Sermon Outline 4.6.25

TITLE: “Groaning Toward Glory”
TEXT: Romans 8:18–25

Theme: Present suffering is real but temporary. Future glory is certain, weighty, and worth the wait.

I. Perspective on Pain (v.18)

II. Promise of Revelation (vv.19, 23b)
What Does “The Revealing of the Sons of God” Mean?
1. It Refers to the Final Public Manifestation of God's Children
2. It Happens at the Resurrection and Glorification of the Saints
3. It’s Longed for by Creation

Catechism on Romans 8:19 – The Revealing of the Sons of God
Q1: Who are the “sons of God” in Romans 8:19?
A1: The “sons of God” are all who have been adopted into God's family through faith in Jesus Christ and have received the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:14–17 from last week).

Q2: What does the word “revealing” mean in this verse?
A2: “Revealing” (Greek: apokalypsis) means an unveiling or public disclosure. It refers to the future moment when God's children will be openly seen and glorified. (1 John 3:2; Colossians 3:4; Luke 17:30)

Q3: When will the revealing of the sons of God take place?
A3: It will occur at the return of Christ, when believers are resurrected and glorified—body and soul—and publicly vindicated as God’s children (Romans 8:23; 1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:21; 1 Cor 15:51-53).

Q4: Why does creation eagerly await this revealing?
A4: Because creation itself was subjected to the curse through man’s sin, and its restoration is tied to the glorification of God’s children. When the sons of God are revealed, creation will be set free from corruption (Romans 8:20–21; Genesis 3:17-19; Revelation 21:1).

Q5: What hope does this give believers today?
A5: It gives us enduring hope that our present suffering is not final. Though our glory is hidden now, it will one day be revealed. We wait eagerly, knowing that we will be conformed to the image of Christ and reign with Him in the new creation. (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Hebrews 11:1)

Q6: How should we live in light of this promise?
A6: We should live with confident hope, patient endurance, and a holy longing for Christ’s return. We should not be conformed to this world, but live as heirs of the world to come. (Romans 8:25; Titus 2:11-13; 1 Peter 1:13)

III. Plight of Creation (vv.20–22)
A. Subjected to Futility (v.20)
B. Subjected In Hope (v.20)
C. Will Be Set Free (v.21)
D. Groans (v.22)

IV. Personal Groaning—Good Groaning (v.23)
A. Saints Groan
B. Saints Wait for Their Adoption
C. Saints Wait for the Resurrection

• How can Paul say in Romans 8:15 that Christians have received adoption, but then say in Romans 8:23 that we are waiting for our adoption?
  • Romans 8:15 (Already) & Romans 8:23 (Not Yet)
  • Stage 1 – Legal Adoption (Already)
  • Stage 2 – Full Adoption (Not Yet)
  • Rom 8:23 Ties Adoption to the Resurrection

Catechism on Adoption: Already and Not Yet--Romans 8:23
Q1: What is adoption in the context of salvation?
A1: Adoption is the gracious act of God by which He makes sinners into His sons and daughters through union with Jesus Christ, granting them all the rights and privileges of His children. (Galatians 4:4-5; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:5)

Q2: When does adoption take place for the believer?
A2: Adoption begins the moment a person is united to Christ by faith. At that moment, God declares them His child, gives them the Spirit of adoption, and invites them to call Him “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 3:1).

Q3: Why then does Paul say in Romans 8:23 that we are still waiting for our adoption?
A3: Because our adoption, though legally established, is not yet fully realized. We are waiting for its final stage: the redemption of our bodies and the full experience of glorified sonship. (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2)

Q4: What does “the redemption of our bodies” mean in Romans 8:23?
A4: It refers to the future resurrection, when believers will be raised in glorified, sinless bodies—free from weakness, death, and decay—and fully conformed to the image of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 2 Corinthians 5:1-4; Romans 8:11)

Q5: How can we be both adopted and still waiting for adoption?
A5: We are already adopted in status and spiritually united to God as His children, but we are still waiting for the visible, bodily, and eternal manifestation of that adoption at Christ’s return. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Romans 8:30; Hebrews 9:28)

Q6: How does this truth encourage us in our present suffering?
A6: It reminds us that the pain and groaning we now feel are not signs of God’s absence but of our coming glory. Our current struggle is the birth pang of our future inheritance. (2 Corinthians 4:17; James 1:12)

Q7: How should we live while waiting for the full revealing of our adoption?
A7: We should live with hope, holiness, and perseverance—groaning with creation, walking by the Spirit, and eagerly anticipating the glory that will be revealed to us. (Romans 8:25; Hebrews 10:23; 1 Peter 1:13; Philippians 3:20)

V. Position in Hope & Patience in Waiting  (v.24)

VI. Perseverance in Expectation (v.25)