Groaning to Glory
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION
“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’, he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance…. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God…. Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace.”
~Martin Luther’s famed 95 Theses: 1, 62, 94 and 95; posted October 31, 1517
“The greatness of man is so evident, that it is even proved by his wretchedness. For what in animals is ‘nature’, we call in man ‘wretchedness’; by which we recognize that…he has fallen from a better nature which once was his.
“For who is unhappy at not being a king, except a deposed king?”
“Thus it is wretched to know that one is wretched, but there is greatness in knowing one is wretched.”
“All these examples of wretchedness prove his greatness. It is the wretchedness of a great lord, the wretchedness of a dispossessed king.”
~Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematician, in his Pensées, 409, 114 and 116
“This hard place…you perhaps find yourself is the very place…God is giving you opportunity to look only to Him, to spend time in prayer, and to learn long-suffering, gentleness, meekness – in short, to learn the depths of the love that Christ Himself has poured out on all of us.”
~Elizabeth Elliot (1926-2015), missionary, author, and speaker
“The self-sufficient does not pray, the self-satisfied will not pray, the self-righteous cannot pray. No man is greater than his prayer life.”
~Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994), British-born speaker and author
“When God’s people cry out, God hears them…. The act of being heard is a privilege in itself, offering great comfort through communion with God in prayer.”
~Voddie Baucham (1969-2025), pastor, author, and educator
“The glory of God is a living human being, and the life of man consists in beholding God.”
~Irenaeus of Lyon (c.130-c.200), in Against Heresies, Book IV, chapter 20, paragraph 7
SERMON PASSAGE
Romans 8:26-30 (NASB)
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
26 Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.