[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, October. 13, 2024 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
Groaning, Hope, Waiting (Romans 8: 18-25)
2024. 10. 13. 주일예배 설교- 로마서 강해 19
본문: 로마서 8:18-25
제목: 탄식, 소망, 기다림
설교자: 손진국 목사
Today’s passage, Romans 8:18-25, tells us how far the gospel’s impact reaches. The title of today’s sermon is Groaning, Hope, Waiting. These three themes appear in the passage we read today. Let’s take a look at each of them.
[Romans 8:19] For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. Why does creation eagerly wait for the children of God to be revealed? When we eagerly await something, it is usually because there is a problem or a lack. What is the current state of creation?
[Romans 8:22] We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Who is groaning now? All creation is groaning. The word “together” appears twice here, meaning that creation is groaning together with people, especially with the children of God.
1. All creation is groaning together with us.
All creation is groaning. It is groaning as if it were in the pains of childbirth. What does this mean? It means that it is very difficult.
What is the current state of creation? [Romans 8:20] For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope.
Creation is in a state of futility. What does this mean? A different expression of the same concept appears in verse 21. [Romans 8:21] That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Creation is trapped in a state of futility where it cannot help but continue to decay.
If you look at the Bible, you can see why all human problems came to be like this, how they are progressing, and what the solutions are. You can see that even the natural phenomena have causes, results, and solutions within the Bible, and one such example is today’s passage.
How has nature changed over the course of human history? Over time, the ecosystem has been gradually destroyed. It’s amazing to see how each individual creature tries to continuously regenerate itself, but on a larger scale, the entire universe is losing more energy than it creates and is in decline. Everything in nature grows old and dies. In other words, nature is currently heading towards death.
Why is creation groaning in this pain? Who is to blame? The Bible tells us that it is because of humans.
The environment God originally gave to humanity was perfect. There were trees that bore fruit for food, trees that were pleasing to the eye, and there was also the tree of life. These trees provided for both the spirit, soul, and body. But what happened after humans sinned?
[Genesis 3:17] To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.”
The ground was cursed because of the sin of man. Why is that? Because humans are the masters of the earth. The earth belongs to humanity. The earth was meant to give food to people freely. The fruit would open up naturally. But after sin, things changed. We now have to sweat and toil to get food from the earth. If left alone, the earth will only produce thorns and thistles, which are not edible. This is the result of the curse.
[Genesis 3:18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
When I was in Christchurch, I once helped someone in an apple orchard. There were many apple trees there. What would happen if we just left the apple trees alone? Would they bear delicious apples that are good to eat? New Zealand is a clean, pure land, so is it safe to eat apples without washing them? No. Early in the morning, the first thing people do is spray the trees with pesticides. If left alone, the apples will be eaten by bugs and rot, becoming inedible, and weeds will grow, turning the land into useless ground.
If left alone for a long time, it gets worse. Why? Because of the sin of humanity. In Noah’s time, when God looked at the earth, its condition is described in Genesis 6:12.
[Genesis 6:12] God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
The earth was corrupt. The translation doesn’t quite capture it, but in the original text, the word “key (yKi)” is used. This word expresses a causal relationship, like "because" or "for" in English. The earth was corrupt because people's lives were corrupt.
Isn’t it unfair for nature? Why is all creation subject to humans? The reason is found in Genesis 1:28. [Genesis 1:28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” The earth and all living creatures in it were entrusted to humans by God. They are subject to humanity. If people fall, the earth and all living creatures fall with them, and when people are restored, the earth and all living creatures will be restored as well.
[Application] Do I recognize that when I sin, its impact extends not only to the people around me but also to the earth and living creatures?
[Romans 8:20] For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope. [Romans 8:20, New Translation] Creation was subjected to futility, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope. Creation was subjected to futility because it was given to humanity by God. Due to sin, creation was subjected to futility, but what does it say at the end? Shall we read it together?
2. But Hope Remains
Yes, all creation is in decay, heading toward death, and groaning in pain, but hope remains. What is that hope? [Romans 8:21] That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Creation is bound to decay and death, but it will be set free and will eventually share in the glorious freedom that God’s children will enjoy. What does the glorious freedom of God’s children have to do with creation? The children of God are those who, through the gospel and faith, have regained the authority that God originally gave to humanity—the authority to subdue the earth and rule over all living creatures.
This makes us realize once again how precious and truly good the gospel is. The gospel has changed our spiritual position. The gospel doesn’t just restore the authority that was taken away by Satan; it elevates our spiritual position even higher than before. To illustrate the change in our spiritual position, it looks something like this:
Before the Fall of Man: God – Angels – Humans – Creation – Satan
[Psalm 8:5, New Translation] You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
What happened after humanity fell?
[Ephesians 2:2] In which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
After the Fall: God – Angels – Satan – Humans – Creation
Our spiritual position was drastically altered by the event of Jesus coming to this earth and dying on the cross. Now, humanity is divided into two types of people: those who believe and those who do not.
[Hebrews 1:14] Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
After the Cross of Jesus Christ: God – Believers – Angels – Creation – Satan – Unbelievers
Therefore, the gospel is the incredible news that completely changes our spiritual position. Many people don’t realize this. Even believers are often unaware of this truth and continue to be deceived by Satan, living lives where they fail to use the authority they have as children of God and instead are dragged around by Satan. Remember, your spiritual position has changed. Because of this, all of creation has hope too. What hope? The hope of being freed from this groaning and the pain of childbirth.
Where is the hope of all creation, all things, found? It is found in the children of God who believe. However, because we are still living in this world, we haven’t yet obtained complete freedom. The concept of already, but not yet applies here. God’s kingdom has already come, but it has not yet fully arrived. When will God’s kingdom fully come? When will God’s children fully receive and enjoy their glorious freedom? It will be when the Lord returns.
[Romans 8:18] I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The future glory that will be revealed to us refers to the return of Jesus.
[Application] Do I acknowledge that my spiritual position has been completely changed through faith in Jesus? What areas of my life need to change as a result of this truth?
3. Waiting with Excitement Alongside Creation
[Romans 8:25] But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. We must wait patiently for the day when Jesus returns. We are not people who live by looking at what is visible on this earth. We are people who look at the eternal things that are unseen by the physical eye. Those who are spiritually awake are people who, despite the current suffering and groaning, endure and wait for the day the Lord will return.
However, it is not only us who are waiting. All creation on this earth is eagerly waiting as well. [Romans 8:19] For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
What will the result of this waiting look like? First, it will not be vanity but fullness. Considering the majesty and grandeur of the oceans, mountains, valleys, and forests we see now, it is hard to imagine how magnificent the world will be when it is restored to its original state. Second, instead of perishing, it will be renewed and strengthened. Nature now ages, withers, weakens, and its order is being destroyed at every moment. But in the new earth, everything will remain eternally new, beautiful, strong, and harmonious.
Third, there will be joy instead of pain. [Romans 8:22] We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
The gospel is good news that grants forgiveness of sins, freedom, and eternal life to humans, who are subjects of death, judgment, and condemnation, and makes them children of God. Moreover, it is also truly good news to all creation, which has been in decay and continually heading towards destruction along with fallen humanity, as it will be restored to its original freedom, abundance, and vitality before the fall.
Thus, while creation groans in pain alongside us on this earth, it is waiting because of the wonderful hope it holds. Go outside and ask a tree, “Is it tough?” It will say it is tough. Ask the polluted air from exhaust fumes, “Is it painful?” It will say yes. Ask the acidifying ground, “Is it difficult, but are you still waiting?” It will say it is waiting with hope for the day the children of God will be revealed.
Both people and all of creation groan with hope and wait for the day of restoration. Through the gospel, we have been given hope, and the day will come when the beauty, abundance, true peace, and glory of God, which God declared "good" at the time of creation, will be restored. Everything will be restored on that day.
That image is described in Isaiah 11. [Isaiah 11:6-9] The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
[Revelation 21:1, 5] Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea... He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Because we have this hope, we wait with excitement.
Here’s a passage from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three. The closer it gets to four, the happier I'll be. By four, I’ll be so excited I won’t know what to do!”
Our waiting is joyful waiting, and it’s waiting filled with excitement.
We have suffering. That’s our present reality. But a day of glory is coming. A day of glory incomparable to our current suffering is guaranteed. So, while we groan as we look at the reality, we can also endure because we have the hope of restoration. We can wait with expectation, greater than our groaning. We can endure because we have the hope that everything will be restored on the day of the Lord.
[Application] Do I have hope in the midst of suffering? What am I waiting for, and with what kind of heart am I waiting?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.