:39
21 and
28:39
22.
28:40
But listen to
28:41
what he
28:42
says.
28:43
My
28:44
iniquities
28:44
have gone
28:45
over my
28:46
head like
28:46
a heavy
28:47
burden.
28:47
They are
28:48
too heavy
28:49
for me.
28:51
O Lord,
28:52
all my
28:52
longing is
28:53
before you.
28:54
My
28:54
sighing is
28:55
not hidden
28:55
from you.
28:57
My heart
28:57
throbs.
28:59
My strength
29:00
fails me.
29:01
And the
29:01
light of my
29:02
eyes, it
29:03
has also
29:03
gone from
29:04
me.
29:05
I am
29:06
ready to
29:06
fall, and
29:07
my pain
29:08
is ever
29:08
before me.
29:09
I confess
29:11
my iniquity.
29:12
I am
29:12
sorry for
29:14
my sin.
29:15
Do not
29:16
forsake
29:16
me, O
29:17
Lord.
29:17
O my
29:18
God, be
29:18
not far
29:19
from me.
29:21
Make
29:21
haste to
29:22
help me,
29:23
O
29:23
Lord,
29:24
my
29:25
salvation.
29:27
Do you
29:28
hear the
29:29
groaning
29:30
inwardly as
29:31
we wait
29:32
eagerly for
29:32
adoption of
29:33
sons, the
29:34
redemption of
29:35
our bodies
29:36
in these
29:37
texts?
29:38
us.
29:39
Notice
29:40
that Paul
29:41
places
29:41
emphasis on
29:42
our full
29:43
and final
29:43
deliverance
29:44
from our
29:45
fallen
29:45
humanness.
29:47
It is
29:48
certainly good
29:48
to long
29:49
for all
29:49
things to
29:50
be made
29:50
new, but
29:52
he is
29:52
pressing
29:52
us being
29:54
made
29:55
new.
29:56
This
29:57
will matter
29:58
greatly as
29:59
his argument
29:59
proceeds in
30:00
the coming
30:00
verses.
30:02
Mankind
30:03
is the
30:04
crowning of
30:05
God's
30:05
creation.
30:06
God
30:07
is
30:09
doing.
30:10
We are
30:10
made in
30:11
his image
30:11
and meant
30:12
to be
30:12
propagators
30:13
of his
30:14
glory.
30:14
We are
30:15
meant to
30:15
spread his
30:16
image and
30:17
glory
30:17
everywhere.
30:20
Notice in
30:20
verse 21
30:21
that the
30:21
creation
30:21
itself will
30:22
be set
30:22
free from
30:23
its bondage
30:24
to corruption
30:24
and obtain
30:25
the freedom
30:26
of the
30:27
glory of
30:28
the children
30:29
of God.
30:30
We are
30:31
the most
30:31
important
30:32
redemptive
30:33
thing that
30:34
God is
30:35
doing.
30:36
It affects
30:36
all the
30:37
other
30:38
things.
30:41
Now what
30:41
does all
30:42
of this
30:42
mean
30:43
for us?
30:45
Praise
30:45
God that
30:46
Paul tells
30:47
us.
30:48
We have
30:48
no need
30:49
to look
30:50
elsewhere
30:50
in the
30:51
text.
30:51
We don't
30:52
have to
30:52
philosophize
30:53
about it
30:54
at all.
30:54
He tells
30:55
us right
30:56
here in
30:56
the text
30:57
verse 24
30:59
and 25.
31:01
He says
31:01
for in
31:01
this
31:02
hope
31:03
we were
31:04
saved.
31:05
What
31:06
hope?
31:07
What hope
31:07
is he
31:07
talking
31:07
about?
31:08
He's
31:08
talking
31:08
about
31:08
the
31:09
hope
31:09
of
31:10
glory.
31:12
It's
31:12
in the
31:13
hope of
31:13
glory,
31:14
the very
31:15
reason
31:16
that we
31:17
were
31:17
saved.
31:19
And then
31:19
he goes
31:19
on to
31:20
say now,
31:20
hope that
31:21
is seen
31:21
is not
31:23
hope.
31:24
For who
31:25
hopes for
31:25
what he
31:25
sees?
31:26
Which is a
31:26
rhetorical
31:27
question.
31:28
Of course,
31:28
if the
31:29
thing is
31:29
already
31:29
here,
31:30
you have
31:30
no hope
31:30
that it
31:31
will
31:31
arrive.
31:31
It
31:31
has
31:32
already
31:33
!
31:33
a
31:34
wife.
31:34
Remember,
31:34
we're
31:34
waiting
31:35
with
31:35
eager
31:35
expectation
31:36
for
31:37
our
31:37
glory
31:38
to
31:39
arrive.
31:40
But then
31:41
he says
31:41
in verse
31:41
25,
31:42
but if
31:42
we hope
31:43
for what
31:44
we do
31:44
not
31:44
see,
31:45
we wait
31:46
for it
31:47
with
31:48
patience.
31:50
Patient
31:50
hope.
31:51
What do
31:51
we do
31:52
with all
31:53
of this?
31:54
As we
31:54
live in
31:55
this
31:55
in-between
31:56
time,
31:58
having
31:58
been
31:59
delivered
31:59
from our
32:00
sin,
32:01
been
32:01
saved,
32:02
having
32:02
been
32:02
adopted,
32:03
and yet
32:03
awaiting
32:04
the full
32:06
culmination
32:06
of all
32:07
of the
32:08
promises
32:08
of God
32:09
for us.
32:11
Patient
32:11
hope.
32:14
Does
32:14
patient
32:15
hope
32:15
characterize
32:16
your
32:17
Christian
32:17
walk?
32:19
It
32:19
doesn't
32:20
always
32:20
characterize
32:20
mine,
32:21
to be
32:21
sure.
32:22
I
32:22
see a
32:23
lot
32:23
of
32:23
Christians
32:24
who
32:25
do
32:25
not
32:25
have
32:26
patient
32:27
hope.
32:28
They're
32:29
in
32:29
turmoil,
32:30
and they're
32:30
anxious,
32:31
unsure
32:32
of what
32:33
the
32:33
future
32:34
holds.
32:36
Avoiding
32:36
at every
32:37
turn
32:37
suffering
32:38
in this
32:39
life.
32:41
We've
32:41
got to
32:41
encounter
32:42
everything
32:42
that we
32:43
encounter
32:43
with
32:44
patient
32:45
hope.
32:47
Paul in
32:47
just a bit
32:48
is going
32:48
to tell
32:48
us,
32:48
because we
32:49
know
32:49
that for
32:51
those who
32:51
love God,
32:51
all things
32:52
work for
32:54
our
32:54
good.
32:56
We've
32:56
got to
32:56
be able
32:57
to settle
32:58
into these
32:58
great
32:59
truths,
33:00
to
33:01
rehearse
33:01
them
33:01
in
33:01
our
33:02
minds
33:02
over
33:02
and
33:03
over,
33:03
to
33:03
speak
33:04
these
33:04
truths
33:04
to
33:05
one
33:05
another,
33:05
that our
33:06
eyes
33:07
would be
33:07
set
33:07
heavenward,
33:08
beyond
33:09
this
33:10
life that
33:10
is but
33:11
a
33:11
vapor,
33:11
and to
33:12
the
33:12
eternity
33:13
of
33:13
glory
33:14
that
33:15
awaits
33:15
us.
33:17
For I
33:18
consider
33:18
that the
33:18
present
33:19
sufferings
33:19
of this
33:20
time are
33:21
not even
33:21
worth
33:22
comparing
33:23
with the
33:24
glory
33:24
that is
33:25
to be
33:25
revealed
33:26
to us.
33:27
we will
33:28
suffer
33:29
in
33:30
this
33:31
life.
33:32
But because
33:32
of these
33:32
sure
33:33
promises
33:33
of
33:34
Christ,
33:35
we wait
33:36
patiently
33:37
because
33:38
we wait
33:39
hopefully.
33:43
Now I
33:44
have a
33:44
third
33:44
point.
33:46
And there's
33:47
too much in
33:48
this third
33:48
point to
33:48
cram it
33:49
into this
33:49
morning.
33:49
I'm
33:49
looking at
33:50
the time
33:50
as we
33:51
speak.
33:52
So I'm
33:52
going to
33:52
hang on
33:53
to my
33:53
third
33:53
point.
33:53
The
33:54
Spirit
33:54
groans
33:55
for
33:55
glory.
33:56
And we'll
33:56
add it to
33:57
next week
33:58
or set it
33:58
aside by
34:00
itself.
34:00
And we'll
34:00
end off
34:01
with this
34:02
idea.
34:04
The
34:05
Christ
34:05
follower,
34:06
the one
34:07
who has
34:07
the first
34:08
fruits of
34:08
the Spirit
34:09
groans
34:11
along with
34:11
creation
34:12
patiently
34:13
with hope.
34:15
Let's pray
34:16
together.