Groaning Now, Glory Later: The Hope That Sustains God’s Children

Romans 8:18–25 NLT

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Message

We are God’s children and heirs of His glory (Romans 8:15-17^a-b NLT). But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering (Romans 8:17^c NLT).

I. Future Glory Far Exceeds Current Suffering (18)

See verse 18.

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

It is like a woman in labor who forgets the pain of childbirth because of her joy that a child has been born into the world (John 16:21).

II. All Creation Waits, Hopes, and Groans (19-22)

All creation eagerly waits for God to reveal His children (19).

Creation was subjected to God’s curse, but it hopes to share in the glorious freedom of God’s children (20–21).

All creation groans like a woman in labor (22).

III. Believers Groan, Wait, and Hope (23-24)

We believers also groan, although the Holy Spirit gives us a foretaste of future glory.

We eagerly await our full adoption, including the redemption of our bodies (23).

We received this hope when we were saved. Hope looks forward to what we do not yet have (24).

IV. A Call for Patience and Confidence in Waiting (25)

Therefore, we wait patiently and confidently for what God has promised (25).