All Creation Groans Series
Can you hear the sound?
The sound of groaning
All Creation, is groaning
Why?
Suffering
I consider that our present sufferings... Romans 8:18
Frustration
For the creation was subjected to frustration… Romans 8:20
Pain
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:22
We say a pregnant woman is “expecting”
Paul says creation is expecting “the Children of God”
Liberation from the pain of imperfection comes when
The freedom and glory of the Children of God is birthed
Jesus said, Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:6,7
Pain Till Birth, 4
Romans 8:22
For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together
as in the pains of childbirth until now.
There are many scriptures that relate the pains of life
to the pains and moaning of labor pains.
The whole of creation is in pain
because the created world is imperfect.
From our little imperfections of not doing the right things…
To the huge afflictions we inflict on others.
All creation from the time Adam and Eve
disobeyed God till now…
There is pain like that of labor pains.
The Bible not only relates
our pain and suffering in life
to the pains of labor…
But it also gives us hope.
Labor pains may be long
but labor pains come to an end.
Labor pains are signs that a birth
is about to take place, new life.
The curse upon Eve and all women is…
To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with
painful labor you will give birth to children.
Genesis 3:16
The curse of pain in Genesis 3 has a message…
There is pain before joy and pain before great sorrow.
When life is developing in the womb,
we say the woman is expecting.
She knows there will be a day
when she will have labor pains.
But the joy that comes
when that baby is born
is worth all the pain.
But the pain that brings
a still born is intolerable.
The earth is full of pain.
There is lots of mourning.
People are trying to deal with the pain.
Many without hope or understanding.
The seed of the flesh is inside of them,
carnal desired looking for a day of joy
that will come like a still born child.
But for those who have the seed
of the Spirit of God in them…
The pain looks for a day of new life
and joy like the birth of a baby.
There is hope for the people of God.
The Church who labors,
is giving birth to the life of Christ.
There is an emotional experience
in suffering and celebrating for the birth.
Paul who wrote to the Romans
also wrote this to the Galatians.
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth
until Christ is formed in you
Galatians 4:18
Paul uses the moment of childbirth
to describe Christ being formed in us.
This is a picture Paul paints
in his other letters, as well.
"Christ in you" is the "hope of glory"
Colossians 1:27
"…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith"
Ephesians
3:17
The picture is of Christ becoming
so prominent in us that His work is
being accomplished through us in the world.
It is always good to check out the context
of everything, especially scripture.
So let’s look at a few verses before Romans 8:22…
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Romans 8:18-21
We say a pregnant woman is “expecting”.
Paul says creation is expecting “the Children of God”.
Liberation from the pain of imperfection comes…
When the freedom and glory of the children of God is birthed.
Jesus said…
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
John 3:6,7
This is the same message Paul
was speaking in Romans 8…
Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
Romans 8:8,9
From the curse in Genesis 3
with painful labor you will give birth to children
till now there is one plan, one hope.
Paul in Romans 8:29 says it this way…
For whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are called to be born again and
be conformed to the image of His Son…
Born of the Spirit.
So, we might become the Children of God,
and grow up to become mature Sons of God.
Jesus Christ is more than our Savior…
He is our example.
Jesus charges all believers to be
empowered by the Holy Spirit
and go into a world of pain, suffering,
and frustration, to make disciples.
Jesus calls the Children of God, His Church…
Which He is the Head and the children, the body.
Ephesians 3:10-11 reveal God’s plan
to bring freedom to all creation…
His intent was that now, through the church,
the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers
and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Only the wisdom of God can bring solutions
to the problems
we who live in the flesh have caused.
This is a trust worthy statement…
“Stop waiting for God He is waiting for you!”
Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
John 16:21
Scripture Reading
Romans 8:22
For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together
as in the pains of childbirth until now.
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