Introduction

Nearly 2,000 years ago, on a Sunday morning days removed from the Passover in Israel, a group of women went to a tomb. Their beloved teacher, leader, and friend had been crucified. They had hoped he was the one to save the world from its chaos and brokenness. Instead, he had suffered and died at the hands of jealous religious leaders, the Roman government, and a bloodthirsty mob. Still, he was special to them, and because he'd been buried with haste, they determined to go to his grave to complete his burial process.

But, on that incredible morning, the women discovered angels, a stone which had been rolled away, and their resurrected Lord. They went and told the others. At first, no one believed them, but soon Jesus made himself known to the rest of his followers. As Jesus appeared to hundreds of his friends in the following days, they shouted for joy. And after Jesus' ascension, those shouts turned into sermons as they preached the message of the gospel, telling the world of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

And the echoes of their original shouts are felt today. We gather on this day to celebrate the same thing they celebrated, the fact of Jesus' resurrection. He is alive! The grave could not hold him! He is risen!

And Jesus' resurrection carries significance for our world today. He is the pioneer of resurrection life, and through him, everyone who believes in him can be made alive forever (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). Jesus was the first to be resurrected, and, at his future coming, he will raise all those who have placed their faith in him (1 Corinthians 15:23).

Resurrection is our great need -- and the great need of our world. Our bodies and planet cannot last forever and are filled with disease, decay, and death. And though we try to steward our bodies and planet as best we can, resurrection is our only ultimate hope.

In 1965, against the backdrop of growing controversy surrounding the Vietnam War, Jackie De Shannon sang, what the world needs now is love, sweet love. Sure. But, in our day, as we all stay home because of a virus we have little control of and know even less about, we say, what the world needs not is resurrection, sweet resurrection. And it's Jesus who will provide such renewal.

For this particular Resurrection Sunday, the Lord has put a beautiful passage of Scripture on my heart and mind. Let's read it together:

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons 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 will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Though the word resurrection never appears in this passage, it's presence looms large over the entire thought. In this paragraph, Paul tells us that creation is groaning for the glorification of believers. The glorification of believers is what will occur at the great and final resurrection of the dead made possible by Jesus' resurrection.

And Paul says the creation groans for the redemption of our bodies because, when we're raised, the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (21, 23). In other words, when we are changed, the creation will be changed. Our resurrection leads to, in a sense, creation's resurrection.

For this, both us and creation groan with eager longing (19, 22, 23). The planet is waiting with us for the final resurrection!

But let me show you three things Jesus' resurrection changes for us.

1. Jesus' Resurrection Changes Our Calculations (8:18-19)

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Sufferings vs. Glory

Here, Paul stopped to consider the sufferings of this present time (18). It was his present time, but it would have been similar to our present time. He would have seen injustice, mysterious illnesses, pollution, heartbreak, and agony.

But Paul also foresaw the glory that is to be revealed to us (18). I think he often thought of the day the children of God would be revealed (19). As he painfully trudged through life, he found himself daydreaming about the future resurrection of God's people.

Consider

And when Paul compared current suffering with future glory, it changed his calculations. This is what is meant by the word consider (18). It's a numerical calculation determined by careful study or reasoning. To consider was not a personal opinion, but a calculated and informed conclusion. It is a term the business world of Paul's day would've used when making trades.

If someone says, The color blue is better than red, that's a personal opinion. If someone says, a million dollars is more than ten dollars, that's a consideration based on fact. That's what Paul is saying here.

He had compared the sufferings of this present time with the glory that is coming to every believer. He realized they were not worth comparing. The future glory far outweighs the present day suffering.

So Jesus' resurrection changes our calculations. Everything we endure today is momentary and light in comparison with the eternal weight of glory Jesus secured for us (2 Corinthians 4:17).

This Easter Sunday, let Jesus' new math change your calculations. This life is as bad as it can possibly get. And the glory awaiting us far outweighs anything we might face today.

2. Jesus' Resurrection Changes The Future (8:20-22)

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Subjected To Futility

Here, Paul reminds us that the creation was subjected to futility, but not willingly (20). What does this mean? Well, if you recall from Genesis 3 when Adam brought sin into the human species, a curse was introduced onto planet earth. The ground was cursed, and this seems to be the subjection to futility to which Paul refers (Genesis 3:17). The planet was not a willing participant in humanity's rebellion against God, but, because this planet is humanity's home, it suffered some of the consequences of human sin.

Coming Freedom

But, Paul says, the creation has a hope that it will itself one day be set free from its bondage to corruption (20-21). Paul is personifying an inanimate creation here, saying the planet and galaxy, like a child looking forward to Christmas morning, is looking forward to obtaining the same freedom we will receive when Jesus resurrects us (21). Though the past has been tarnished by the curse, the creation is waiting for a glorious future. Jesus' resurrection changes the future, both for us, but also for the natural world.

But what does this mean? Didn't Peter teach that the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire (2 Peter 3:7)? Didn't he say the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment (2 Peter 3:10, NLT)? Didn't he say the the galaxies will burn up, and the elements will melt down on that day (2 Peter 3:12, The Message)?

Yes, but he also said, in the same passage:

2 Peter 3:13 (NLT) — 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness.

You see, God has promised to create a new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1-2). He has promised the eradication of all sickness and disability (Isaiah 35:5). He has promised streams will flow in the wilderness (Isaiah 35:6). He's promised the vast wastelands of desert will be replaced with pools of water, fresh springs, and lush vegetation (Isaiah 35:7). He's promised a place of unparalleled peace and prosperity, one where no sin or evil dwells, but only an intense love for God (Isaiah 35:8-10).

In that day:

Isaiah 35:10 (ESV) — 10 ...everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Pains Of Childbirth

Creation is waiting for this future freedom, this remaking by the very hand of God. Paul said, in our passage, we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (22).

Now, this is a family program, so I'm not going to get into the details of pregnancy and childbirth. Ask your parents all about it, kids. But, suffice it to say that birth pains intensify until the point of birth.

Here, Paul tells us the creation is having its own birth pains (22). It is groaning in anticipation of its future deliverance. Just like the intensification of contractions, the creation is groaning together for its day of freedom from corruption.

In other words, the old heaven and earth is looking forward to becoming the new heaven and earth. It is longing for resurrection! And, as time goes by, the creation groans more and more for the day it will be reborn!

We are hearing some of those groans today. As our world struggles to cope with a virus we know little about and have even less control over, creation is groaning. One day, newness will come, all viruses will end, and the glorious creation brought on by Christ's resurrection will arrive.

3. Jesus' Resurrection Changes Our Groans (8:23-25)

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The Firstfruits Of The Spirit

Here, Paul tells us the creation isn't the only one groaning (23). We ourselves groan inwardly (23). Though we've been brought into God's family by the blood of Jesus, we are still awaiting the fullness of that adoption, that redemption of our bodies (23). So we groan with desire for the moment we'll be changed into the image of Jesus and go into our eternal home with him.

But there is a reason our groaning is so intense: we have the firstfruits of the Spirit (23). You see, the Spirit of God comes to live in all true believers. He is the down payment, the guarantee we belong to God (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Spirit of God is living within us, God's people.

Why would this make us groan?

Because we've tasted enough of God that we want all of God. We've received a little preview of this resurrection life, but now we want the whole thing. We sometimes feel half-saved, already in the kingdom, but still waiting for its glories. Our outer person has not entered the world our inner person has already entered into. We've begun to experience the redemptive and transformative work of the Holy Spirit, and that beginning makes us crave the fulness of the resurrection. We want to go all the way into God's presence!

Our Hope

So now we wait eagerly for our resurrection (23). Jesus rose. One day we will rise. And we await that day with great anticipation.

This anticipation, this eager waiting, is called hope in the Bible (24-25). It is not a mere wish, but a confident expectation of something sure. It is not like wishing for a snowstorm to cancel school for a day, but like awaiting the eventual coming of summer break. One is a wish. The other is concrete.

When saved, we entered into hope, confident waiting and desire, for something we cannot see (24-25). We wait for it with patience right now, but we still groan inwardly in our desire to receive the fullness of God's perfect new creation.

There is so much about our future with God we don't know about, so it might seem scary to us, but we still long for it because of what we do know. We know of this world's brokenness and pains. We know people are suffering. And we know God is good. All these elements cause us to hope in the future resurrection Christ will perform for us and this creation.

Conclusion

So Jesus' resurrection changes our groans into hope. When the bitterness of life presents itself, we ache in hope for our future glory with Jesus.

And during this particular resurrection Sunday, one where we cannot gather in the flesh, but must be dispersed throughout the community, our hearts especially groan. As we watch the world struggle and sputter, as nations are brought to their knees by a microscopic virus, as we come to terms with the fragility of our nature, believers hope.

We hate this pain and frustration and helplessness. But, one day, because Jesus rose, we will rise. The world will be remade, and we will receive our resurrected bodies with Jesus forever. He is our hope. His resurrection will lead to our resurrection. This is our confident expectation. To God be the glory!