1. WAITING THE GROANING OF CREATION

2. It Is Good to Wait Lamentations 3:25-36 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. J.I. Packer: “‘Wait on the Lord’ is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not his way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time”

3. The Good Creation God made the earth and the waters (v. 10) God made every kind of plant and seed (v. 12) God made the sun, moon, and stars (v. 18) God made the sea creatures (v. 21) God made the land animals (v. 25) “And God saw that it was good.” God made humans (v. 31) “and behold, it was very good.”

4. The Curse of Sin Genesis 3:16-19 Sin brought pain and suffering to good things that God had given humans. The birth of new life is cursed. The family relationship is cursed. The creation itself is cursed. The vocation of humanity is cursed. These are not “penalties” for sin. They are consequences.

5. Creation Waits Romans 8:18-19 Something better is coming. The whole creation “waits with eager longing” for what God is bringing about. Every blade of grass and chirping bird waits for God to set right what humans have put wrong.

6. Creation Freed Romans 8:20-21 The whole creation has been enslaved to futility. The enslavement wasn’t so much “creation’s” choice as it was ours. The creation has not given up hope that God will free all things by the glory of what He is bringing about.

7. Creation Groans Romans 8:22-23 The waiting is sometimes painful. The groaning of the whole creation describes the state of suffering and dissatisfaction with everything we have today. We know – we feel – deep down inside that something is wrong. Our anxiety and frustration is our inward groaning.

8. Creation HOPES Romans 8:24-25 Christ has come, and the work of putting things right has begun. However, we do not yet see it fully realized. “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”