========================================================================
  CREATION IS GROANING
  by John Piper
========================================================================

Summary: This sermon delves into the deep theological insights of Romans
8, emphasizing the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, the
assurance of no condemnation for believers, the significance of Christ's
work in taking on our sins, the process of sanctification through the
Spirit, the reality of suffering in the Christian life, and the hope of
future glorification and inheritance as children of God.

Duration: 1:08:34 Topics: "Struggle between Flesh and Spirit", "Assurance of Salvation"
Scripture References: Romans 8:3, Romans 8:9, Romans 8:13, Romans 8:14, Romans 8:17, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:22, Romans 8:23, Romans 8:24

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This sermon delves into the deep theological insights of Romans 8,
emphasizing the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit, the assurance
of no condemnation for believers, the significance of Christ's work in
taking on our sins, the process of sanctification through the Spirit,
the reality of suffering in the Christian life, and the hope of future
glorification and inheritance as children of God.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think the reason for the bad news in verses 5 through 8 was to make
clear why the law weakened by the flesh could not do what had to be done
and so he gets down to 5 through 8 he says here's what I meant by
weakened by the flesh the law couldn't do those things because the mind
of the flesh is so insubordinate to God when it meets the law it
produces law breaking not law keeping therefore the only hope in the
universe was that the Son of God would be sent into the world verse 3 I
think that's how it all hangs together so it's all meant to to give you
tremendous confidence that there's no condemnation for you in spite of
the fact that there's war going on between spirit and flesh in your life
because Christ has done the decisive work of taking our sin upon him in
his flesh so here we are at verse 9 our goal is to get through verse 25
in this session you however are not in the flesh but in the spirit so
all that horrible stuff that was spoken about inability in verses 5 to 8
is not true of you in Christ you are not in the flesh you are in the
spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you so it's difference
between being eating you and you in it my understanding of that would be
a paraphrase like this you however are not in the sway and control of
the flesh you are in the sway in the current of the spirit of life in
Christ Jesus if he's in you so if he's in you you're in his control
that's my paraphrase to make sense out of the in you and in him anyone
who does not have have is like in you anyone who does not have the
Spirit of Christ whoa shift Spirit of God to Spirit of Christ
interesting why why would he do that does not have the Spirit of Christ
clearly the logic demands that they be the same spirit right you however
are not in the flesh you are in the spirit if the spirit dwells in you
anyone who does not have the same spirit Spirit of God but he says
Spirit of Christ which is just chock-full of implications Trinitarian
wise but why would he do it what why the shift he's free to the Spirit
of God and Spirit of Christ are the one Spirit of God and Spirit of
Christ maybe anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not
belong to him so instead of saying is not in him and belong to him when
I think belong to him I think how did I come to belong to him how did
you become his possession which triggers in your mind first Corinthians
619 you are not your own you were bought with a price to glorify God in
your bodies in Paul's mind to belong to Jesus is to be bought out of
slavery out of the flesh into Christ so this language of belonging to
him is Jesus language in Paul's mind maybe that's why he shifted to
Spirit of Christ that's a guess I don't know he's I'm just happy to to
say Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ are one Spirit and anyone who has
the Spirit of God is in the Spirit and his sway so the walking according
to the Spirit and anyone who has that spirit call it Christ call it God
belongs to Jesus but if Christ Oh third second surprise shifts from
Spirit of God to Spirit of Christ to Christ amazing this is just full of
hmm why would he do that just follow the logic I mean you can just hear
these are all the same being if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you
anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong in but if
Christ they all have to be the same the flow of thought doesn't work
unless they're the same and that triggers is shifting to Christ here
triggers a John if I wrote it down here at any rate John 14 something
where he says I he is with you now he will be in you I will come to you
I will not leave you orphans so he says I'm the father will send to you
a comforter the Spirit of truth I will come to you I will not leave you
as orphans so Jesus himself taught the Apostles the Spirit that's coming
is me when he's there I'm there otherwise what would the promise at the
end of Matthew mean I will be with you I will be with you to the end of
the age but I'm gonna send you another comforter to be with you and in
you that's me that's the way Paul's talking here right Spirit of God
Spirit of Christ Christ but if Christ is in you and now he introduces
death which which kind of sends up a little warning it's going to get
bleak in this chapter it's going to get really bleak and glorious
there's no naivete in this chapter about how well it's gonna go for
Christians it is not going to go well in this life for Christians so we
start now suddenly on the agenda is a warning lest you think because you
are redeemed because your sins are paid for because you're delivered
from the power of the law of sin because the Holy Spirit is in you you
skip death you don't skip it which means we are saved in stages you got
that category in your mind like your sins right now couldn't be more
forgiven than they are your righteous standing before God could not be
more perfect than it is but you're gonna die which was a consequence of
sin and the fall so that part of the consequence has not been overcome
by the cross so let's read it but if if Christ is in you though your
your body is dead because of sin the Spirit is life because of
righteousness you you could say well you took care of the sin problem on
the cross and his answer would be I did but you will benefit from it in
due time your sins are gone righteousness is provided wrath is removed
everything decisive to secure your future is done it is finished but the
last enemy will be death and we'll do that later you're going through it
it's a sobering he means for it to be sobering but the Spirit is life
with me the Spirit is life because of righteousness big big question
again whose righteousness I got zero problem saying Christians are
really practically righteous and need to be if you don't put to death
the deeds of the body by the Spirit you go to hell we'll get to that at
verse 13 real righteousness happens we do walk by the spirit we do bear
the fruits of love joy peace patience goodness kindness if we don't we
don't have the Spirit this could be my righteousness in principle is it
or it could be God's righteousness in Christ counted as mine which is
part of the teaching of Paul in Philippians 3 and synchronous 521 and
early parts of chapter 4 and first Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30 the
glorious doctrine of Christ's finished work counted as mine both his
atoning death and his perfect life counted as mine could be that which
is it and again the way you answer something like that is by trying to
follow the thought because one of the answers I don't think will work
here it says the Spirit is life I think that is a good translation by
the way the old translations used to say our spirits are alive because
of righteousness that's not theologically false but the main argument is
that this word is not alive it's life it's just a little awkward to say
our spirits our life it's not awkward to say the Spirit is life because
we already said he's the Spirit of life back in verse 2 so I think this
is a good translation the Spirit is life because of righteousness now
that means if you take righteousness to be my righteousness lived out
that the argument goes the reason the Holy Spirit is at work in you with
life giving power is that you have become righteous that's just totally
doesn't work it doesn't work on Paul's terms you might make it work it
just doesn't work because he said the Holy Spirit was poured out because
Christ died for us so that we would be righteous that's verse 3 and 4
and the logic between them so my answer here is this is God's
righteousness not this is not my lived out righteousness this really is
justification this is imputation here if verse 11 if the Spirit of him
who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you he who raised Christ Jesus
from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit
who dwells in you so take heart you must die and you will and your body
will not be thrown away we are not Platonists who want to be set free
from the body we don't want to be naked we want our bodies and we want
them glorious and you're gonna get it I want it to be covered with hair
on top not so much saggy right here and fewer wrinkles and better
eyesight and don't want my wife complaining about my hearing anymore and
I'd like to just be so amazing that you would be tempted to worship me
because it says in Matthew 13 43 that we will shine like the Sun in the
kingdom of our Father you can't look at the Sun you can't look at the
Sun until your body is glorified so you you've got to have glorified
eyes to see me that's chapter 8 verses 18 to 25 so I shouldn't be
talking about it but it's here this is resurrection and so he introduces
death in verse 10 right there and then he lifts that burden from us in
part by saying he'll raise you so take heart you see what I'm skipping
here so then brothers after all that amazing work of Christ on the cross
and the work of the Spirit in our lives and the promise of resurrection
so then brothers we are debtors not not to the flesh you don't owe the
flesh anything it has done nothing but ruin you defeat you prepare you
for everlasting torture don't live to the flesh why would you live to
your murderer you don't owe it anything don't get up in the morning and
yield to your killer we are debtors and you would expect him to finish
the sentence so then brothers we are debtors not to the flesh but to the
Spirit and he never gets around to that it's just Paul does this several
times kind of breaks off doesn't finish his parallel which which would
cause you to ask why and the why is pretty significant here he something
comes to his mind and I believe divine inspiration works that
incarnationally that God doesn't cause Paul never to have rabbit trails
in his thinking just guards the rabbit trails so that they're always
true so then brothers we are debtors not to the flesh to live according
to the flesh break off instead of saying but to the Spirit to live
according to the Spirit which is what you would expect instead of that
he just stops that and feels the need to say something shocking and
urgent about why you better be vigilant against your flesh because how
easy it would be for you to say he died for me I'm perfect in Christ my
resurrection is guaranteed those of me justified he glorified home free
no fight no danger be easy to go there is a nice Protestant lover of the
doctrine of imputation like me and he won't let me go there I can
remember taking Romans in seminary and being shocked by verse 13 shocked
I just had been so oblivious to the flow of thought up till then up till
I was 22 I thought of the Bible as a string of pearls I loved him pearls
served me well and I never noticed there were chains it's a chain so a
string of pearls the chain with links of brass steel and it's pretty
shocking a lot of times so there I was staring at this the reason for
the reason you better not live according to the flesh is if you live
according to the flesh you die what does that mean it doesn't mean
physically die because everybody physically dies and he just said you're
gonna physically die and then be raised so it doesn't mean physically
die well it doesn't mean it means forever it means hell it means
judgment means wrath brothers and everything you know in your
theological body or mind rises up and says you didn't talk that way to
brothers the whole point of this chapter is security those of me
justified he glorified you are rock-solid safe elect as you are it is
the point of the chapter boldness nothing can separate us from the love
of God in Christ Jesus but if you don't kill the deeds of the body
you're going to hell brother that's true I preached that way I believe
every pastor should look at look out on his congregation and warn them
they could go to hell because Paul does pastors who don't create a sense
of urgency in their people about what their lives mean what's at stake
in their lives are doing their job well how can that work I mean verse
30 of chapter 8 make another little attempt here to jump around which
they shouldn't do those I mean verse 30 at the bottom those whom he
predestined he called and those whom he called he also justified and
those whom he justified he glorified nobody falls out no predestined
person fails to be called no called person fails to be justified no
justified person fails to be glorified you are absolutely secure and if
you live according to the flesh you will go to hell now one of the ways
people do theology is that they see things that look intention and they
throw on my way they throw one of them away to make it work that's a bad
idea the problem with you is with your brain not the word and until you
take three four five years to work on that I'm not gonna I'm not gonna
encourage you that you've done your job when you throw one of them away
if you can't figure that out just preach preach it teach it teach to
kids here's the way I put the two together so you got absolute certainty
for God's elect over here all the predestined called all the called
justified all the justified will be glorified no dropouts and here's a
warning to the brothers if you live according to flesh you will go to
hell not contradictory because if you live according to the flesh you
show you have the mind of the flesh and you are not in the spirit and
we're never born again and are not among the elect which turns Sunday
morning into a pretty serious moment I really believe that I used to say
to people every one of my sermons is a salvation sermon I'm keeping
people saved my preaching is an instrument of God to preserve the elect
and one of the ways you preserve the elect is to talk like Paul talks
you tell them you live according to flesh you go to hell if you are
elect and you full of the Holy Spirit you hear that you tremble and with
fear and trembling you work out your salvation and go to heaven that's
the way he keeps you it's not automatic it's vital it's living the Word
of God that was the point of last night the Word of God is used by God
to keep you and one of the ways he keeps you is with warnings and if
pastors say I can't give warnings to my people like this because they'll
they'll start being afraid of falling short they're supposed to be
afraid of falling short and the fear sends them flying to the gospel and
to Jesus so if you live according to the flesh you will die but what's
the alternative I don't want to die if by the Spirit this may be among
the most important things we'll see if by the Spirit you put to death
the deeds of the body you won't die you'll live forever yes you will
which means we need to come to terms with what in the world that means
what is putting to death the deeds of the body first of all what what
are the deeds of the body everything is a deal my mind right no well you
wouldn't like use my body to take soup to a neighbor don't put that one
to death what is he talking about back in chapter six he says do not
yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness so sin is
the real culprit here nobody sin is the real culprit and what does sin
do in us what is the old remnants of the flesh and the old man the old
nature that's trying to war against the spirit what does it do it takes
my hand it takes my eyes it takes my sexual inclinations it takes my
body and tries to make it an instrument of sinning in the world kill
those kill those and the way you kill them is by going for the root
which is why John Owen who wrote a whole book on this verse called
mortification of sin whole book on verse 13 said be killing sin or it
will be killing you perfect paraphrase be killing sin or it will be
killing you and he said be killing sin not the deeds of the body because
he knew the root of the body's problem the bodies not bodies just flat
the body's just flesh it's skin it has no moral quality but that's not a
moral thing there's bone and there's blood and there's skin that's a
moral moral is my sin making this punch you that's moral therefore
you're gonna fight that deed you go for sin or you don't go for anything
so how do you do that he tells us how he says by the Spirit Oh how
precious and important is life in the Spirit by the Spirit how would you
do that I'm gonna take you a little quick sequence of thought this this
is one of the most important little sequences of thought in my life this
is how I live I try to live my life first clue Ephesians 6 17 in all
circumstances take up the shield of faith with with which you can
extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God now why
do I go there because it said put to death the deeds of the body by the
Spirit okay get kill something in the armor of Ephesians 6 there's only
one weapon for killing usually don't kill people with this with a shield
helmet you kill people with a sword in this war kill the devil with a
sword and the sword is the sword of the Spirit and it is the Word of God
so that's my first clue okay Paul is saying put to death kill sin kill
the temptations to be selfish kill the temptation to be greedy kill the
temptations to be covetous kill the temptations to be lustful kill the
temptations to be violent kill him kill him by the Spirit he's God I
don't wield him what do you mean by the spirit like spirit bang I he's
God I he picks me up I don't pick him up that's that's that's the way I
struggle with these verses no you don't pick him up but you pick his
sword up when you pick up his sword he's at work mightily so that's
first clue here's second clue Galatians 3 5 okay there's the sword right
there in front of you it's the Word of God what do you do with it
Galatians 3 5 does he who supplies the Spirit to you that's crucial I
need that because he said by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the
body does he who supplies the Spirit to you it works miracles among you
do so by works of the law answer no how with the hearing of faith so now
I've got the hearing which is the word and I got faith uh-huh so what do
you do with the word you got the you got the Spirit he's got a sword
it's the word use it how trust it so it says by hearing with faith the
Holy Spirit is supplied Hudson that that verse is just about as
important as it gets in the Bible as far as living okay I want the
supply of the Holy Spirit this afternoon in dealing with some tough
issues so that I don't sin but rather be used by the Spirit to bear
fruit the just requirement of the law fulfilled love this afternoon not
selfishness and anger and greed and mean spiritedness and fear and self-
pity I want all that stuff dead so Holy Spirit how do I get you it's
right there he who supplies the Spirit how does he do it he does it by
hearing with faith hearing with faith hearing with faith hear what word
word of promise word of God word of gospel word word word hear it but
when you hear it the way you wield it to kill Satan and sin is I trust
you trust you next clue 2nd Thessalonians 2 13 we ought always to give
thanks to God for you brothers beloved by the Lord because God chose you
as the firstfruits to be saved through sanctification there's pause that
is a paraphrase of what I was trying to say about how security and
warnings relate we are saved through being changed sure I grew up in a
tradition where eternal security was as mechanical as it could be prayed
received Jesus when you're six you're going to heaven live like the
devil not through sanctification that never I never saw that in 25 years
nobody's saved except through sanctification nobody there is a holiness
without which you will not see the Lord Hebrews 12 14 never saw it
that's what we're talking about right now the sanctification of putting
to death sin so that you don't die but live be saved happens how by the
Spirit it's all there the Spirit has a sword you wield the sword by
trusting it you will know the truth truth will set you free sanctify
them by the truth your word is truth only if you believe it trust it
illustration this is Hebrews so what I'm gonna do now with Hebrews is
just give you a glimpse of how does that work we're just illustrating
how does verse 13 of Romans 8 happen if you put to death the deeds of
the body by the Spirit you will go to heaven if you live by the flesh
you will go to hell that's urgent we need to know this we need to live
this or we perish we're not mechanical don't care if you pray to prayer
when you were six you can perish if you give all the evidences by living
according to the flesh you're not his you don't belong to him this is
urgent people need to feel urgent about this most important things in
the world and most people live their lives as though nothing were big
and horribly real unbelievably important day by day hour by hour it is
so here is how you do it with the temptation to steal because you love
money all right I want to kill the deed of the body called stealing and
I need to do it by killing covetousness which is the sin underneath
stealing okay here's how it happens keep your life free from the love of
money keep your life free from the love of money and be content oh yes
that would free me from so many sins be content with what you have
instead of being greedy and covetous and I just gotta have that new
iPhone for he has said said said said said he has said I will never
leave you or forsake you do does he who supplies the spirit to you right
now to free you from the love of money does he who supplies the spirit
to you do so by works of the law I can do this or by hearing that with
faith no doubt what the answer is I will never leave you so we can
confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what command do to
me I am free from the craving love of money to have more security
because I've got a promise I've got a word from God I've got a sword
with which to slay covetousness if I believe it that's how you live your
life so what's what's the temptation you face in this afternoon tomorrow
or when you go home what temptation to sin to greed to anger to
covetousness to lust what what are your besetting temptations this is
you got to kill them got perfection we've made that clear in the first
hour we're talking about perfection we're talking a bona fide new
direction of warfare by which you are getting victory over sin not
perfectly but significantly enough that you see I'm indwelt by the Holy
Spirit who enables me to put sin to death how you gonna do it this I
commend to you is how you kill sin so we've been on verse 13 and he
could have skipped it and just said we are debtors not to the flesh to
live according to the flesh but we are debtors to the Spirit to live
according to the Spirit and he didn't say that he introduced one of the
most troubling shocking important warnings in the Bible verse 13 it's
worth a book John Owen thank you for why is it that if you put to death
the deeds of the body by the Spirit you will live why is that because
all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God that logic work
it works do you see it sons of God don't die they get glorified heirs of
God children are heirs of God sons are heirs of God fellow heirs with
Christ provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified
with him we don't die eternally we die physically we don't die eternally
and sons of God don't die all who are dead by the Holy Spirit are sons
of God therefore I'll give you an exam that my question finish that
therefore everyone who puts the deeds of the body by the Spirit don't
die here's the here's the necessary premise that needs to be stated led
by the Spirit is the evidence that you're a son of God sons of God don't
die therefore if you are led by the Holy Spirit you won't die because
you're a son of God therefore if you put to death the deeds of the body
you will live therefore I conclude led here means led in to war with sin
doesn't mean marry the right person there's nothing that's not what's
going on here like if you're led by the Spirit to have the right job and
led by the Spirit to go to the right ministry and led by the Spirit to
marry the right person on and on and on this is not the point this the
connection between verse 13 and 14 demand this logic let me paraphrase
it if you by the Spirit put to death sin you will live because everybody
led to put to death sin is a child of God and they don't die that's the
logic so implication if you have the Holy Spirit you hate sin it's one
of the marks of the witness verse 15 for you did not receive the spirit
of slavery got another four here I just cannot emphasize enough what I
discovered when I was 22 and you may discover here that biblical writers
argue they don't string verses together they argue verses argue for
verses propositions argue for propositions and under the inspiration of
God that means it matters to see it God ordained that we would think
about these force for and this so here for you did not receive the
spirit of slavery to fall back into fear this is how you know that those
who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God because you didn't
receive a spirit of slavery God doesn't make slaves but sons you don't
receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear but you have
received the spirit of adoption as sons adoption as sons not slavery by
whom we cry Abba Father you know you might wish I would wish that the
very reality of slavery didn't exist pre-civil war slavery sexual
slavery today histories of slavery of horrible horrible abuses of people
through chattel slavery you would wish that didn't exist but it does
exist and one of the reasons is so that God could say I don't make
slaves I make sons I don't I'm I'm creating a family not a slave force
that he created the universe to create a family for himself and his son
is the older brother and the spirit that he's given us cries out Abba
Father and that is named that reality is named in verse 16 the Spirit
himself bears witness with our spirit bears witness with our spirit that
we are the children of God what does that mean what does that refer to
at least two things in this passage I think it refers to the witness of
the Spirit with your spirit that you are a child of God is number one
the awakening of a cry Daddy and I think the word cry is important you
can program a computer to say Abba Father Abba Father that's no proof
that the computer is a child of God see the issue and humans can say
Abba Father and on the last day hear him say I never knew you that's why
I think he used the word cry he could have said say said cry krodza
because he meant it's gonna be real and the word Abba as you know is a
term of endearment and intimacy and preciousness and father is a
massively strong and helpful supplying protecting term so you got a cry
and you got a little daddy word here and then just get this massive I
care for my children got all that and when the Holy Spirit produces that
in you it's a witness you're mine you are mine my child here's another
way to say it Jesus said unless you turn and become like children you
will never enter the kingdom of God so behind this word cry here is a
genuine spiritual change from self-sufficiency to childlikeness I need
if you if you from your heart feel like I don't I'm not insubordinate to
God anymore I don't have a spine of steel my neck is no longer stiff my
brasses my forehead is no longer brass I'm just a little needy baby I
need somebody to take care of me I don't have any pretensions anymore
being smart or strong I just need God as my father that is the Holy
Spirit's witness that's the first thing it means an authentic humble
childlike dependent cry to God to be a father you are my father I need
you the second meaning I think is to realize that what a witness does is
give evidence that's the first evidence we saw in the awakening of that
cry this witness here and the evidence secondly that I see in this text
is what I mentioned earlier in verse 13 well 14 and 13 those who are led
by the Spirit of God put to death the deeds of the body if the Holy
Spirit is in you he bears witness to his his being there and you're
being a child of adoption by virtue of creating hatred for sin yet these
two you get these two very different emotions that are created in the
born-again heart one is a little child a little tender meek helpless I
need my daddy and the others are lying I hate you sin you dare to kill
you all day long I look for that in people I look for that combination I
don't like namby-pamby people and I don't like people who are only kill
kill kill kill with no tenderness about them at all because the Holy
Spirit's witness in you does both it's one of the reasons is so
powerfully evident that you're a child of God is that just like Christ
puts together diverse excellencies to use the words of Jonathan Edwards
human beings led by the Spirit produce diverse excellencies we are
warriors and we hate our sin and to be in our shape about the world sin
I expect the world to do wicked things this born-again man you raise
that you raise that up cutting your head off at least I'm trying to lean
on the Spirit that much do some racing here just so we can see these
last verses the Spirit himself bears witness with I'm at verse 16 the
Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of
God and if children then heirs heirs of God fellow heirs with Christ
provided we provided we suffer with him in order that we may be
glorified with the breath and be amazed you really do need to pray as
you read the Bible God give you the capacities to be amazed it's what
the psalmist does right open my eyes that I may behold wonders not just
facts wonders out of your law I see facts and black marks every time I
open my Bible I don't see wonders every time I open my Bible cuz I'm
blind much at the time so pray right now God help me to see this if you
are a child of God you are an heir of God got any emotions corresponding
to that at all like how much does he own and fellow heirs with Christ
the very Son of God fellow heirs that's like with your wife Peter said
your fellow heirs of the grace of life nice in your fellow here with God
the Son both of you provided before we go to the provided look what are
you going to inherit Romans 4 13 the promise to Abraham and his
offspring is that he would be an heir of the world so you're gonna
inherit the world blessed of the meek for they shall inherit the earth
so you get the world this is first Corinthians 321 all things are yours
all policy this world confirmation life death present future all are
yours you are Christ Christ is God's because Christ belongs to God who
owns all things he owns all things and because we belong to Christ who
owns all things because God owns all things we own all things by way of
inheritance get all the way back here we will come into this inheritance
of the world and glorification see that at the end of the verse we will
be glorified with him we'll see more of that later provided here's
another one of these big gifts just like chapter verse 13 said if you
put to death at the deeds of the body you will be glorified here it says
if you suffer with him you'll be glorified another if which raises a
huge question like oh can you go out make some enemies real quick gotta
have a persecution quotient today to hold my assurance up that's a good
question it is a good question what kind of suffering does he have in
mind here who is there a degree of suffering a measure of suffering
that's a really big question the the right way to answer a question like
that is to think in concentric circles start with the immediate context
and ask is there a clue in the context so let's go to the next paragraph
the last one we'll look at in these last few minutes I'm gonna go ten
minutes over time he told me I could we're gonna quit at 1210 if you're
getting hungry all right the next verse after saying you will inherit
the world and glorification with Christ if you suffer with him the next
verse says for I consider that the sufferings so there is zero reason to
go running elsewhere to get a parallel for the word suffering this is it
so what does he mean here for I consider that those sufferings that you
have to walk through in order to get to heaven I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory
that will be revealed to us for the creation waits with eager longing
for the revealing of the sons of God for the creation was subjected to
futility not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it and
hope that the whole creation we set free for its bondage to corruption
and obtain the glorious the freedom of the glory of the children of God
let's let's keep going for the creation was all the creations and
groaning together until now in the pains of childbirth and not the
creation only but we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Holy
Spirit grown inwardly waiting for our adoption the redemption of our
bodies so you put that together versus 18 to 23 what's the suffering
persecution is not even mentioned in that paragraph I'm sure it's
included what's mentioned is we live in a world where you can count on
it you're gonna groan waiting the redemption of your bodies so 57 years
old more Oklahoma he cut her head off yesterday welcome to America Isis
I don't know whether that's true or not just what I feel that's gonna
happen that's gonna happen and when it comes we will groan maybe not
long and the reason we will groan is because that's what can happen to
bodies that are not yet redeemed you'll be able to cut my head off in
heaven it will be indestructible a body his rest zone and weakness
raised in power nobody can kill me on the other side but here I can die
of cancer ALS leukemia and beheading it's all the sufferings of this
present time which means that what he's saying is this we said provided
you suffer with him you will be glorified with him he doesn't mean now
go out and make sure you get your quotient of pain today he means it's
coming and if you suffer it with him in reliance on him for his glory
received from his hand as your sovereign surgeon and therapist you'll
make it but if you if you make suffering an occasion to get in God's
face and tell him off and say if that's the way you treat your children
I'm out of here you will perish it really matters how you deal with
suffering really matters provided you suffer with him not against him
you will be glorified I consider that the sufferings of this present
time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us
what what glory is that it's going to be revealed to us what glory is
there's a God's glory your glory glory the universe keep reading worth
comparing to the glory be revealed to us for the creation waits with
eager longing for the revealing a clue revealed revealing so this is
probably this right the revealed is what's being revealed here for the
revealing of the sons of God whoa so the glory that is about to be
revealed to us is our glory that's in no sense of belittlement or a
diminishment of the centrality of glory of God it just mean God means to
share it that's what verse 17 said you will be glorified with him
glorified with him and I consider that the sufferings of this present
world are not we compared to what's going to happen at that moment when
we are glorified with him as the sons of God and we come into being like
suns in the sky that nobody can look at that will make it all worth it
that's what he means revealing of the sons of God but but notice
something else in verse 19 the creation is waiting for tiptoes waiting
with eager longing for that now I had in my mind for years that God
would make a new creation like a playground and then he would fit me for
that well in a sense that's right but it's the other way around this is
make this so off the charts incredibly it's the other way around the
creation I'm in verse 19 the creation is waiting with eager longing to
we shine like the Sun and they say all the galaxies say can I get in the
creation verse 20 was subjected to futility not willingly the creation
didn't didn't want to have famines and pestilence and earthquakes and
tsunamis and viruses and Ebola the creation was subjected to horrible
futility and bondage to corruption not willingly but by the will of him
who's subjected who's that I used to say well it was Adam the devil that
won't work because the word didn't hope there's only one person who
could subject it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from
its bondage and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God
so he said it twice now he said it in verse 19 the creation waits with
eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God and he says it again
now here the creation is going to be set free from its bondage
corruption this this verb here is it's just a preposition in the Greek
into into the freedom of the glory the children God you get your freedom
from sin and freedom from bondage and freedom from suffering and freedom
from groaning and a glorious glorification with Jesus and then and then
the universe jumps in to share it the creation will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain your freedom your glory as the children
you need to pray hard when you read that okay we're gonna make it this
is the end for this session best is yet come there's 22 for we know that
the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth
until now it's for therefore goes back and explains why the creation
will come into the enjoyment of the freedom of the glory of the children
of God because it's groaning is not the throes of death but labor paints
that's the argument you watch a woman whose child is stillborn and a
woman who's almost ready to give birth to a live baby they may sound
exactly the same it hurts and so Paul is clarifying what is this that
we're looking at what is this horrible horrible world that we're looking
at death throws universe collapsing into meaningless nothingness or
birth pains and he's crystal clear the groaning of this awful world is
the groaning of birth pains where do you get that Jesus nation will rise
against nation kingdom against kingdom there will be earthquakes in
various places and refamines these are the beginning of the birth pains
Paul didn't make that up earthquakes 250,000 people dead after the
tsunami what's the meaning of that birth pains and not only the creation
oh this is just hmm and not only the creation but we ourselves who have
the first fruits of the Holy Spirit grown inwardly as we eagerly await
our adoption of sons the redemption of our bodies you can almost see it
in English you can't see it in English when he says not only not only
the creation but we ourselves it's really emphatic in Greek we ourselves
even we and you can hear what he's doing he's talking to prosperity
gospelers seriously people who believed well sure the world has to groan
sure the creation has to groan but the king's kids don't have to groan
we got the spirit we got the cross we got the righteousness we got the
inheritance we got the power our wives don't miscarry our cattle don't
die and we get our pickup truck you don't even we even we even we even
we who have yes yes we do have the first fruits the rest is coming our
position is secure but even we who have the first fruits grown because
we're waiting life is a weight it's a weight we don't have it now the
prosperity Gospels main problem is over realized heaven heaven is later
now is suffering groaning aching cancer beheadings dying we are being
counted as sheep to be slaughtered we're being killed all day long
what's this prosperity crap no we suffer with him in order that we may
be glorified with him we wait for our adoption you're already adopted
yes we are but the full experience of it the redemption of our bodies
that's what we want I don't want my body to be an instrument of
unrighteousness I don't want it to be an agent of sin I'm tired of its
yielding to the law of sin well take heart because you will be saved
final verse quit for in this hope hope hope we were saved we've been
saved now and he's talking to these same people again hope that is seen
if you can see all the power if you can see all the healing if you can
see all the prosperity you don't need a hope now hope that is seen it's
not hope but for who hopes for he sees I'm telling you've been saved in
hope not hate saved in seeing we want by faith and not by sight but if
we hope if we hope for what we do not see and we do what a glory what an
inheritance you wait and we wait in the hands of our sovereign God
father as we break and listen to all the small talks this afternoon and
pray deal with you about the sufferings of our own lives come and move
on us I pray in power in Jesus name

========================================================================
Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/yRlXS32_9Cs.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/john-piper/creation-is-groaning/
========================================================================