“The Church Groans” (Romans 8:23)

Here’s the title of the message: “The Church Groans.” Positive Sunday here. Wait, welcome. You know, glad you’re here. This is from the text. Let’s read in Romans 8:22-23 I’m gonna include 22 just for context here. Last week we covered this, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now, and not only the creation, but (watch this) we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly.” There’s the word, “the church groans”. “Groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” So, the church groans. This term, “groan”. I’m going to reread J Mac’s definition of it. I think it’s fitting here. “An audible expression of anguish due to physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. These groanings bewail a condition that is painful, unsatisfying, and sorrowful, a cry for deliverance from a torturing experience.” Now I want you to know this may be a little different. These are groans that are inward, right? These are inward groanings. It doesn’t mean that you physically are going around, Oh, you know, some of you old Hee Haw fans from first service blew despair and agony on me. Oh, deep dark depression, excessive misery. Oh, remember that? Who can finish singing that? We’re not going to sing that in church. You’re welcome. Why do we groan? Why do we groan? This is not an exhaustive list, but I think it’s thorough, and I want to cover these, and we’ll land at the authorial intent there in verse 23 for sure.

Here’s this is why we groan,

1. Because We Have The Holy Spirit

Now, that’s an odd thing to say, isn’t it? “Wait, I thought the Spirit was our Comforter.” He is. He is our Comforter, but He’s also the reason why we would groan. One of the reasons, let’s say, probably the first. Here’s the text again, Romans 8:23, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have (what?) the first fruits of the spirit.” And thus, groan. The first fruits of the Spirit. He’s given us His Spirit. He’s done something inside of us that has separated us from the rest of the world, if you will. In other words, this “we” right here is the church. These are believers. This applies to every single true believer. And the world doesn’t groan as we groan, just as we don’t grieve as they grieve. They don’t have a groaning here, they want to get the most they can out of this life, because you know, YOLO, right? “You only live once, and let’s do it, let’s milk it, let’s get our best life now, let’s get it all in, let’s make all we can, let’s can all we get,” right? “It’s for me and my family, and you just kind of, you hoard everything, it’s a hedonistic at some level,” right? Pleasure equals existence. Self-actualization, deep-seated ambition, a reliance on pride, the things that we want to accomplish, and that make us stand out. That’s the earthly life. That’s not a groaning. Now, that doesn’t mean they don’t groan if they don’t succeed. It doesn’t mean they don’t groan in physical sufferings, but they don’t groan like this, because this is their home, and they don’t have the Spirit. “Inwardly,” right? Which is this word used here, “inwardly”, is dead in them, and it was dead in you, it was dead in me, until what? Until we heard the gospel, and the Spirit of God raises us from the dead, by grace through faith, He gives us the faith. Look, first to see our sin and repent, and then to believe on our Savior, and to love Him. And the world doesn’t have that, and thus they can’t experience this groaning. They’ve not been born of the Spirit, so they don’t have the first fruits of the Spirit. They’ve not been sealed of the Spirit, and thus they don’t have the confidence of the Spirit. They’ve not been guaranteed by the Spirit, and thus they don’t have that security of the Spirit. They don’t have the fruit of the Spirit. They don’t have the guide of the Spirit. They don’t have the teacher of the Spirit. They don’t have the one that convicts them as a child or disciplines them as a son or daughter. They don’t have the Comforter we have, and they don’t have the one who intercedes for them living inside of them, no, that’s vacant, and so that groaning is not there in an unbeliever and so listen to me. In some ways, I don’t know what gospel you got fed, but if it’s the real one, what you’ve come to realize is that sometimes when some people, and by some I mean all, and I mean everywhere, come to Christ, their problems don’t all go away. In fact, they get new ones. Now, the good news is the greatest problem you’ve ever had is taken away. You were under the wrath of God, and now it’s been put on Christ. But you have new problems, and you have persecutions, and you have sufferings, and you have thus groanings. Yes, you have the Comforter here but He also brings with Him the groaning for other things, that’s number one.

Here’s 2. Because We Love Jesus Christ

We groan because we love Jesus Christ. Now we have to clarify something here. I know first service, everybody loves the real Jesus, but you know that third service, you know those guys are. You could go into a bar on a Friday night at 1:30AM and everybody’s bombed out of their mind, and you could yell, “How many of you love Jesus?” And people will go, “Yeah!” Right? I assume that was a country bar. “Yes, I love You.” The question is, which one? You know what I mean. You say, “Well, there’s only one Jesus Christ.” That’s right. There’s only one true Jesus Christ. And there are, listen, there are literally billions of self-made Jesus Christs. They take His name only, and then they mold the idol, and they call it “Jesus”. But if it’s not the Jesus of the Bible, it’s the Jesus of someone’s making of that name in their own mind, and that’s simply just a way to say it. An idol, you just put the Jesus’ name on it. It’s got to be the Jesus of the Bible. So, the question is, do you love the Jesus of the Bible? In fact, I don’t have this verse up. Olivia, don’t worry about this. I’m going to open the Bible on my iPad here. I want to read you this. This is out of John eight. This is 41 through 45. John 8:41-45, “And Jesus says to the Pharisees.” Now, by the way, what did the Pharisees always say? Well, we’re God’s favorite, we love God, we know God, we are gods, right? In other words, that we belong to Him. Jesus says, “You are doing the works your Father did.” And they answer Him this: they said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, even God.” So, this is kind of typical of what I’m explaining about saying you love Jesus. Okay, we have God, our Father. Watch this, “Jesus said to them, “if God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God, and I’m here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot, what you cannot bear to hear My word.” That’s what He tells them. The people that don’t love the real Jesus cannot bear to hear the whole counsel of God. They cannot bear to be taught the entirety of the 66 books, Old and New Testament, rightly divided and rightly impacted with the fact that Jesus has fulfilled it all. They want a God of their own making. Does that make sense? They want the love of God, but they’ll hear nothing of the justice of God, the holiness of God, much less the wrath of God against those that are His enemies. They want to make Him into their own image. And then Jesus goes on, and He says, real encouraging word here, “You are of your father, the devil.” See, that’s not the Jesus of somebody’s making. “You’re of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there’s no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he’s a liar and the father of lies. (Watch this) But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me.” And we have that happen, even here. Every genuine church is going to have that happen. People are going to shake their head. “That’s not the Jesus I serve.” “Well, my God is-“ Yup. You’re right, I’m not arguing. I’m not going to argue with you, but I’m saying what this God is, the God, the real God, and this is the real Jesus. And if you really do know the real Jesus, you love Him. Now, do you love Him perfectly? No. Do you love Him as much as He deserves? No. But do you love Him at all? The real Jesus? A real believer would say “yes”. And there is thus a groaning in you. Why? Because it’s almost like a homesickness, right? Your loved one is not currently physically with you, and there’s a homesick feeling, if you will, a spiritual groaning.

This is 1 Peter 1:3-8, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded (that’s the Holy Spirit) through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” What is that? That’s the resurrection of your glorified body one day. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you’ve been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, it may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Look at verse eight, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him.” I’m not going to ask for a show of hands, because you’re in church, and you kind of be like, “I’ve got to raise my hand.” But do you love Jesus? If you love Him, your heart is attached. In fact, you’re one spirit with Him, and that means you’re going to groan until you get to be with your beloved, and the more you walk with Him, and the more you grow in Christ, the more you’re going to love Him, and thus the more you’re going to groan, and thus the more you’ll be looking to Him for satisfaction, rather than the things that are here that are simply temporary. It says, “Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” So, I thought you said we were groaning, right? It’s both two things can be true at once. We have the joy of our salvation, and we groan because we want the Savior. There is a groaning for those who love Jesus. Look at 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. Paul writes this: He says, “For this light, momentary affliction” and be sorrowful. Right? It’s “Preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, and the things that are unseen are eternal.” So, you say, “Well, yeah, but I feel like I put my eyes on things on the earth all the time.” Right? That’s called the human struggle. You’re going through a process called sanctification, and you get this – the younger you are, the more easily distracted you get. I mean, you just have a lot to distract you. You have a lot of things that you are important. Some of them actually are important. I mean, who wants a pilot that’s so spiritual he doesn’t fly the plane? You want to fly in that plane with him? “I’m too spiritual, I’m just in deep intercession with my eyes closed.” Open thy eyes. But this is something we can actually choose. How many of you remember that song, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” or that? That was the first song I learned all the way through. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.” You recognize that? “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Well, it takes courage to sing after Wes and Christian, but it’s true. So, what do we have to do? We have to take our eyes off the things that are transient and fix our eyes on Christ. That’s the admonition in Hebrews 12, right? “Since we’re surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” right? “Let’s lay aside every weight and every sin that easily besets us and run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated now at the right hand of the throne of God.” That becomes your obsession more and more and more the longer you walk with Him. To know Him is to love Him and to know Him more is to actually love Him more, so we groan because of that. I’m away from my wife for one day, and I’m groaning, like, “Oh!” You know, sometimes she’s around me and she’s groaning. 33 years this last Friday, by the way, and that’s awesome, because there’s no better, yeah, there’s a grace. Yeah, they’re clapping for her, “Way to go!”

Here’s 3. Why do we groan? Why does the church grown? Oh!

3. Because Of Our Sin

Our sin. We groan because of what’s going on in us. We groan, why? Well, we covered the whole reason of that back in Romans chapter seven. In fact, here are the three ending verses of that chapter. Actually, there’s one after this verse 24 but I won’t read it. Romans 7:22-24, Paul writes, “For I delight in the law of God, my inner being.” Now, what? Why is that? What is that important? Because he’s a real believer. Unbelievers don’t delight of the law of God and their inner being, they hate the law of God in their inner being. This is a saved person, he says, “But I see in my members.” That is in the actual physical body of me that still carries the vestiges of sin. He says, “But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” And then he cries this out in verse 24, “Wretched man that I am! (put that on a T-shirt) Who will deliver me from this body of death?” What is he doing? That is a groan. That’s not a groan. What is he didn’t walk around verbalizing it? Have you ever sinned and then you just groan? “Dang it.” And what do we do? We don’t re-vow and turn over a new leaf. What do we do? That groaning should lead us to the throne of grace, to the feet of our Savior, where we find mercy and grace to help in time of need. We rush to that faster the older we get, but this is the groaning, isn’t it? There’s a suffering to it, because we realize we don’t love Him as we should. All sin in the life of a believer is actually a sin against love, isn’t it? It’s a sin against the relationship that becomes deeply felt and personal. 1 Corinthians 15:51-56, “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” So, in other words, there’ll be some Christians that aren’t in the ground, and there’ll be some Christians that will be in the ground already buried most when Jesus returns. We’ll all be changed “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” Watch verse 53, “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable.” Why is it perishable? It’s perishable because of s-i-n the wages, right? There it is. That’s why it’s perishable. And so, we’re going to receive a body that’s not been tainted by that sin. “And this mortal body.” Why is it “mortal”? It’s mortal because of sin. It was subject to that futility, right? It must “Put on immortality.” Look, this verse 54, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on the immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” What is that? Death is the what? Death is the wage of sin. The wages of sin is death. This is all the groaning that we see in ourselves. “O death, where is your victory? O, death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is (what? Here it is. It’s) sin. The power of sin is the law.” Do you still have that power working in you? Yeah, you do. It’s not your identity anymore. We covered this like months and months and years ago. Maybe I have, add, it’s bad. Yep, but that’s why we’re groan. We see the sin in ourselves now. Keep that in mind.

And look at number four. This is 4. Because Of Others’ Sin.

Now, listen to me. If you’re more concerned about others’ sin than your sin. I’m not saying you’re not a real believer. I’m saying you have a lot of growing to do, because those things start out this way, and they tilt near the end of a Christian life. As a mature Christian reaches that point where he or she’s going to be with the Lord, they care way more about where they are than where everybody else may or may not be, but nevertheless, we still do have this groaning. I’m just simply saying rightly placed, it will go below us groaning over our own. It keeps us humble, it keeps us from being hypocritical, it keeps us from being wrongly judgmental, right? But we still do groan over people. This is Old and New Testament. Here’s New Testament referencing Old Testament. 2 Peter 2:7-8. Marcus, make sure my voice is yelling at them, so they’re not all distracted by this rain. I’m playing. Look, “And if he (that speaking about God, and if He) rescued righteous Lot.” You remember who Lot was? Lot was the guy, right, related to Abraham, who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, not a good place, think San Francisco. So, he lived there. “He rescued righteous Lot.” Why was Lot righteous? Because of something he didn’t know. He was righteous because he had faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, even though he didn’t know the next two names, and he believed that there would be a seed of the woman that would rescue mankind. He believed in the Savior. “And if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed (look at that, he was distressed) by the sensual conduct of the wicked.” So, he saw what was going on around him. And then, in a parenthetical statement, which is still inspired. Look at the next verse, “(For as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul. (Why is that? It was) Over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.” Have you ever had that happen? Sure, you have. I remember I got saved at 19 years old, and before I was 19, I never heard curse words. I didn’t hear them. I could say them, and I never hear them. I could hear them, and I didn’t hear them. And I got saved, and suddenly I heard curse words, and it’d be like, “Oh.” It was like impacting, right? You hear those phrases, and some people just throw them around like they’re earning them money. It’s just impact, that’s what that is, that’s a groaning because of the sin of other people. A real believer, you experience this, you get grieved by the things you read, see, hear, and others do. In fact, look at Ezekiel 9:4, great Old Testament reference. And God is speaking to the man who has this. There’s a man who appears in linen, he has a writing pocket on him, which means he has a paper and a quill with him. “And the Lord said to him (watch) ‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on all the foreheads of the men who (look) sigh and groan over all the (what?) the abominations that are committed in it.” In other words, there were people, even at the time of the prophet, who would sigh and groan. Look, these were people that were going to come under God’s judgment. The prophet was railing against these, but there were still God had His remnant, just as He does now, and they’re in there watching and hearing and seeing, right? And they’re grieved over it, yeah, they’re groaning over it. We groan now. I can’t watch the news and not groan. It’s just really that way now. We tend to limit it to that. We think, “Well, those are all these bad people doing bad things.” And absolutely that’s true, but there’s also another category where we groan over other people’s sin, and this might land here. It lands in my life. It’s groaning over those who won’t receive Christ. It’s groaning over those that you love, the people that you love, who reject your Savior. And many of us have loved ones, very close. I know I do, close to my heart, dear to my heart, couldn’t get dearer, and I groan, and I do pray, and I encourage you to pray, because God’s not done. Where there’s life, there’s hope. But don’t you ever experience that? You’re like, “Oh, if she would just hear the gospel, oh, if she would just come and hear the word, oh, if he would just believe on Christ, oh, if they would just humble themselves. Oh, if he would lay down his pride.” Yeah, that’s a groaning over these people.

David said this in Psalm 119:136, “My eyes shed streams of tears because people do not keep Your law.” This term right here is synonymous with having faith. What does the law do? The law is designed to lead you to the Savior, not for you to fulfill it. He did that for us. What about Lamentations? Look at Lamentations 3:48-51. This is Jeremiah, right? Called the Weeping Prophet. He’s weeping over these people that he loves. “My eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite, until the Lord from heaven looks down and sees (that’s a synonymous term with rescue and save) My eyes cause me grief at the fate of all the daughters of my city.” What is he doing? He is groaning, he’s suffering. Many of you feel that. I want to encourage you, this is normal Christianity. That’s a fruit of your love for people, that’s not you being judgmental. That’s what people don’t see, that they can’t see the heart of a Christian who’s looking at them, going, “Oh my gosh, I just want you to have this joy that I have. Not only that, I want you to have your sins forgiven. Not only that, I want to see you in heaven. I want to reunite with you someday. I don’t want you to miss that. I don’t want you a torturous hell created for the devil and his angels.” That’s a motive of love to tell them the truth. “You need a Savior.” See, it’s all, “You’re judging me.” “No, I’m trying to keep you from being judged, because if you judge yourself now, you won’t be judged later, because there is a Redeemer.”

Didn’t Jesus act the same way? Look at Luke 13:34. Boy, this is one of the most incredible verses in the New Testament. He cries this out: “O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” “O,” this is a woe. The prophet either spoke a woe or a weal. It was either it was either bad or good, and this is a woe, this is woe unto you, “Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were (what?) not willing.” This is a groan. Jesus groaned, He groaned, He grieved in His spirit, He weeped, He lamented, He mourned, He was sorrowful, wasn’t He? He was. He knows exactly what you feel, because what is He saying? “I’ve wanted to bring you to myself.” This is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe, and He’s likening himself unto a chicken. Love makes you do crazy things, man. You know He’s not being crazy, but you know I’m saying, He’s willing to condescend to that place. He’s saying, “Look, you can understand this, can’t you guys? You ever seen a chicken? Come on, guys, think about it.” He’s saying they gather them up because they love them, and they want to do what? Protect them. I’ve wanted to protect you, and you wouldn’t come. This is the heart of God. This is why we groan as we do for our loved ones who reject Jesus. Paul, extreme statement here that we’ll cover in the months ahead of when we finally get to Romans nine. Look at Romans 9:1-3. What an opening to this great chapter. He says, “I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying.” I’m speaking the truth. I’m not lying. “My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit.” Now, what is that? In other words, he’s saying what I’m about to tell you is not a falsehood, it’s not an exaggeration. There’s no hyperbole. This is the real situation. What is it? It’s this, “That I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” In other words, I’m groaning. There’s a groaning in me, and what is it for? “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ.” That’s how deep the grief is. The groaning, we were cursed and cut off for Christ, for the sake of who? “For the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.” In other words, he loved you so much, and he groaned for it. God the Father, God the Son. In the weeks ahead, we’ll see even God the Spirit groans, because that’s the progression through Romans eight, isn’t it? Creation groans, it’s an argument lowest from the lesser to the greater. Creation groans, man groans, who’s born again, and the Spirit groans, even and intercedes. That’s powerful, even we are groaning as well, and you’re seeing the real reasons why.

Now, there’s another one, and if I don’t include it, I’m going to be remiss in my duties. Okay, so I’m going to show you this, and when I read this verse, I want to tell you how to tell if it’s talking about you, okay. it’s talking about you. If you don’t like this verse, that fair, Hebrews 13:17 I didn’t write this. “Obey your leaders and submit to them.” There’s a difference because you can have begrudging submission, where all you do, sure you do what you’re told, but your heart is not actually broken and submitted. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are (they’re doing what?) they’re keeping watch over your soul.” They are. The leaders of the church are designed to lead, feed, protect, and provide. That is what we’re to do. We are to watch over your souls. Now others watch over our souls. This is don’t think hierarchy, think this is the way God designed His household. They watch over your souls “As those who will have to give an account.” An account to who? To the board of directors? No, to Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd. That’s who we’ll give an account to on Judgment Day, especially teachers. We’ll be judged with a stricter judgment. I don’t know if you’re aware of that. I teach up here. I’m going to give a greater account because I have the opportunity to influence, for good or bad. I can either feed His sheep or try and draw His bride after me. I want to do well because I fear and love Him. So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to give an account, right? “Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be of no advantage to you.” This word literally translates “unprofitable”. That’s an understatement. Listen to me, Christian, if your pastors are groaning over you, it’s not good for you. Now, why would a pastor need to groan over a sheep? Why would a shepherd, an under shepherd, need to groan over a sheep? Why? Well, because they’re not obedient to God’s Word, and they’re not submitted to God’s Word. By the way, this is being obedient and submissive to the Word of God, because outside of representing the Word, we have no authority. There’s no such thing as innate authority in any office, but when the Word of God comes to bear, you are to obey it and submit it. And that’s submit to, and that’s a synonymous term with obeying and submitting to the person that’s telling you must not do this, you must do this, that’s all that is, it’s actually very simple. And when sheep don’t do that, what do shepherds do? They groan. And that’s the tiring part of the job, so when you go, how long we’ve been telling this family this, that’s like, “Pastor. It’s like 10 years now. How long will we be till he opens the Bible and starts leading his family?” “Oh, when will they finally become covenant members?” “Oh, why in the world did they refuse to return the tithe?” “Oh, why did they get mad at us when we tell their kids they can’t make a fuss in the sanctuary?” “Oh. oh, oh.” And you read Google, and you go, “Oh, the goats are groaning, the goats are making me groan.” All right, I’m done.

Here’s number five. Why do we groan?

5. We Long For Our Glorified Bodies

And this is this is the context. I waited to the last for this, but this is the context, if you will. In right there in verse 23 let’s see it again, Romans 8:23, “Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, we groan inwardly (look) as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons (I like the King of James version, “to wit”) the redemption of our bodies.” That was the first translation I memorized, and I started with that, that in the NAS. It’s an oddball, but this is this would be a two-wit, right here. So, it’s putting that in connection, the redemption of our bodies. How important is the body? Some people don’t think the body is very spiritual. This one isn’t, that one is. And it’s important. Listen to me, you don’t have your full redemption until you have your glorified body. That’s why it says the redemption of our bodies. In other words, it’s an already and not yet, right? That’s right. So, you’ve already been redeemed, you’ve been redeemed, you’re being redeemed as your mind’s renewed by the Word of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit, and you will be redeemed when you’re raised from the dead. God’s going to commit to the whole thing, He’s going to fulfill it all the way through, but until you have a glorified body, you’re still in process, and there’s a groaning in that, it’s not just because you feel sick, it’s not just because you know one day you’ll turn to dust. It is that you are very well aware that this is something that you no longer belong in. In that sense, there’s.. if you’ve ever since.. there’s God, it’s got to be better than this. It is. It’s wildly better than this. But without the body, our redemption is not complete. And thus, guess what? We are not complete. Now, you might say, what about the people who are in the presence of Jesus right now? Those beloved saints who have gone before us, are you saying they’re not complete? No, they’re not complete. And do they know it? How long, O Lord? That’s the prayer under the altar, isn’t it? Yes. How long? Well, he knows the time. His timing is perfect. We can trust providence in that. But I want you to see this: your body, your glorified body, is an enormous part of the deal, if you will. And if you don’t have that, it’s not over. It’s interesting. It says we’re eager, “waiting eagerly for our adoption.” Now you might say, “Well, wait a minute, we already learned we’re already adopted?” That’s right. Already and not yet. Because there’s a process in adoption where the child is adopted, but then there’s the fulfillment of that, where the child’s in the home, friends of ours went through an adoption process recently, about a year ago, and it’s different here on earth. They could have had to even return the child after a seven day, during a seven day period. The mother, the birth mother, could have changed her mind. Okay, your adoption is not like that. You’ve been sealed, and you’ve been guaranteed with the deposit of the Holy Spirit. Your adoption is settled. Your body’s going to be redeemed. He’s not going to forget about you. “Oops, I forgot where I put him.” It’s not going to happen, but earthly adoption is still that way. Now, there’s a process where you’ve chosen the child, the parents have agreed, and now the adoption takes place, and there’s a difference between the process and the bringing home. We’re in the process, but we’re going to make it home. We’re going home. We’re going to have the full deal but while we’re in this temple, we’re going to groan.

2 Corinthians 5:1-8, “For we know that if the tent.” This is just a term, this is a way to say illustrative body – that’s what that means. It’s pretty clear. “For we know that if the tent, that is our earthly home is destroyed (that’s death). We have a building from God (that’s the new body you’ll get one day) a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” In other words, it’s a heavenly body, it’s incorruptible, it’s immortal. Look at verse two, “For in this tent we (do what?) we groan.” I remember when I reached the age where I would groan when I sat down. The kids would be like, “Why do you do that?” Like, “I won’t have to tell you. In several years, you’ll know.” “We groan (longing, longing to what?) longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.” That’s what we’re really looking forward to the full redemption. “If indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.” Now, why does he say that? Here’s why: because you’re not fully you until you’re absolutely clothed and clothed with what? A body. You’re not to be a disembodied spirit throughout eternity, that is not. You say, “Well, that’s what people are in heaven. They’re disembodied spirits.” That’s exactly what they are. Their spirit is with the Lord, but their body has not yet been given, and the shell that they used is corrupting in the grave and will never come up. There’ll be a new one that comes up in its place. Verse four goes on, “For while we were still in this tent (here it is again) we groan (why? Because we’re) being burdened.” We looked at some of those burdens, didn’t we? “Not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed.” So, when he says “burden”, this word right here, we’re being burdened. It’s burdened by the vestiges of sin, and we’re not sitting here saying we want to get away from this and not have a body. It’s not that we would be unclothed, and that that is removed from us, and now we’re disembodied spirits, but rather we would be further clothed, that’s the glorified body. “So that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” So, in other words, there’s no sin there. “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” That’s it, right there. That’s the progenitor of the groaning, if you will. And so, verse six, “We are always of (what?) good courage.” Why is that? Because we have assurance. Let me say it this way, if I’ve described you, if the Bible’s described you in these five things. I’m going to go on the line with this one. I think you’re a Christian. I know it’s out there, isn’t it? Your spouse may not agree this morning based upon how you acted, but if this is you, you’re it. You’re really it, because this is what it means to be a believer. You live this life between this good courage and assurance, and this groaning, and this waiting. It’s already, but it’s not yet. That’s the life of sanctification. Romans eight is driving that home for us. They have good courage. “We know that, while we’re at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.” That means physically, okay? We have a Spirit with us, “For we walk by faith and not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage. (Why?) And we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” In other words, what does “away from the body” mean? Well, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. That doesn’t mean you have a death wish. That just means you’re in touch with reality, and you know that when this all falls apart, you walk into that, and there’s going to be a day where we all get the fullness of all of it, and we’re not disembodied, and there won’t be any more of this in between. It will be already and already and the only not yet, we’ll have is more and more and more and more and more and more revelation of the goodness and the glory of God. This is the way He’s designed it. Why do we groan? We have the Holy Spirit. We love Jesus Christ. We groan over our sin. We groan over other’s sins. And we groan because we’re longing for our glorified bodies. This is a good understanding of the verse. If you’ve got that, you’ve understood verse 23.

KEYWORDS

Church Groans, Groaning, Groan, Body, Death, Imperishable, Perishable, Mortal, Immortality, Wages, Romans, Romans 8:23, Holy Spirit, Inward Groanings, Spiritual Groaning, Redemption, Gospel, Jesus, Sin, Glorified Bodies, Sanctification, Adoption, Assurance, John MacArthur, Bible Church, Non-Denominational Church, Church In Texas, Church In Grayson County, Audio Sermon

Speaker

Steve LeBlanc