SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 7/12/26
When we fix our eyes on future glory, our present sufferings become insignificant. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Romans: The Power of God in the Gospel of Christ
TEXT: Romans 8:18-27
TITLE: Groaning for Glory
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: When we fix our eyes on future glory, our present sufferings become insignificant.
POINTS:
I. A Massive Claim
II. An Incomparable Glory
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
“Romans 8 is about assurance. As we saw in Ch 7, life in a fallen world is a spiritual battlefield. Enter Romans 8. We have been given the Spirit, adopted by God, and made heirs with Christ. All we go through is being used for our good until the day we are glorified in heaven, a day no one can keep from us because we are eternally bound to Christ. In a world filled with sin and suffering, that is the future glory assured to every believer.”
“That raises one BIG question: Does the promise of future glory outweigh our present sufferings? Suffering is hard. No one asks for it. No one seeks it. No one enjoys it. Yet, as 17 says, glory and suffering go together. Is it worth it? Does the promise of future glory outweigh our present sufferings? When we fix our eyes on future glory, our present sufferings become insignificant.”
“The future glory of heaven is so glorious that it renders whatever we are going through today unworthy of comparison. No contest. That’s a massive claim. When we fix our eyes on future glory, our present sufferings become insignificant. It’s the claim Paul makes and wants us to believe.”
“As I thought about Paul’s words this week, a two-sided scale came to mind. On one plate are the sufferings of this present time. Persecution for our faith, mental and emotional anguish, and the physical pain we endure because we live in a sin-ravaged, broken world are all piled on one side of the scale.”
“On the other side of the scale is the glory that will be revealed to us when Christ returns. Defining the glory of God is ultimately impossible because God is God and there is none like Him. But when we think about the glory of God, I think it’s something like this: The glory of God is His infinite perfection, power, and majesty, made visible.”
“God has made His glory known in creation, in us as beings created in His image, and most powerfully in Christ, who is the radiance of God’s glory (Heb 1:3). Yet it’s a veiled revealing. But one day, the day Paul refers to in 18, it will be FULLY revealed to us. When it is, there will be no comparison between our suffering in this life and the glory that awaits us in heaven. The difference is so immense that, as Paul says in 18—it’s not even worth trying to compare them.”
“The most difficult thing you have experienced, are experiencing, will experience, or could experience in this life is like fine ash on the scale, not even registering, when you consider the future glory that awaits you as a Christian in the presence of God and Christ.”
“Our burdens are real. Suffering is difficult. But as the old hymn declares, they grow strangely dim when we turn our eyes upon Jesus and our future with him. That’s a massive claim!”
“To emphasize the wonder of the future glory that far outweighs our present sufferings, Paul says that everything and everyone, even God Himself, groans for it. This groaning isn’t audible; it’s an inward longing to see this fallen world give way to the glory of life in the new heaven and earth. It’s a groan of anticipation and expectation, recognizing that although the world is not as it should be, one day God’s glory will be fully revealed as He makes all things as they should be. Ultimately, the groaning isn’t for the end of life in a broken world but for the beginning of a glorified life with Christ.”
“Creation groans for God’s glory—read 19. Paul personifies the material world. He says that creation is eagerly longing for what lies ahead at Christ’s return. Our full redemption as children of God will be so glorious that even the impersonal forces of nature long for it. Why is that? A) On that day, all will be made right, and it will be glorious beyond comparison! That includes making creation right—read 20-21.”
“To understand Paul here, we have to go back to the moment God judged Adam for his sin in the Garden. Genesis 3:16-17 tells us that creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, as it says in 20, but because of Adam’s sin and the divine judgment that followed. Ever since that moment in the Garden, creation has been broken. It doesn’t function as God intended.”
“Your favorite plant dies. The wood on your house rots. Animals fear people. Famine wipes out crops. Earthquakes destroy. Pandemics kill. Creation is broken. God’s original creation wasn’t like this. The creation God ordered is now in disorder. The imagery in 22 says it all—like a woman in the painful throes of childbirth who desperately wants the baby to be born, creation groans as it desperately longs for the completion of the salvation God has already worked in his people, or as it says in 19 and 21, the revealing and glory of the children of God. That future that lies ahead in heaven is so glorious that even creation longs to see it. And so do we.”
“God’s People Groan for God’s glory—read 23. Paul captures the great dilemma of every Christian. We are made for God’s glory. We are created to see it and share in it. We do see and share in it, but only in part, not as we will in heaven. We live in the now but not yet.”
“Last week, we saw that we are God’s adopted children, filled with His Spirit and heirs of all that He is. We are that now, and we experience countless blessings from heaven in many ways. Still, we are not yet who we should be. Our true nature as God’s adopted children is not yet fully known. The battle described in 7:14-25 is real. Sin and temptation dog us. Our bodies grow old and frail. We fall and break our hip. We experience pain and suffering. We get sick and die. We are no longer under the Genesis 3 curse, but we still feel its effects, and our own sin only makes it worse for creation and for us.”
“So like creation, we groan in longing for the day Christ returns and our bodies are redeemed, that is, our glorified, resurrected bodies in the presence of Christ. On that day, our true nature as God’s adopted children will be revealed as we will be fully liberated to the glory that is ours as fellow-heirs with Christ in the eternal presence of God. I don’t know exactly what that will be like, but I know this—No more sin. No more suffering. No more death. No more decay. Endless, perfect praise from perfected people before the glorious throne of our Abba Father.”
“Paul just promised this in 17, saying that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with him.”
“Oh man, I can’t wait! Whatever I have to go through until then is far outweighed. That is where our salvation in Christ is taking us. This is what the cross accomplished for us. This is what the resurrection promises us. This is what the Spirit guarantees us. This is what God’s Word holds out to us. This is what we spur one another on to every day. We can’t see it. We can’t fully grasp it. But we look forward to it. That’s what faith does. It looks forward to the day when our salvation will be final, not with uncertainty but with conviction and assurance, as we patiently wait for what we only see by faith but believe God will do—read 24-25.”
RUNNING APPLICATION: How do you rejoice in God in the face of cancer? How do you stand unwavering in your faith amid persecution? How do you celebrate God’s goodness when you lose a child? How do you testify to the faithfulness of God when you can’t pay your bills? How do you persevere in grace as you battle indwelling sin? How do you remain content in Christ alone when everyone is winning except you? How do you project genuine joy in the all-sufficient God of your salvation when you wake up every morning consumed by emotional or physical pain? You keep your hope-filled eyes on that day!
ILLUSTRATION: UK pictures create longing to return
“Look back up at 18. Notice how Paul begins—For I consider. Paul has pondered the question—Does the promise of future glory outweigh our present sufferings? He has thought long and hard about it. He often thought about heaven. So should we.”
RUNNING APPLICATION: Do you groan and long for Christ's coming? Do you live each day in heartfelt anticipation of his return and of the glory and bliss of the new heaven and the new earth? How are you cultivating an eternal perspective? How often do you remind others that heaven is coming? That’s all I’m doing today—reminding you that you’re not in heaven yet, but it’s coming.
“Take heart, you are not left to your devices when it comes to getting from groaning to glory.”
“The Spirit groans for God’s glory—read 26. Paul says Likewise, in other words, just as the creation groans for our future glory, just as we groan for our future glory, the Spirit groans for our future glory. We are not alone in our groaning. God is with us!”
“The Holy Spirit is the personal and intimate presence of God, living, working, and helping you in your weakness. The Spirit understands your temptations. He knows the pain of your suffering. He sees your spiritual struggles. And He sympathizes with you. He is intimately involved, united with you in your struggle as you patiently hope and long for the day you will receive full salvation and sonship, when you are glorified in the presence of Christ.”
“And in our groaning, there are times when we don’t even know how we ought to pray. The burden of suffering. The condemnation of sin. The ache for a wayward child. In these moments, we find ourselves at a loss to express the deep longings of our hearts to our Abba Father. Paul says that in those moments, the Spirit groans for us. He silently intercedes to the Father. As someone said, it’s an inter-Trinitarian conversation for our well-being. You are not alone in your groaning. It’s incomprehensible. It’s utterly amazing. It should bring us great assurance—read 27”
“Because the one who groans for you is God the Spirit, He knows the mind of God because He has it. That means He knows the will of God. If He knows the will of God, He knows exactly how to intercede for us according to that will, invariably securing the answers to our prayers and working all things for our good.”
“This is how glorious future glory is—even God can’t wait for His consummation of all things!”
“Does the promise of future glory outweigh our present sufferings? When we fix our eyes on the future glory with Christ that awaits us, it absolutely does!”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 4:17
Colossians 3:4
1 John 3:2
QUOTES:
Sam Storms - “The material world in which we live is unable to properly fulfill the purpose for which God brought it into existence. The material world was originally designed by God not only to draw attention to his creative genius and power but also to provide a place for men and women to live and thrive and enjoy the good gifts of God.”
Jonathan Edwards - “Tis abundantly represented in Scripture as the spirit and character of all true saints, that they set their hearts upon, love, long, wait and pray for the promised glory of that day.”
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Christ Our Glory
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
Is He Worthy
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
When We See Your Face
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 8:28-30
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